LNG

Woodside Petroleum, the operator of the Northwest Shelf LNG export plant and Pluto LNG in Western Australia, has named Meg O’Neill as Acting Chief Executive on the agreed retirement of incumbent Peter Coleman from the Board on April 19 and the company on June 3.

Woodside Petroleum, the Western Australian operator of two LNG export plants, posted a plunge of more than 33 percent in 2020 LNG sales revenues after the roller-coaster price movements in the year of Covid-19.

Western Australian LNG operator Woodside again demonstrated its public transparency by declaring that it paid A$583 million (US$435M) in corporate taxes in Australia for the previous fiscal year and a total of A$10 billion in taxes and royalties over 10 years.

One of the best-known and among the longest-serving senior executives in the LNG sector, the Chief Executive of Woodside Petroleum, Peter Coleman, has announced his intention to retire in 2021.

Woodside Chairman Richard Goyder said he had been advised by CEO Coleman that he would be retiring from his post after 10 years in the role in the second half of next year.

Woodside said it had commenced an internal and external search for the company’s next CEO.

The Perth, Western Australia-based company is the operator of the North West Shelf plant, the Pluto LNG facility and a shareholder in the Wheatstone venture run by Chevron Corp.

At the same time, it is in the midst of two main projects that will affect profits in the years to come.

These are the Scarborough gas field development off Western Australia with feed-gas for a second processing Train at the Pluto plant and part of the company’s Gas Hub in the Burrup Peninsula.

Woodside is also active in the oil sector and recently agreed to increase its stake in the Sangomar oil field development offshore Senegal.

Coleman said that he believed that this was the right time to retire and believed Woodside was well positioned for the future.

“In this challenging year, Woodside has taken the prudent decisions needed to maintain safe and reliable operations and protect our growth plans, while setting up our company for the next phase,” explained the CEO.

“I am extremely proud of how our Woodside team has managed the uncertainty and is on track to deliver record production and exceptional safety performance,” he stated.

Company Chairman Goyder praised Coleman’s leadership and his overall contribution.

“Peter has been an outstanding CEO and his focus on safety, base business and operational excellence have created a resilient and future-focused organisation,” said Goyder.

“His commitment to prudent capital management and maintaining a strong balance sheet and liquidity has complemented his track-record for operational excellence,” he added.

“Peter is a corporate leader in safety and environmental performance, inclusion and diversity, gender equality, and Indigenous respect and awareness and has entrenched these values in Woodside’s culture,” stated Goyder.

Coleman said he was proud of what the Woodside team had delivered in the past 10 years.

“Retiring in 2021 ensures continuity to support the Scarborough investment decision, which will transform Woodside, while ensuring our international projects in Senegal and Myanmar maintain their positive momentum,” he explained.

“We value our LNG buyers, joint venture partners and contractors who will continue to be critical to Woodside’s ongoing success,” he added.

“I will miss being part of the Woodside team. The company has been reset with a strong platform for the future, with the next stage of our journey ready for a new CEO to take the required ownership of Woodside’s significant growth projects,” Coleman concluded.

Woodside Petroleum, the Australian LNG plant operator and international commodities company BHP, are advancing with their Scarborough gas field project to underpin the Burrup Gas Hub planned for Western Australia.

Woodside Energy, the Western Australian liquefied natural gas plant operator, has highlighted the record-breaking production achieved in 2020 at its Pluto LNG plant amid the worst cyclone to hit the Burrup Peninsula in half a century and the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Woodside, the Australian LNG export plant operator, has received a regulatory permit for the Scarborough gas field development offshore Western Australia, even as the final investment decision has been deferred until 2021.

Anglo-Australian global commodities and energy company BHP with long-standing stakes in Western Australian LNG, natural gas and mining and with LNG-powered shipping plans said it planned to hire 1,500 additional people to support its workforce operating across Australia.

Dec 2 (LNGJ) - Woodside Petroleum said it signed new agreements with the Aboriginal groups in Western Australia linked to its expansion plans on the Burrup Peninsula for its Pluto and North West Shelf LNG facilities.

   “Woodside has operated on the Burrup for 35 years, and these agreements demonstrate our ongoing commitment to the successful co-existence of heritage and industry and support for long-term, positive outcomes for Aboriginal communities,” said the LNG producer.

   The first agreements were signed in 1998 with NWS LNG. “The updated commitment includes increased funding for a number of programs and benefits that are being delivered under the existing agreement. Additional support has also been made available for a number of capacity building and social investment programs,” added Woodside.

Woodside, the Western Australian liquefied natural gas producer, said its Burrup Hub for LNG is making progress with plans for third-party participation in liquefaction and pipelines, LNG maritime fuel availability for big ore carriers headed for Asia and truck-loading for remote users in the Outback.