First gas from the Scarborough field offshore Western Australia should flow to the Pluto LNG terminal in the second half of 2026, operator Woodside Energy's chief executive Meg O'Neill said.
Woodside previously said it was targeting first production at some point next year, without being more specific.
The Australian independent's floating production unit for Scarborough is being built in China, where its hull and topsides will be joined in April-June. It will then be towed into position in late 2025 for commissioning in the northern Carnarvon basin, about 430km from Pluto LNG.
The 5mn t/yr train 2 at Pluto LNG is nearing completion, with all 51 modules now delivered before Woodside moves into commissioning this year, O'Neill said following the release of the firm's 2024 annual results on 25 February. First LNG will be shipped in July-December 2026.
The 80pc complete Scarborough is expected to produce about 8mn t/yr of LNG, with 3mn t/yr to be processed through the 4.9mn t/yr Pluto LNG train 1.
