Santos has temporarily halted operations at its Darwin liquefied natural gas (LNG) facility in Australia’s Northern Territory (NT), reported Reuters.
The shutdown has halted exports from a supply chain that had only recently resumed, even as LNG demand remains firm amid Middle East-related supply disruptions.
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According to Santos, the closure is due to work related to equipment replacement on the BW Opal floating production vessel at the Barossa gas and condensate project in the Timor Sea. The Barossa project supplies gas to the Darwin plant.
A Santos spokesperson told the news agency that the shutdown is planned and tied to commissioning but did not indicate when the facility would resume operation.
The Australian Financial Review reported that a stakeholder update from Santos, viewed by industry outlet Boiling Cold, flagged that the Darwin LNG plant may not return to service for several weeks.
The spokesperson was quoted by Reuters as saying: “We are in the final stages of commissioning for Barossa LNG to flush the system before coming back on and getting back to full rates.”
Darwin LNG had restarted exports earlier this year after delays at Barossa caused by technical issues including compressor seal faults impacting production.
Santos’ quarterly production report, released in January 2026, projected total production of 101–111 million barrels of oil equivalent (mboe) for this year. Barossa is expected to contribute around 19 million barrels (mbbl).
Santos holds a 50% operating interest in Barossa, with SK E&S owning 37.5% and JERA 12.5%.
Darwin LNG began operations in 2006, processing Bayu-Undan gas from offshore Timor-Leste until mid-2025 when the field reached its end of life. Santos became the operator of Darwin LNG in 2020 after acquiring ConocoPhillips’ Australia West assets.
The facility operates under a Major Hazard Facility licence that includes a Safety Case accepted by NT WorkSafe and an NT EPA Environment Protection Licence.
Earlier this month, Santos and its joint venture partner Beach Energy approved the final investment decision for the Moomba Central Optimisation project in South Australia’s Cooper Basin.
