Pluto Train 2, the onshore liquefaction expansion underpinning Woodside’s Scarborough Energy Project, is now in its final commissioning phase as the project targets first LNG cargo in Q4 2026.
Located within the existing Pluto LNG facility near Karratha in Western Australia, the second LNG processing train is now over 94% complete (excluding Pluto Train 1 modifications), marking a major execution milestone for one of Australia’s largest active gas infrastructure developments.
With all 51 prefabricated modules now installed and commissioning activities in play, Pluto Train 2 is positioning Woodside for a significant near-term production uplift from the Scarborough offshore gas development. This is as other oil and gas developments continue to take shape in Western Australia including the long-delayed Browse LNG project expecting federal approval decision in mid-2026.
Pluto Train 2 Project Fact Sheet
Parent Development: Scarborough Energy Project
Location: Pluto LNG Facility in Burrup Peninsula, near Karratha, Western Australia
Project Type: LNG train expansion
Operator: Woodside Energy
EPC Contractor: Bechtel
Capacity:
- 5 million tons per annum (Mtpa) LNG
- Up to 225 TJ/day domestic gas supply capacity
Feed Gas Source: Scarborough offshore gas field
Project Ownership:
- Woodside Burrup Train 2 Pty Ltd – 51%
- Global Infrastructure Partners – 49%
Project Status: Under construction
Progress: 94% complete
Target First LNG: Q4 2026
Project Timeline
2021
- Woodside reaches FID on Scarborough and Pluto Train 2.
- Global Infrastructure Partners acquires 49% interest in Pluto Train 2 JV.
2022
- Full Notice to Proceed issued to Bechtel.
- Construction officially launched in Karratha.
2024
- Modular construction and shipment campaign intensifies from Batam, Indonesia.
December 2024
- Final Pluto Train 2 modules delivered and installed on site.
April 2026
- Woodside announces project “switches on for startup” as commissioning activities ramp up.
May 2026
- Project reaches 94% completion.
- First LNG guidance maintained for Q4 2026.
Q4 2026
- Planned first LNG cargo.
Project Team
Developer
- Woodside Energy Group Ltd
EPC Contractor
- Bechtel Energy
Infrastructure Partners
- Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP)
Upstream Linked Project Participants (Scarborough)
Government Stakeholders
- Western Australian Government
- Australian Department of Climate Change, Energy, Environment and Water
- NOPSEMA
Construction of Woodside’s Pluto Train 2 Project in Australia Set to Start
Reported August 31, 2022 – Construction of Australia’s Pluto Train 2, Woodside Energy’s second LNG train, has begun. The project is located at the Pluto liquefied natural gas (LNG) onshore facility on the Burrup Peninsula. This is close to Karratha, in Western Australia.
The Pluto Train 2 project, which is expected to cost US$ 5.6bn, will be equipped to produce gas from the Scarborough oilfield in Western Australia. For the Pluto Train 2 project, Bechtel is acting as the engineering, procurement, and construction contractor. This project will have an annual LNG capacity of about five million tonnes (Mtpa).
The project will also entail the development of additional domestic gas infrastructure. Thus, it will raise the system’s daily capacity to about 225 terajoules. “Scarborough gas, processed through an enhanced and effective Pluto facility, will assist the decarbonization aspirations of our customers in Asia,” said Meg O’Neill, CEO of Woodside.
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Australia’s Pluto Train 2 Project to Increase the Country’s LNG Export
Bechtel said that site preparation work at the project has already begun. The first earthworks and activities in the laydown and storage sections are also scheduled to start before the end of this year. The Pluto Train 2 project will open up new industrial and downstream processing projects while enabling the export of about 9Mtpa of LNG.
Western Australia accounts for 56% of all LNG exports from Australia. This is according to Western Australia’s State Development, Jobs, and Trade Minister Roger Cook. With 12% of the world’s LNG supply in 2021, WA is the third-largest LNG exporter on its own.
During the four-year construction phase, the development will support 3,200 new employments. Furthermore, once fully operating, it will support 600 jobs, including around 230 local jobs for the Karratha region. Earlier this year, Global Infrastructure Partners purchased the 49% non-operating interest that Woodside had previously had in the joint venture Pluto Train 2.
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