Woodside’s Pluto Train 2 Project: A Journey of Delays, Revivals, and Missed Opportunities
The Pluto Train 2 project, spearheaded by Woodside Energy, has experienced a dynamic trajectory since its inception. From initial enterprise agreements and unforeseen global challenges to revivals and construction milestones, the project reflects the complexities of large-scale energy developments in the modern era.
On 10 September 2019, Woodside entered into the original Laing O’Rourke Australia Pty Ltd Pluto Train 2 Project Agreement, marking a significant step towards expanding its liquefied natural gas (LNG) capabilities. However, the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020 brought unprecedented challenges. By 27 March 2020, Woodside announced the deferral of final investment decisions (FIDs) for its Australian LNG projects, including Pluto Train 2, citing economic uncertainties and the global health crisis.
The pandemic-induced economic slowdown led to a significant crash in the oil and gas market by April 2020. This downturn further impacted the project’s momentum, necessitating a reassessment of timelines and investment strategies.
COVID-19 had a much broader economic impact, triggering a wave of uncertainty that rippled across global markets and industries. In the construction sectors in particular, the pandemic led to widespread project delays, deferrals, and outright cancellations. Lockdowns, supply chain disruptions, and travel restrictions caused material shortages, inflated costs, and made workforce mobilisation near-impossible. Investment confidence plummeted. What began as a health crisis quickly morphed into a global economic reset, with risk-averse decision-making defining project pipelines well into 2022.
Throughout 2021 and into 2022, various unions, including the AMWU, AWU, CFMEU and ETU, actively engaged with stakeholders regarding a new project agreement for Pluto Train 2. Notably, on 29 July 2021, these unions collectively rejected proposed rates on offer, emphasizing the need for a fair enterprise agreement. Subsequent communications, such as the ETU’s letter of concern on 12 August 2022, highlighted ongoing dialogues aimed at ensuring worker interests were adequately represented.
These negotiations took place during a significant market reset, which made it nearly impossible to pressure Woodside into agreeing to the rates and conditions established pre-COVID-19 in the Laing O’Rourke Australia Pty Ltd Pluto Train 2 Project Agreement. The unions did the best they could under the circumstances.
Fast forward to May 2025 — after considering everything you’ve just read, along with the spin and hyperbole the Offshore Alliance (AWU) continues to post on Facebook about Pluto Train 2 — you can now draw your own conclusion about what really led to the Bechtel Construction (Australia) Pty Ltd Pluto Train 2 Project Agreement, and why it fell short of the original Laing O’Rourke Australia Pty Ltd agreement.