Production should resume shortly at Chevron Corp.'s (NYSE: CVX) $54 billion Gorgon LNG export plant in Australia, a company spokesman said, following a longer-than-expected shutdown caused by a leak.

Start-up activities at the plant are under way, Chevron spokesman Kent Robertson said in an email July 20.

After the shutdown on July 1, Chevron initially said production would restart in the "coming week." The plant has exported just two cargoes since its launch in March.

According to a shipping schedule published by Chevron Australia prior to the leak, Gorgon was due to export another cargo on July 9-11 aboard the Asia Excellence tanker.

That vessel is anchored in the vicinity of the plant.