Norway's Equinor ASA said on Thursday it has been awarded a new exploration permit in shallow waters off Western Australia, close to the Dorado field, Australia's biggest oil find in more than two decades.
Equinor, which will be 100% owner and operator of the permit, said the block covers 4,815 square kilometers in water depth of 80 to 350 meters.
"An interesting new liquids play has emerged in this part of Australia's Northwest Shelf and we are looking forward to assessing the potential in our new permit," Equinor's senior vice president for international offshore exploration, Paul McCafferty, said in a statement.
The Dorado discovery last year by Quadrant Energy, now owned by Santos Ltd, has spurred a revival in exploration off Western Australia, following a slump after oil prices crashed in 2014.
Equinor is also working on plans to drill in the Great Australian Bight, off the country's south coast, starting in late 2020, despite strong opposition from green groups.
(Reporting by Sonali Paul; editing by Uttaresh.V)
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