Australian regulator NOPSEMA has opened a nine weeks public consultation period for Beach Energy’s Otway Offshore Gas Victoria project proposal.
The project is located approximately 20 km south of the Victorian mainland and 40 km west of Tasmania (King Island) at its closest points. Beach is planning the initial drilling campaign to start in 2025 with an operational life of up to 30 years if all required approvals are secured.
NOPSEMA has determined the offshore project proposal meets the regulatory requirements for it to be published for public comment but has not yet considered the acceptability of the project and associated environmental impacts.
This will happen only once the consultation is closed and Beach has considered and addressed issues raised by the public.
If the proposal meets all of the regulatory requirements and is accepted by NOPSEMA, further regulatory approvals from NOPSEMA will be required, including environment plans, safety cases, and well operations management plans before any activities can commence.
Interested stakeholders are encouraged to provide comment on the proposalby May 20, 2024.
The Otway Offshore Gas Victoria Project
The Otway Offshore Gas Victoria Project aims to develop gas reserves for use in the East Coast domestic gas market. These reserves and potential resources are adjacent to existing Beach Energy permits and infrastructure. The project would be undertaken through integrated subsea drilling and installation campaigns.
It would be a staged subsea development commencing with an initial drilling campaign operated by a semi-submersible drilling rig.
Successful wells would be tied back to the existing Otway Gas Production Pipeline (OGPP) and/or the existing Thylacine A platform via installation of new subsea flowlines and facilities. Recovered gas would be transported through the OGPP to the Otway Gas Plant (OGP) located near Port Campbell, Victoria, which supplies gas to the domestic market in south-east Australia.
The project involves exploration, appraisal and development of existing and future gas discoveries in Beach’s exploration permits, VIC/P43, VIC/P73 and T/30P located in the offshore Otway Basin.
The project area consists of discoveries and exploration opportunities to both the north and south of the existing Thylacine platform. To the north it includes gas discoveries (Artisan and La Bella) and exploration prospects within approximately 10km of these discoveries and pipeline tie in points with corridors for subsea connections. To the south it includes exploration prospects within exploration permit T/30P and corridors for future subsea tie-back.
Otway Offshore Gas Victoria Project location (Credit: Beach Energy)
The project is also adjacent to Beach’s current production operations at the Geographe and Thylacine gas fields in the offshore Otway Basin.
Up to six wells may be drilled and completed (in a success case), with one existing well to be re-entered and completed as part of the initial drilling campaign.
Installation of subsea infrastructure including wellheads, flowlines, umbilicals, manifolds and skids will be undertaken to connect any gas discoveries from the initial drilling campaign or future campaigns to the OGPP.
Beach is planning the initial drilling campaign to commence in 2025, with installation of new subsea facilities commencing in 2026 and the earliest achievable date for commissioning and first gas in 2026 subject to final investment decision, joint venture and regulatory approvals.
Production from successful prospects may have an operational life of up to 30 years, dependent upon resource size, well pressure and other factors.
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