Offshore staff
MELBOURNE, Australia – ExxonMobil subsidiary Esso Australia Pty Ltd. has delivered first gas from West Barracouta field in the Bass Strait.
West Barrcouta is in the Gippsland basin in the VIC/L1 block offshore Victoria.
The A$400-million ($309-million) development consists of two production wells and subsea infrastructure that is controlled from the Barracouta platform more than 5 km (3 mi) away. The gas is delivered through a 5-km (3-mi) pipeline via a new connection into the existing Barracouta pipeline so that it flows directly to the Longford gas plants.
According to the company, West Barracouta was one of the largest proven undeveloped gas fields offshore southeast Australia. It will now deliver gas supplies to help curb the potential shortfalls predicted for Australia’s southern and eastern states as early as 2023.
ExxonMobil Australia Chairman Nathan Fay said: “West Barracouta will likely be the largest domestic gas project for eastern Australia that comes along this decade…
“The Gippsland basin remains today the largest single source of gas supply to the east coast domestic market. And West Barracouta demonstrates it still has the capacity to bring material new gas supply to the market - there is still plenty of potential left in the Bass Strait.”
By the end of this decade the Gippsland basin will continue to have the potential to supply one-third of southeast Australia’s domestic gas demand, the company claimed.
ExxonMobil subsidiary Esso Australia Pty Ltd. operates the Gippsland Basin Joint Venture on behalf of a 50-50 joint venture with BHP Petroleum (Bass Strait) Pty Ltd. and Esso Australia Resources Pty Ltd.
04/20/2021
