Santos’ Barossa gas and condensate development in the Timor Sea was more than 88% complete at the end of last year, the company said in a trading update.
FPSO integration and pre-commissioning continue as planned in Singapore. Drilling activity has finished on the second and third of the six development wells; flow test results were good, in part due to the well design, which has been adapted for the reservoir conditions.
The fourth well was part-drilled and suspended for a reentry later this year. The Valaris semisub MS1 has since moved to the northern (N1) manifold, spudding the fifth well.
All subsea risers, umbilicals and manifolds have been installed, and pre-commissioning of the in-place infrastructure is ongoing. The beach pull of the Darwin Pipeline Duplication to the Darwin LNG complex was successful, with more than 30 km of the pipeline laid.
Santos anticipates first production during the third quarter, with the project staying within current cost guidance.
Nearby, the near-depleted offshore Bayu-Undan field continues to produce gas for export to the Northern Territory domestic sector. Operations will continue as long as production remains economic.
FEED for the Bayu-Undan Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) conversion project is past the 95% completion point. Work continues with Timor-Leste’s government on implementing regulatory and fiscal frameworks, approvals, securing agreements with Australia’s government and commercial arrangements ahead of FID.
Offshore Western Australia, the FPSO Ningaloo Vision was back on duty late last year following remediation of a subsea communication fault. The facility will continue producing this year.
Elsewhere in the region, Santos’ contractors completed decommissioning of four of 11 wells on the offshore Exeter, Fletcher, Finucane and Mutineer fields.
FEED work progresses on the Western Australia Reindeer CCS project, alongside negotiations on the third-party supply of CO2. Santos submitted a declaration of storage formation to the National Offshore Petroleum Titles Administrator in November.
