Pavo well result offshore Australia indicates potential for phased Dorado tieback

Offshore staff

PERTH, Australia – Carnarvon Energy has completed its assessment of the recent Pavo oil discovery offshore Western Australia, operated by Santos.

Pavo-1, drilled 46 km (28.6 mi) from the Dorado field development, is thought to contain 2C resources of 43 MMbbl of light oil, with additional prospective resources of 55 MMbbl.

The well recovered hydrocarbons from the greater Pavo closure’s northern structure, which is separated from the southern structure by a narrow syncline, the depth of which is shallower than an interpreted residual oil-water contact in Pavo-1.

This suggests Pavo South could be filled with the same oil encountered in Pavo North.

According to Carnarvon, fluid production rates from Dorado will likely decline following a plateau period of up to two years. From that point, there should be spare capacity in the crude oil handling facilities, allowing for back-fill from satellite fields such as Pavo.

Due to the reservoir quality in the Caley Member, Pavo North could be developed with a few production wells and tied-back to the Dorado FPSO. Assuming drilling confirms the Pavo South accumulation, this too could be tied-back with additional wells, potentially connected to the Pavo facilities.

05.02.2022