Beach starts up long-reach Enterprise gas tieback offshore Victoria

July 19, 2024
Beach Energy provides offshore project updates in its latest quarterly report.

Beach Energy has decided that four discoveries in its Bass Basin acreage offshore southeast Australia do not meet its minimum investment requirements. Therefore, the company has terminated development planning activities for the White Ibis, Bass, Trefoil and Yolla West accumulations.

During the second quarter, Beach received final regulatory approvals for its offshore Enterprise gas development and completed wellsite construction. The field has been connected to the onshore Otway Gas Plant and delivered first sales gas on June 12.

Enterprise contains 2P gas and associated liquids resources of 34 MMboe. Development involved drilling one of the longest extended reach wells in the southern hemisphere to date, Beach added, with a ~5-km lateral section.

In the same region, offshore exploration and development activities have continued for the Thylacine West 1 and 2 well connections. A new replacement flowline is currently being transported to the site. Beach is aiming for installation of the subsea pipeline, connection and first gas in first-half 2025.

For the next phase of offshore Victoria activity, the company said it would focus on gas exploration prospects of at least 100 Bcf, with the Hercules and Mavis prospects among the potential drilling candidates.

In the Taranaki Basin offshore New Zealand, the company’s Kupe South 9 development well was drilled, targeting gas in the Kupe Field’s eastern area. However, the well delivered at low gas flow rates following connection to the Kupe Gas Plant, and the well intervention activities that followed did not bring an improvement.

This suggests that production from existing wells has drained gas from the eastern area, leading to a downgrade in the expected recovery.