ExxonMobil-BHP JV to develop new gas reservoir off the coast of VIC

1 min read
Monica Gameng   |   December 13, 2018

The western dome of the Barracouta gas field - also known as West Barracouta - in the Bass Strait off the coast of Victoria is now set for development with joint venture partners ExxonMobil and BHP making the final investment decision for the project.

BHP will be investing approximately $200 million towards this project.

“The West Barracouta project is an important investment, underpinned by strong economics and rates of return, that will unlock a high quality, new gas resource and help offset Bass Strait production decline at a vital time for the east coast market,” BHP Petroleum Australia General Manager Graham Salmond said.

Through this project, the joint venture will be developing one of the largest remaining Bass Strait gas reservoirs. This development is going to be achieved with a two well brownfield tieback with the existing Gippsland Basin Joint Venture operations.

“The Gippsland Basin Joint Venture has played a central role in reliably meeting the needs of the Eastern Australia domestic gas market for 50 years.

“We are also assessing other potential development opportunities in the Bass Strait to bring new supply to the domestic market,” Mr Salmond said.

Front-end engineering design works have been recently completed for the project - which is located in the VIC/L1 block - as part of the ExxonMobil-BHP Gippsland Basin Joint Venture. The joint venture has also awarded contracts for works on the project to Subsea 7 and OneSubsea.

“We continue to use advanced technology, along with our extensive, decades-long understanding of the Gippsland Basin, to ensure full potential of the resource can be realised.

“Our objective is to produce West Barracouta gas for the Australian domestic gas market by 2021,” ExxonMobil Australia Chairman Richard Owen said.

The Gippsland Basin Joint Venture is a 50-50 joint venture between BHP Billiton Petroleum (Bass Strait) Pty Ltd and Esso Australia Pty Ltd - a subsidiary of ExxonMobil.

Want to receive the latest industry news and project updates straight to your inbox? Subscribe to Felix Project News today.

Source: BHP; ExxonMobil Australia; Australian Mining; Brisbane Times; Gippsland Times
Monica Gameng
Monica Gameng
As Felix's Marketing Assistant since 2015, Monica is responsible for researching and sharing new and progressing projects within the construction and mining sectors in Australia. It's no surprise that Monica has her finger on the pulse of Australian major projects given she has produced more than 1,000 posts. She truly is an industry expert.
Follow me:

Tell us your thoughts by leaving a comment here:

Related Articles

Projects
Proposed $16bn LNG project in WA expected to create thousands of jobs

Woodside Petroleum Ltd and BHP Group – the Scarborough Joint Venture – have made a final investment decision (FID) for the Scarborough and Pluto Train 2 project in Western Australia, which is expected to create more than 3,200 local jobs during its construction phase. 

Projects
Woodside awards 4 contracts for $15.3bn Scarborough LNG Project in WA

Woodside Petroleum is moving forward with the $15.3 billion Scarborough LNG Project, with the company awarding four contracts for the delivery of front-end engineering design.

Projects, NSW
Green light given to final section of tunnelling for Sydney Metro West

Another major milestone has been reached on the Sydney Metro West development in New South Wales with planning approval granted for tunnelling works between The Bays and Sydney CBD. 

Get the latest project news

Formerly known as the PlantMiner blog, Felix Project News is Australia's top 10 Construction blog. Join thousands of construction and mining pros getting the best content right in their inbox.
  • updates on Australia's pipeline of state and federal projects
  • fresh contract awards from major contractors and builders

If you're looking to contact us about other matters, please contact us.

Select your preferred email frequency
Which best describes you?
Please Select*
  • Please Select*
  • I hire plant, equipment or subcontractors
  • I supply plant, equipment or subcontracting trades
  • Both
  • Other

By submitting this form you agree with the T&Cs and Privacy Policy and you consent to allow Felix to store and process the personal information submitted above to facilitate your request.