Activity details

Organisation	Woodside Energy Julimar Pty Ltd
Project	Julimar Development
Activity types	Drilling Decommissioning, dismantling or removing a facility
In-force EP	8584
Submission date	25 November, 2025
Outcome	Accepted
Acceptance date	17 April, 2026
Locations	North West
Start date	Pending titleholder notification
Stop date	Pending titleholder notification
Lifecycle Classification	Decommissioning

Please note: activity start and stop dates are based on notifications provided by the titleholder.

Titleholder contact

Activity Description

Woodside proposes to undertake permanent plug and abandonment (P&A) for a number of subsea exploration wells in the Julimar-Brunello licence WA-49-L as follows: P&A of three subsea wells associated within the Julimar-Brunello Field (WA-49-L) using a Mobile Offshore Drilling Unit (MODU) with combined Dynamic Positioning (DP) and mooring capability: •Julimar East-1 •Brunello-1 ST1 •Brulimar-1 In addition, Woodside proposes an additional contingent activity to remediate/remove and/or isolate Non-Water-Based-Mud (NWBM) in the annulus of one additional well: •Balnaves Deep-1 This activity will be attempted using a vessel-based strategy under the accepted North West Shelf (NWS) and Julimar Exploration Wellhead Decommissioning EP. If successfully completed using a vessel-based strategy, no further activity will be performed under this EP. If the vessel-based strategy is not feasible or unsuccessful at the time of execution, the activity will be undertaken by MODU-based strategy as described in this EP. All four wells in this scope were drilled as exploration or appraisal wells between 2007 – 2011. The three wells scheduled for P&A were suspended following exploration activities in accordance with the regulation of the time period (Temporarily Abandoned in today’s terminology). The temporary abandonment methodology conducted does not align with the current legislative requirements, regulatory expectations, and best practice for permanent abandonment, driving the need for further P&A activities. Due to the cement-based temporary abandonment plugs already present in these three wells, it is unlikely that a flow path exists between the wellbore and the reservoir(s), and the most likely fluid contained in the wellbore is suspension fluid rather than reservoir hydrocarbons. The reservoir interval in the Balnaves Deep-1 exploration well has already been accepted as permanently abandoned. NWBM was left in one of the annuli in the well, with the annulus being exposed to the marine environment upon wellhead removal. All wells are located in Commonwealth waters of the Barrow Sub-Basin around Woodside’s existing production facilities. The Petroleum Activity is located in Commonwealth waters in the Barrow Sub-Basin. The wells are located in permit area WA-49-L, approximately 185 kilometres (km) WNW of Karratha in ~135 m to 171 m water depth. The P&A and well intervention will be undertaken using a moored or hybrid (mooring and dynamic positioning capability) semi-submersible MODU with up to three MODU support vessels and an IMR vessel. The MODU will undertake plug and abandonment activities, wellhead cutting, and may be used to remove wellheads. Wellheads may also be cut by the MODU and temporarily wet parked, of left in their existing position for later removal under the accepted NWS and Julimar Exploration Wellhead Decommissioning Environment Plan. NWBM remediation, removal, or isolation activities, if required, will also be undertaken by a MODU. Support vessels will undertake preparatory activities, such as inspection, maintenance, and repair (IMR) activities, pre-laying and recovery of moorings and/ or tether clump weights, anchor hold testing. The MODU and support vessels are expected to operate within the Operational Area for approximately three to seven months, including mobilisation, demobilisation and contingency activities. When underway, activities will be 24 hours per day, seven days per week. Timing and duration of the P&A activities is subject to change due to project schedule requirements, metocean conditions, vessel availability, unforeseen circumstances and weather. For this reason, the Environment Plan will be prepared as a 3-year EP. This Environment Plan is not intended to be the final decommissioning EP for Woodside’s property in WA-49-L and WA-34-L, as such Section 270 of the OPGGS Act and title surrender requirements are not included in this EP.

Location map (click to enlarge)

Accepted EP Documents

EP Document	A1325565 (52.4 MB)

Related EP assessments

8584 (Click to view)