Woodside is planning to undertake anchor hold testing within permit area WA-49-L, starting in Q1 2020. The anchor hold testing activities are expected to take fourteen (14) days, with test results informing planning activities for the proposed exploration Gemtree-A exploration well. Drilling of the Gemtree-A exploration well is planned to commence from Q3 2020

The proposed activity will involve an anchor handling vessel lowering an anchor to the seafloor in the Operational Area for the Gemtree-A exploration well and then tensioning the anchor to determine its ability to hold, embed and resist drag at the location. The anchor will be recovered once testing is complete. This process may need to be repeated several times within the Operational Area.

The proposed activity is located in Permit Area WA-49-L, about 138 kilometres (km) off the Pilbara coast of Western Australia (WA). The closest landfall to the location is the Montebello Islands, which are about 51 km south-east.