Santos WA, on behalf of the Coniston-Van Gogh Production Joint Venture titleholders, operates the Van Gogh, Coniston and Novara fields located in WA-35-L and recovers oil in production licence area WA-35-L using the Ningaloo Vision FPSO since 2010 and will continue to be recovered and comingled with oil from the Coniston and Novara fields. Production rates are currently at approximately 10,000 bbl/d (March 2020) and are expected to decline over the remainder of the field life. Short term increases in production may occur due to infill drilling campaigns. The operation of new wells and subsea infrastructure would be undertaken in accordance with this EP. The estimated operational life of the Van Gogh, Coniston and Novara fields as at March 2020 extends beyond the period of this EP (currently estimated at 7 to 12 years remaining field life).
Support vessels provide support for activities such as the loading of supplies, offloading of wastes, assistance for offtake tanker berthing and loading, and oil spill response. Project vessels carry out inspection, maintenance, monitoring and repair (IMMR) activities. Helicopters are used for transport of personnel to and from the facility. Offtake tankers load the recovered oil from the FPSO on a regular basis. The FPSO and subsea infrastructure design allows for produced water and excess produced gas (excludes gas required for fuel and gas lift) to be reinjected to the reservoir or discharged/emitted overboard.
Collectively, these activities are referred to as the Ningaloo Vision Operations which occur within an operational area solely located within WA-35-L, defined as:
+ A 500 m radius petroleum safety zone (PSZ) that extends around the Disconnectable Turret Mooring (DTM) buoy;
+ A 500 m radius around the DTM anchor spread; and
+ 500 m either side of all other subsea field infrastructure.
The Operational Area is approximately 45 km north-northwest off the Cape Range Peninsula in Western Australia and the FPSO is located approximately 53 km north-northwest of the Exmouth township. The Ningaloo Vision operations occur in water depths ranging from 340 m to 400 m, with the FPSO moored in a water depth of 341 m. The nominal proximity of the Ningaloo Vision operational area to other key coastal or mainland features is:
+ State/Commonwealth waters boundary – 32.3 km southeast;
+ Ningaloo Marine Park boundary – 33.6 km southeast;
+ Muiron Islands Marine Management Area – 32.3 km southeast;
+ North West Cape – 41.6 km south; and
+ Barrow Island – 137 km northeast.
The Ningaloo Vision FPSO may leave the operational area for cyclone avoidance or for maintenance activities (e.g. shipyard campaigns). This EP covers petroleum activities within the operational area even if the FPSO is not on location within it.
This EP does not include any decommissioning activities. A stand-alone environmental approval to undertake decommissioning of the Ningaloo Vision Operations will be sought from NOPSEMA (or the equivalent agency at the time) and other government authorities under the relevant legislation closer to the time of the activity.