Santos operates the Van Gogh, Coniston and Novara fields via a Floating, Production, Storage and Offtake (FPSO) facility; the Ningaloo Vision (NV). The Van Gogh, Coniston and Novara Drilling and Completions Environment Plan (EP) is a five-year drilling EP to drill up to six additional wells in the licence area WA-35-L and WA-55-L. This EP was accepted by the National Offshore Petroleum Safety and Environmental Management Authority (NOPSEMA) in November 2016. In 2018, two production wells were drilled under the EP and drilling of three additional dual lateral wells under the same in-force drilling EP is currently underway. This drilling EP expires on 21 November 2021. As a result of COVID and other project delays, it is possible the drilling campaign currently underway will not be complete when this in-force drilling EP expires.

The subject of this submission is the Van Gogh Phase 2 Drilling and Completions Extension EP. This EP has been prepared as an extension of the in force Van Gogh, Coniston and Novara Drilling and Completions EP (EA-00-RI-10060) to ensure the drilling campaign can be completed.

The activity will take place entirely within production licence WA-35-L. Activities associated with the scope of this EP will be conducted within a defined ‘Operational Area’ as shown on the location map, which was derived by extending a 2 km radius from Drill Centre (DC) 1 and DC2 and creating a square around the limits of these areas. respectively and shown in the location map. DC1 and DC2 are situated around 2 km apart in an approximate water depth of 380 m. They are located approximately 45 km from the North West Cape and 110 km from the town of Onslow Western Australia.

The drilling activity is scheduled to commence in the fourth quarter of 2021, when the in-force EP expires. The activity duration is expected to be approximately 120 days of continuous well operations. It is possible the duration may increase if technical difficulties or interruptions are encountered, such as equipment failures and inclement weather. To ensure conservatism, the EP is assessed for the activity occurring at any time of year. The EP remains valid until the end of 2022.