In 2011 petroleum title WA-47-L was transferred to the Wheatstone Joint Venturers, and Chevron Australia Pty Ltd (CAPL) became the nominated titleholder. This title included a legacy appraisal well, Wheatstone-2, that had previously been managed by CAPL. The well was drilled in 2007 and subsequently plugged and abandoned, with the wellhead left in situ during well abandonment. CAPL propose to leave the wellhead permanently in situ.
A Decommissioning Options Assessment was performed for the wellhead which compared removal of the wellhead to leaving it in situ. The assessment found that the leave in situ decommissioning option was preferred as it delivers equal or better environmental outcomes, eliminates any potential cultural heritage risks by minimising seabed disturbance and delivers better health and safety outcomes.

The defined petroleum activity for this EP comprises of leaving the wellhead in-situ in perpetuity. No further operations or works are required. A final abandonment report has been accepted by the National Offshore Petroleum Safety and Environmental Management Authority (NOPSEMA) for the well.

This Environment Plan covers the impacts and risks associated with the wellhead remaining in situ. This EP has been prepared in accordance with the requirements of the Commonwealth Offshore Petroleum and Greenhouse Gas Storage Act 2006 and Offshore Petroleum and Greenhouse Gas Storage (Environment) Regulations 2009 as administered and for regulatory acceptance by NOPSEMA. The activity will be considered complete upon acceptance of the EP from NOPSEMA.