Note: The location map and activity description has been updated to reflect the current submission (as at 26 July 2024).
Beach Energy (Operations) Limited (Beach), proposes to undertake Drilling and Plug-and-Abandon (P&A) Activities within Commonwealth waters of the Otway and Bass Basins.
The proposed scope of the Drilling and P&A Activities covered by this EP consists of:
• Drilling of up to five wells in Otway, consisting of:
o Up to two exploration wells in exploration licence VIC/P43
o One appraisal well in exploration licence VIC/P73
o Up to two exploration wells in exploration licence T/30P.
• Plugging, abandonment and removal of well infrastructure above the mudline for five legacy suspended subsea exploration wells:
o Thylacine 1 in T/L2
o Geographe 1 in VIC/L23
o Trefoil 1 in T/RL2
o Yolla 1 in T/L1
o White Ibis 1 in T/RL4
The Operational Areas are where planned activities will occur. Within the Operational Area drilling and plug and abandonment (P&A) activities will be undertaken within a 3 km radius around the well sites whilst the drill rig is moored on location. The 3 km radius encompasses both the outer extent of mooring equipment on the seabed, and the 500 m petroleum safety zone (PSZ).
The estimated timings for each activity are:
• Drilling: 30 - 40 days per well.
• Plug and abandonment: 15 – 20 days per well.
Activities will be conducted on a 24 hours per day, 7 days per week basis. The above timings equate to approximately 300 days of activity for the full Drilling and P&A activities and will be undertaken within the period of 1 January 2025 to the 31 December 2028.
Proposed activities will be undertaken with a single moored semi-submersible drill rig with a thruster assisted mooring system. The drill rig will be supported with up to three vessels.
