Vermilion Oil & Gas Australia Pty Ltd (VOGA) periodically conducts well construction operations in production licence area WA-14-L, using a jack-up Mobile Offshore Drilling Unit (MODU). WA-14-L, is located in Commonwealth waters in the Carnarvon Basin off the northwest coast of Western Australia, approximately 80 km northwest of Dampier and 110 km northeast of Barrow Island in water depths of approximately 50-60 m.
Well construction operations planned over the next five years involve the drilling and, possibly, completing of new wells, the re-entering, side-tracking and recompleting of existing wells, closing off side branches of wells that are no longer needed and re-using old drilling slots for new wells. Drilling of a new well from a recovered slot is undertaken if an existing well is first abandoned and the slot recovered for use in a new well.
The frequency of campaigns will vary depending on a range of operational and commercial factors. Each campaign will likely take up to 150 days to complete.
Timing of the activity is based on MODU availability and not restricted to any specific months or seasons of the year over the next five years. Assessment in this EP have considered all relevant seasonal conditions and factors that may influence the activity and associated environmental impact.
The primary purpose of these activities will be to add new production intervals to access undrained oil in the Wandoo reservoir. A secondary aim will be to continue the evaluation of the field boundaries to determine the extent of the Wandoo reservoir in the areas of the field which the new trajectories will access. This evaluation process will provide critical information for the updating of VOGA’s geological and reservoir models for the field, allowing both the future development and production processes to be optimised.
Marine notices will be issued prior to activity commencement to alert vessels which may be operating in waters nearby.
Further information about the activity and the consultation process can be found at: www.vermilionenergy.com/our-operations/australia/wandoo-consultation-activities
