Eni Australia Limited operates the Blacktip facilities, approximately 300 km west-south-west of Darwin, located in Lease Area WA-33-L, within Commonwealth waters in the Joseph Bonaparte Gulf. The field commenced production in 2009. Blacktip field has an estimated production life of 25 years and an installation design life of 30 years.
The facilities consist of a well-head platform (WHP), two producing wells, flowlines and a subsea gas export pipeline bringing gas, condensate and produced water to the Yelcherr Gas Plant (YGP) near Wadeye in the Northern Territory.
Additionally, stabilised condensate is stored on site at the YGP before being exported via subsea pipeline to a single point mooring (SPM), located approximately 7 km offshore in Commonwealth waters, for loading to tankers and subsequent transport to market.
Offshore activities are generally limited to WHP normal (unmanned) production operations, inspection, maintenance and repair activities to topside and subsea infrastructure, periodic tanker vessel off-takes of condensate from the SPM, and rigless well intervention activities.