Otway Offshore Gas Victoria Project Proposal

Overview

Project name: Otway Offshore Gas Victoria Project
Proponent: Beach Energy (Operations) Limited
Titles (if relevant): VIC/P43, VIC/P73 and T/30P
Submission type: Offshore Project Proposal

Draft for public comment - Otway Offshore Gas Victoria Project Proposal 

Project description

The Otway Offshore Gas Victoria Project (the Project) aims to develop gas reserves for use in the East Coast domestic gas market. These reserves and potential resources are adjacent to existing Beach Energy permits and infrastructure. The Project would be undertaken through integrated subsea drilling and installation campaigns.

The Project is a staged subsea development commencing with an initial drilling campaign operated by a semi-submersible drilling rig. Successful wells would be tied back to the existing Otway Gas Production Pipeline (OGPP) and/or the existing Thylacine A platform via installation of new subsea flowlines and facilities. Recovered gas would be transported through the OGPP to the Otway Gas Plant (OGP) located near Port Campbell, Victoria, which supplies gas to the domestic market in south-east Australia.

The Project involves exploration, appraisal and development of existing and future gas discoveries in Beach’s exploration permits, VIC/P43, VIC/P73 and T/30P located in the offshore Otway Basin. It covers an area that is located approximately 20km south of the Victorian mainland and 40km west of Tasmania (King Island) at its closest points.

The Project Area consists of discoveries and exploration opportunities to both the north and south of the existing Thylacine platform. To the north it includes gas discoveries (Artisan and La Bella) and exploration prospects within approximately 10km of these discoveries and pipeline tie in points with corridors for subsea connections. To the south it includes exploration prospects within exploration permit T/30P and corridors for future subsea tie-back.

The Project is also adjacent to Beach’s current production operations at the Geographe and Thylacine gas fields in the offshore Otway Basin.

The proposed scope of the Project consists of:

• Seabed surveys (geotechnical and geophysical)
• Exploration, appraisal and development drilling
• Completion of successful wells
• Subsea infrastructure installation
• Commissioning
• Operations and maintenance
• Future tiebacks
• Decommissioning

Up to six wells may be drilled and completed (in a success case), with one existing well to be re-entered and completed as part of the initial drilling campaign.

Installation of subsea infrastructure including wellheads, flowlines, umbilicals, manifolds and skids will be undertaken to connect any gas discoveries from the initial drilling campaign or future campaigns to the OGPP.

Beach is planning the initial drilling campaign to commence in 2025, with installation of new subsea facilities commencing in 2026 and the earliest achievable date for commissioning and first gas in 2026 subject to final investment decision, joint venture and regulatory approvals. Production from successful prospects may have an operational life of up to 30 years, dependent upon resource size, well pressure and other factors.

Beach has an equity emissions reduction target – to reduce scope 1 and 2 emissions intensity by 35% by 2030. Emissions from the Project will be in accordance with Beach’s Climate Change Policy and GHG Management Plan and the Project must also comply with Australian legislative frameworks that have been established to manage emissions including the Climate Change Act 2022.

Timing

*Note: these durations are based on the full potential scope of the OPP.

Project area

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