Australian Upstream Regulator Okays ExxonMobil’s Drilling Plan For Gippsland Basin

By Michael Creg

An environment plan by US oil and gas giant ExxonMobil for its exploration drilling campaign at the VIC/P70 offshore Australia has been accepted by Australian regulator NOPSEMA.

ExxonMobil submitted a revised environment plan for exploration drilling in the Gippsland basin, 90 kilometers off the East Gippsland Victorian coast, Australia, to include the ultra-deepwater Sculpin-1 well in February 2019.

Following several requests for further information by the regulator, the plan was accepted on Monday, June 17, 2019.

The VIC/P70 exploration drilling operational area is located approximately 90 -100 km from shore in Exploration Permit Area VIC/P70. Water depth within VIC/P70 ranges from 200 m to over 3 km, with the drill locations, Hairtail-1, Baldfish-1 and Sculpin-1, at about 359m, 665m, and 2,300m, respectively. Block VIC/P70, in the deepwater Gippsland basin, was acquired by Esso Deepwater, a wholly owned subsidiary of Exxon Mobil Corporation, in 2Q 2017.

VIC/P70 contains the Dory, Angel and Archer-Anemone fields, as well as the Fangtooth prospect, and incorporates the area previously the subject of blocks VIC/P45 and VIC/P59, previously explored by Apache.

According to NOPSEMA, exploration drilling activities in the VIC/P70 operational area are scheduled over an estimated 60-day period, starting in 3Q 2018 (Baldfish-1 and Hairtail-1), and an estimated 75 days in late 3Q – early 4Q 2019 for Sculpin-1.

Source: Offshore Energy Today