First gas from Timor Sea Barossa Field enters subsea pipeline system
Santos had to temporarily shut down the newly installed BW Opal FPSO for its Barossa gas-condensate project in the Timor Sea, the company said in its third-quarter 2025 update.
Software issues affecting the safety systems onboard the vessel led to a two-week suspension of operations last month, impacting ramp-up of the development.
The issues have since been resolved, with first gas from Barossa entering the subsea gas export pipeline to Australia’s Northern Territory earlier this week.
First production at the Darwin LNG complex should get underway in the next few weeks.
Drilling has just finished on the sixth development well in the Barossa Field, with the MS1 drilling rig now completing the previously suspended fourth well.
Testing has so far been completed on five of the six wells, all of which intersected good-quality reservoir, with anticipated deliverability of about 300 MMcf/d on average for each well.
The SURF campaign has finished tie-in and testing of four wells, with activities on the other two planned later in the current quarter.
FEED technical engineering activities have finished for the Bayu-Undan Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) project elsewhere in the Timor Sea. Engagement continues with the Timor-Leste government on regulatory and fiscal frameworks and approvals to advance the development to FID readiness.
In August, the disconnected FPSO Ningaloo Vision left Australia with ownership transferred to Pax Ocean. The vessel is now being prepared for deconstruction and recycling.
Santos also completed preparations for full removal of the Harriet Alpha platform from its location offshore Western Australia, with the remote flare tower, Bambra sea pole and Gipsy subsea template all taken away.
Early-stage FEED continues for the Western Australia Reindeer CCS project, alongside negotiations with potential clients for commercial carbon management services. The approvals process is progressing following the submission last November of the Declaration of Storage Formation (DOSF) to the National Offshore Petroleum Titles Administrator (NOPTA).