The FPSO BW Opal has arrived at its offshore location at the Barossa gas field in the Timor Sea, which is about 285 km north of Darwin, Australia.
According to operator Santos, the vessel has since been hooked up, with final commissioning activities progressing to plan.
The FPSO is the heart of the Barossa LNG project. Santos and partners, SK E&S and JERA Co., have to date invested $3.95 billion in the project.
Five of the six wells have been drilled, with the fifth well being prepared for flow testing. The final well should be completed during the third quarter. Santos added that production from three wells can, if needed, deliver full production rates to the onshore Darwin LNG plant.
Also in place are the 262-km gas export pipeline and the 123-km Darwin Pipeline Duplication, along with other subsea infrastructure required for first gas.
In addition, the supporting Darwin LNG life extension program should be completed next month. Santos’ operations at Darwin LNG should generate about A$100 million (US$1.1 million) per year in supply and service opportunities to the industry in the Northern Territory.
