Chevron going in pursuit of more gas by upping the drilling ante offshore Australia

Chevron Australia, a subsidiary of the U.S.-headquartered energy heavyweight Chevron, has submitted another environment plan (EP) to the country’s offshore regulator for drilling operations off the coast of Australia.

The National Offshore Petroleum Safety and Environmental Management Authority (NOPSEMA) has confirmed that Chevron submitted an environment plan last month for exploration drilling within the Northern Carnarvon Basin off the northwest coast of Western Australia between 2024 and 2025.

The proposed Dino South-1 exploration well, which will target a dry gas reservoir, is located within exploration permit WA-392-P in Commonwealth waters, approximately 150 km northwest of Onslow and around 100 km west-northwest of Barrow Island. The proposed activity includes drilling, formation evaluation, and well abandonment.

Moreover, the company explained that the exploration drilling activities would be undertaken by a semi-submersible mobile offshore drilling unit (MODU). In addition, vessels will be used for various support functions while a 500-meter safety exclusion zone will be requested around the MODU for the duration of the activity.

After the exploration drilling activities are complete, the Dino South-1 well will be permanently plugged and abandoned, and any wellhead above the mudline will be removed. The operations will take about 50 days to complete, subject to potential operational delays caused by weather conditions.  

Chevron is stepping up its offshore gas exploration game in Australia, as confirmed by the EP to spud the Wheatstone Deep-1 exploration well, which will also target a gas reservoir.