Potential seven-well drilling program on Santos’ oil & gas menu offshore Australia

December 10, 2025, by Melisa Cavcic

Australian energy player Santos has proposed to spud up to seven exploration and/or appraisal wells in the Commonwealth waters within the Bedout Basin, off the coast of Australia, in search of more hydrocarbons.

The National Offshore Petroleum Safety and Environmental Management Authority (NOPSEMA) is seeking public input on an environment plan (EP) for the Bedout multi-well exploration and appraisal drilling, which Santos submitted in December 2025. This EP will cover drilling, evaluating, well testing and abandonment activities related to proposed exploration and appraisal drilling.

In addition, the activities include geophysical, hydrographic and geotechnical surveys, one to two weeks at each well location, to gather critical seabed and subsurface data that will enable the safe and accurate placement of a mobile offshore drilling unit (MODU) to undertake the drilling.

The EP for proposed activities will have a validity of five years to allow for the drilling of up to seven exploration and/or appraisal wells across four operational areas. Based on the current plan, the wells are proposed to be drilled between Q3 2026 and Q3 2031 using a moored semi-submersible MODU and/or jack-up MODU.

The wells, which will each take approximately 40 to 110 days to drill, including contingency, may be drilled singularly or as part of a campaign of multiple wells within the defined Bedout operational areas named Curie, Ara, Wallace and Mestrel/Bancroft, in exploration permit areas WA-541-P, WA-435-P and WA-436-P.

The closest operational area to the Western Australia mainland (Mestrel/Bancroft) is approximately 123 kilometers north of Port Hedland. While the precise drilling locations within the operational areas are not yet defined, it is proposed that until such time, drilling may occur anywhere within a given area.

The exact location of future wells in some areas is subject to further geological interpretation and engineering studies. Activities, which are scheduled to begin in Q3 2026, subject to obtaining all regulatory/business approvals, may be undertaken at any time of year, over the five-year validity of the EP.

Based on the EP, drilling campaigns are expected to consist of between two and four wells each. While two drilling campaigns are anticipated, a third campaign may be required if a jack-up is utilized for the Mestrel/Bancroft prospect. Drilling campaigns are typically a minimum of 12 months apart to allow for evaluation of acquired well data.

The results of the initial exploration wells will inform the quantity, location and objectives of subsequent wells. Santos has explained that there may be more than one exploration well drilled in an operational area.

If an exploration well is successful, an appraisal well is anticipated to be drilled on the successful prospect 6 to 18 months afterward. The company elaborates that up to four appraisal wells may be drilled following exploration drilling.

This EP submission comes after Santos brought online a floating production, storage, and offloading (FPSO), which is deployed at its project off the coast of Australia’s Northern Territory.