Page 71: of Offshore Engineer Magazine (Feb/Mar 2013)

70 72

Petroleum and Santos, the two market sales to numerous other

Production, reserves largest domestic companies, countries. During 2011, 73% of LNG and usage

Australasia and such international majors exports went to Japan.

as ExxonMobil Shell, Chevron, The abundance of natural gas in

According to the BP Statistical

ConocoPhillips, Total, BHP Billiton, Australia coupled with the energy , Australian

Review of World Energy

Japex and Apache. needs of regional economies, in oil and NGL production in 2011 was Principal frontier oil exploration particular those of East Asia and 484,000b/d (175.7mm bbl/yr). has moved in recent years to the most notably that of China, has

Natural gas production was deepwater area of the Timor Sea, underpinned the growing LNG 4.35bcf/d (1.59tcf/yr).

although the nearby Carnarvon industry and spurred a profusion of Proved reserves as of end 2011

Basin remains busiest in terms of LNG project plans and proposals. were 3.9 billion barrels of oil and overall drilling activity. Plentiful conventional natural 133tcf of gas.

However, crude oil and natural gas resources have been identifed Domestic consumption in 2011 gas liquids (NGL) production has offshore the northern coast and stood at just over 1mmb/d of oil and been in steady decline, dropping Western Australia, and in eastern nearly 2.5bcf/d of gas.

from a peak of 828,000b/d in 2000 Australia large coal seam gas (CSG) to 484,000b/d in 2011 with oil resources have been discovered imports rising as the population onshore in Queensland and to a condensate this year, is supplied of around 22 million drives lesser extent in New South Wales. by the offshore Pluto and Xena consumption upward. Three LNG processing plants are felds, located 190km northwest According to APPEA, in operation, two onshore Western of Karratha, which contain an hydrocarbon liquids production Australia, one each for the offshore estimated 4.8tcf of gas reserves. Gas will continue to decline unless North West Shelf LNG (at Karratha) is piped by 180km trunkline to an major new felds are discovered. and Pluto LNG projects, both in the onshore LNG facility on the Burrup

Carnarvon Basin, and a third LNG Peninsula.

Increasing gas exports plant in Darwin, Northern Territory, The Darwin LNG plant is

Natural gas production and exports that receives gas via a 500km supplied by the ConocoPhillips have been increasing since the mid- pipeline from the Bayu Undan feld operated Bayu Undan gas and 1990s. Output is up from 1.15tcf in in the Timor Sea. The North West condensate feld within the JPDA 2001 to nearly 1.6tcf in 2011, and Shelf project has fve trains with a (Joint Petroleum Development Area) is seen likely to triple by 2020. Gas total capacity of 16.3mmt/yr, Pluto of Australia and Timor Leste, via exports rose from 370bcf in 2001 to 4.3mmt/yr, and Darwin 3.6mmt/yr, 500km subsea pipeline. 684bcf in 2011, according to the BP both from one train.

Statistical Review of World Energy. Project development Proven reserves have steadily Largest resource There are several substantial risen, from 32tcf in 1991 to over The North West Shelf project is a LNG projects at various stages of 130tcf in 2011, with technically $27 billion investment in Australia’s development that source gas from recoverable shale gas reserves by largest oil & gas resource, which conventional reservoirs, defned as one estimate placed at 400tcf in yet accounts for about 40% of oil and discrete accumulations trapped by to be exploited basins. gas production and has exported hydrodynamic processes. Offshore Conventional gas is largely more than 3000 LNG cargoes since Western Australia is the huge produced from the Carnarvon 1989. It also currently supplys Gorgon project, due to begin in

Basin, the Cooper/Eromanga Basin around 65% of the domestic gas 2014/15, the Wheatstone project in central Australia, and Gippsland market in Western Australia. set for operation in 2016 and the

Basin. These three basins account Operated by a equal sharing Ichthys project, online end-2016. for over 90% of conventional partnership comprising Woodside A fourth groundbreaking effort natural gas production. Petroleum, BHP Billiton, BP, underway is the Prelude LNG Queensland and to a lesser extent Chevron, Shell and Japan Australia project.

New South Wales are the main LNG (MIMI), the North West Shelf Gorgon LNG, led by Chevron sources for coal bed methane, project produces such felds as with 47.3%, partnered by Shell and which accounted for 13% of gas North Rankin, Perseus, Goodwyn, ExxonMobil each holding 25%, production in 2010. About half of Echo/Yodel, Wanaea and Cossack, with initial completion slated for the natural gas is converted to LNG among others. 2014, is now estimated to cost for export. The Pluto LNG project, started up $15 billion more, reportedly raising Long term contracts are in place in 2Q 2012 and anticipated by 90% the total to over $50 billion. Three to supply LNG to Japan, China, stakeholder and operator Woodside trains will output 15.6mmt/yr of

South Korea and Taiwan, with spot to output 36mmboe of gas and LNG, processing gas from Greater oedigital.com February 2013 | OE 73 oe_Australasia.indd 73 31/01/2013 13:07