Woodside Polkadot-1 wildcat finds gas off northern Australia

Sept. 16, 2004
Woodside Petroleum Ltd. has a new natural gas discovery near its Blacktip gas field in the Bonaparte Gulf off northern Australia. Plans call for field development and a delivery pipeline to Gove alumina refinery in Northern Territory.

Rick Wilkinson
OGJ Correspondent

MELBOURNE, Sept. 16 -- Woodside Petroleum Ltd. has a new natural gas discovery near its Blacktip gas field in the Bonaparte Gulf off northern Australia.

The Polkadot-1 wildcat on permit WA-313-P intersected three gas zones having a cumulative gross thickness of 50 m. Polkadot-1 is 30 km west of Blacktip and 300 km southwest of Darwin.

The gas indications occurred during wireline logging at 3,791 m TD. Testing will more fully evaluate the reservoir.

Plans include $450 million (Aust.) offshore field development plus a $550 million pipeline across northern Australia to an existing pipeline from central Australian gas fields to Darwin and a spur line on to the Gove alumina refinery in northeastern Arnhem Land in Northern Territory.