By OGJ editors
HOUSTON, Jan. 24 -- The Australian government awarded Royal Dutch Shell PLC's Australian unit 100% interest in a 1,000 sq km block in the Browse basin near giant Ichthys/Brewster offshore gas field.
Shell Development (Australia) Pty. Ltd. committed to seismic studies in the first three years and will reprocess a large 3D seismic grid and conduct in-depth reservoir analysis. It will carry out field development planning and drill 12 wells.
The acreage holds large potential for a further 3-year program, Shell said.
WA-371-P, formerly part of the relinquished WA-285-P, is in 200-300 m of water in the Caswell subbasin 450 km west-northwest of Broome.
The Ichthys complex of fields has an estimated 10 tcf of gas and 500 million bbl of condensate in place (see map, OGJ, Oct. 17, 2005, p. 34).