Rick Wilkinson
OGJ Correspondent
MELBOURNE, Apr. 29 -- Woodside Petroleum Ltd.’s Greater Sunrise gas development in the joint petroleum development area (JPDA) in the Timor Sea will employ a floating LNG (FLNG) facility as preferred option.
Woodside Chief Executive Don Voelte said, “Following an extensive and rigorous commercial and technical evaluation of the various development options available, including onshore facilities in Darwin and Timor Leste, an FLNG processing facility best satisfies the key development requirements outlined by the international unitization agreement.”
Voelte said the FLNG selection is expected to generate long-term petroleum revenue as well as provide a broad range of social investment, employment, and training opportunities for Timor Leste.
The agreement, which was signed by Timor Leste and Australia in February 2007, requires Greater Sunrise to be developed “to best commercial advantage consistent with good oil field practice.”
Woodside said previously FLNG plans would include a vessel capable of producing 4 million tonnes/year of LNG along with associated condensate through a phased development beginning with seven initial subsea production wells.
Last month the Timor Leste government web site suggested the government would not accept any development that did not bring the gas to a processing facility on Timor Leste soil.
The Greater Sunrise fields (Sunrise, Troubadour, and Sunshine) lie 450 km northwest of Darwin and contain an estimated total 5.1 tcf of gas and 226 million bbl of condensate.
A final decision on development is not expected until 2012. First LNG would then be scheduled for 2016.
Sunrise JV partners are Woodside 33.4%, ConocoPhillips 30%, Royal Dutch Shell PLC 26.6%, and Osaka Gas Co. Ltd. 10%.