Woodside Energy, operator of the Sunrise joint venture, has awarded the Greater Sunrise Concept Study contract to Wood Australia Pty Ltd. (Wood PLC).
The study will consider key issues for developing, processing, and marketing gas with a focus on delivery of gas to Timor-Leste for processing and LNG sales or the alternative of delivery of the gas to Australia.
Greater Sunrise comprises two gas and condensate fields (Troubador and Sunrise) discovered by Woodside in 1974. The area lies about 450 km north-west of Darwin and 150 km south of Timor Leste.
Development was stalled initially by the poor economics of gas developments at the time at the remote location and then by the maritime boundary dispute between Australia and Indonesia followed by Australia and the newly independent East Timor that was not resolved until the 2018 Maritime Boundary Treaty.
Related governments, as well as joint venture partners, have expressed differing views on development concepts and the pipeline route to deliver the gas from the fields, which are estimated to hold 5.3 tcf of gas and 226 million bbl of condensate.
The joint venture partners agreed in February 2023 to select a third-party consultant to conduct a concept select study.
The study, now charged to Wood PLC, will include a range of disciplines including engineering, financial assessment and financing, local content, strategy and security, health safety and environment, and socioeconomic analysis, according to an Apr. 17 release from Woodside.
According to the operator, the study “will evaluate which option provides the most meaningful benefit for the people of Timor-Leste” and will be conducted “in an impartial manner and, importantly, will not provide any recommendations to [the Sunrise joint venture].”
The study is expected to be completed by no later than fourth-quarter 2024.
The joint venture partners and related governments are continuing to work toward a new production sharing contract, and agreements to help provide fiscal and regulatory certainty, the operator said.
Greater Sunrise field interests are East Timor State company, Timor Gap 56.56%, Woodside 33.44% and Osaka Gas 10%.
