Rick Wilkinson
OGJ Correspondent
MELBOURNE, Oct. 20 -- Woodside Petroleum Ltd., Perth, has suffered further delays in it's $1 billion (Aus.) Thylacine-Geographe gas development in the Otway basin off western Victoria and will struggle to meet its production forecast of 72 million bbl this year.
Construction delays at the onshore gas plant, which is being built under a lump-sum contract, have pushed the on-stream date back to the end of first quarter 2007.
In addition, its Enfield oil project in Western Australia's offshore Carnarvon basin has begun to produce water much earlier than expected, creating a drop in output as the company sets up a water handling plant on the treatment facilities.
Woodside also has closed off some production in the US because of falling prices.