EOG Resources Australia Block WA-488 Pty Ltd. will drill the Beehive-1 exploration well in permit WA-488-P in Commonwealth waters of the Joseph Bonaparte Gulf off the northern Western Australian (WA) coastline according to a release from The National Offshore Petroleum Safety and Environmental Management Authority (NOPSEMA), Australia’s offshore energy regulator.
The well will be drilled 80 km off the WA coastline and 300 km southwest of Darwin in the Northern Territory in 40 m of water. The well will be vertical and will target the Sunbird and Tanmurra formations, with a planned total depth of 5,090 m.
Well evaluation involving DST (and associated flaring) is planned if the well successfully finds hydrocarbon pay in the target formation(s) which warrants such testing. At the completion of drilling, Beehive-1 will be plugged with no equipment remaining on the seabed.
Drilling is scheduled to start no earlier than Jan. 1, 2024, and will be completed no later than Dec. 31, 2025. The exact timing is dependent on the receipt of environmental approvals and the availability of a mobile offshore drilling unit [MODU] and is expected to take 55-100 days. A 500 m Petroleum Safety Zone will be established around the well for the duration of the drilling program.
EOG holds a 100% interest in the WA-488-P block.