Santos Ltd.’s proposed 3D seismic survey in the Bonaparte Gulf has been put out for public comment by Australia’s National Offshore Petroleum Safety and Environmental Management Authority (NOPSEMA).
The plan is to acquire the data over four permits in the Petrel subbasin—two exploration permits (WA-454-P, WA-545-P) and two retention leases (WA-27-R, WA-40-R).
The program will cover areas surrounding the Tern-Frigate, Breakwater, and Sparrowhawk prospects and is expected to take 100 days to complete.
Santos proposes to run the survey between Dec. 1, 2021 and Mar. 31, 2022. Water depths in the region are 45-105 m.
The data will be used to create regional geological models and enable the company to plan exploration and development strategy as well as the potential location of future exploration and development wells.
Gas discoveries have long been known in the area with Petrel field discovered in 1969-70, Tern in 1971, and Frigate in 1978, all by Atlantic Richfield (ARCO).
