Esso Australia Pty Ltd., a subsidiary of ExxonMobil and operator of the Gippsland basin oil and gas fields in Bass Strait offshore eastern Victoria, is planning a $400 million (Aus.) investment to expand gas development in the region.
Plans include progressing additional gas development from Kipper field and advancing a funding decision for Turrum field.
The company expects delivery of an additional 200 petajoules of gas to the Australian domestic market between 2023 and 2027, the company said.
About 30 petajoules will be brought on line in 2023 to provide gas supplies to help avert (Australian) winter supply risks forecast for the country’s southern states.
The Gippsland basin remains the largest single source of natural gas for Australia’s east coast, said ExxonMobil’s Australian Chair, Dylan Pugh.
In early 2021, Esso Australia commissioned the West Barracouta project in the basin, calling it one of the largest domestic gas projects in the country this decade.
Esso Australia is a 50-50 partner with BHP in the Bass Strait fields. BHP’s interest will shift to Woodside Petroleum, which has acquired BHP’s worldwide petroleum interests (OGJ Online, Nov. 22, 2021).