Australia’s National Offshore Petroleum Safety and Environmental Management Authority (NOPSEMA) has told Equinor Australia BV that it needs more time to make a decision about the Norwegian company’s environmental plan for the proposed exploration drilling program in the South Australian sector of the Great Australian Bight.
This will be the third delay for a decision of the Stomlo-1 drilling plan, with NOPSEMA saying it could not decide within the latest 30-day assessment period.
This follows Equinor’s submission of added information earlier this month. The next date for a decision will be Nov. 14.
Equinor submitted its original plan on Apr. 24 and a decision was due on May 24. NOPSEMA requested more information from Equinor on June 27. This was followed by a request for an extension of time by Equinor on Aug. 8. NOPSEMA resumed its assessment process on Sept. 18 with a decision expected on Oct. 18.
NOPSEMA now says the new extension of time until Nov. 14 is necessary because of the complexity of the assessment surrounding the proposed drilling of the Stromlo-1 wildcat.
Equinor holds 100% interest in exploration permit EPP 39 in the Ceduna sub-basin about 370 km off South Australia and 720 km west of Adelaide.
Stromlo-1 will be drilled in 2,240 m of water. Equinor’s plan is to drill the well between October and May.
The well is expected to take 60 days and the scheduled spud date is in late 2020.
Drilling will be carried out by a dynamic positioning drillship supported by three offshore vessels and helicopters. A supply base for the operation will be established at Port Adelaide while the helicopters will operate from Ceduna, which is 400 km northeast of the well site.
Equinor says Stomlo-1 will not be cored or production tested in the event of a discovery. Once the well has been drilled it will be permanently plugged and abandoned. The results will be evaluated prior to determining whether to proceed with appraisal or further exploration work.
