Rick Wilkinson
OGJ Correspondent
MELBOURNE, Mar. 24 -- Australian Pipeline Trust (APT) of Sidney and ANZ Infrastructure Services (ANZIS) have been awarded preferred bidder status to construct, own, and operate the proposed Trans-Territory natural gas pipeline linking Woodside Energy Ltd. Group's Blacktip field in the Bonaparte Gulf to Gove on the northeastern tip of Arnhem Land in Australia's Northern Territory.
The APT-ANZIS group has brought in the Spie Capag-Lucas joint venture as construction partner.
The 940-km line will bring gas to the Alcan Gove Pty. Ltd. alumina refinery at Gove. Alcan signed a sales agreement with the Woodside group in November 2004 to purchase a total of 800 petajoules of Blacktip gas at about 44 petajoules/year for up to 20 years. Alcan plans a major expansion of its Gove operations and is operator of the land pipeline sector of the Blacktip project.
Blacktip field, in permit WA-279-P some 250 km southwest of Darwin, will be developed via a remotely operated wellhead platform. Gas will be brought ashore via a 110-km pipeline to an onshore gas plant on the shores of the Bonaparte Gulf near Wadeye in Northern Territory. The land pipeline will then traverse east to Gove.
The field has an estimated 1 tcf of recoverable gas reserves. First production is scheduled for late 2007. Woodside is field operator with 53.85% interest, while Italian company Eni Australia BV has the remaining 46.15%.