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December 1, 2011

Woodside pursuing further gas for Pluto LNG

Filed under: Uncategorized — Tags: , , , , — tom @ 10:10 pm

PERTH, Australia – Woodside Energy has provided an update on various LNG/oilfield development schemes off northwestern Australia.

At the Pluto A platform for the Pluto LNG project, subsea gas wells were ready for start-up earlier this month. Gas from the Pluto reservoir is now flowing through the platform into the trunkline where it will be contained until the onshore plant is ready to receive it.

Last month a deepwater exploration well was spudded in the Exmouth Plateau area, Cadwallon-1 in the WA-434-P permit. The well intersected a gross hydrocarbon column of 27 m (88 ft), although initial evaluation suggests this is sub-commercial.

Woodside plans a further five exploration wells between now and mid-2012 as it pursues further equity gas to support a Pluto LNG expansion. Discussions continue with other parties concerning additional trains at Pluto.

As for Browse LNG, invitations have been issued to two contractors for construction of the onshore LNG and condensate production plant, port and export facilities, and associated infrastructure.

This follows invitations to tender in September for construction and installation of the Browse Central Processing Facility (topsides and jackets), dry tree units, and subsea pipelines. FEED and design studies are nearing completion.

A 3D seismic survey over the Torosa field was completed in early November. Data is being analysed and should assist in providing further definition of Torosa’s volumes.

Elsewhere, Woodside says the A$5-billion ($4.96-billion) North Rankin redevelopment, designed to recover low pressure gas from the North Rankin and Perseus gas fields, remains on schedule and budget for completion in 2013.

In September the North Rankin B (NRB) jacket was launched and positioned 100 m (328 ft) from the existing North Rankin A (NRA) platform. Piling continues to secure the jacket to the seabed.

Load-out of the NRA-NRB bridges has been completed at the yard in Indonesia, while in South Korea, commissioning continues and the NRB topsides have been raised in preparation for load-out.

The first phase of the Greater Western Flank gas development remains on track. A final investment decision is targeted for early 2012. Woodside says this will be the next major development for the North West Shelf.

Woodside’s Seraph-1 exploration well successfully acquired data through the Angel gas field while drilling towards a TD of 4,892 m (16,050 ft). The well encountered two additional thin gas columns within secondary objectives and a 26-m (85-ft) gross gas column within the primary objective, the North Rankin Beds formation. However, reservoir quality was poorer than predicted and commerciality has yet to be determined.

The Tidepole East-1 well was spud in mid-November, targeting gas 13 km (8 mi) south-southwest of the Goodwyn A platform.

Finally, Woodside has been awarded seven new permits offshore Western Australia. Three are in the Rowley sub-basin, two in the Lambert Shelf, and two in the Exmouth sub-basin.

Commitments include acquisition of seismic in 2012-2013 and eight exploration wells during 2013-2014.

http://www.offshore-mag.com/index/article-display/4850659302/articles/offshore/field-development/australia-new-zealand/2011/november/woodside-pursuing.html?goback=.gde_2205479_member_82825657

November 23, 2011

Mining sector fuels surge in construction

Filed under: Uncategorized — Tags: , , , — tom @ 10:08 pm

SPENDING on construction is expanding as its fastest pace on record, as a torrent of investment flows into the country’s mining hot spots.

The value of construction work completed in the September quarter soared by 12.5 per cent to $47.5 billion, the biggest jump in the 25-year history of the figures, the Bureau of Statistics said yesterday.

The resource industry drove the surge, with the value of major engineering projects up by 22.6 per cent in the quarter and almost 50 per cent in the last year.

Despite Europe’s financial woes casting a cloud over Australia’s economic outlook, the increase suggests economic growth was robust in the latest September quarter.

Engineering construction – such as infrastructure and mining projects – makes up about 7 per cent of gross domestic product, and the sector is set to play a growing role as the resource boom takes off.

Economists said the rise – concentrated in Western Australia – underlined the resilience of the mining boom in the face of growing market unease about Europe.

Ben Jarman, an economist at JPMorgan, said the figures were further confirmation that mining investment was not being deterred short-term financial market fears.

But he said consumer spending and confidence would be vulnerable to Europe’s debt crisis in the months ahead.

”We’ve got a lot of bad news still to come through the pipeline,” Mr Jarman said.

The mining powerhouse of Western Australia drove much of the growth, as the value of major infrastructure projects completed in the state has almost doubled in the past year alone.

Western Australia is by far Australia’s fastest-growing state, according to separately released official figures showing its gross state product grew 3.5 per cent in 2010-11 compared with the national average of 2.1 per cent.

The ACT was in second place at 2.8 per cent followed by Victoria at 2.5 per cent and New South Wales at 2.2 per cent. Queensland’s economy shrank 0.2 per cent as a result of lost mine production due to the floods and cyclone.