- Beach Petroleum group finds gas in its Brownlow-1 wildcat in Cooper Basin of SA. Private resources company Oswald Resources and Westralian Gas & Power form a new joint venture company called Oswest Energy after Oswal agrees to fund Westralia’s exploration portfolio in WA.
- Qld Government plans to release a discussion paper on its plans to require higher standards of treatment for water associated with coal seam methane production to enable its use for irrigation and human consumption.
- Woodside petroleum awards Honeywell the contract to provide a control and industrial security system for its Pluto LNG project.
- Good oil flow of 3600 barrels a day on test at AED Oil’s Puffin-11 appraisal well in Puffin Southwest region of the Timor Sea extends the known reservoir sand in the field.
- AGL buys 1.5% stake in the Spring Gully coal seam methane project which includes a right to 400 terajoules a day of gas reserves from Tri-Star Petroleum for $15.75 million.
- Woodside Petroleum awards a $31 million contract for construction of the Pluto LNG Project control room on Burrup Peninsula to Decmil Australia.
- DomGas Alliance report suggests WA will require an extra 1100 terajoules of gas a day to meet new and replacement demand by 2014-15.
- The passage of the Offshore Petroleum Amendment Bill in Federal Parliament establishes the world’s first regulatory framework for carbon dioxide capture and storage.
- Eastern Star gas and Gasstar Exploration increase the proved and probable gas reserves in their Narrabri coal seam methane project in NSW by 82% to 336 petajoules.
- WA Government establishes a 12-member working group, which includes industry representatives, to advise on ways to improve the State’s exploration and development approvals processes.
- Central Petroleum makes a coal discovery in the Pedirka Basin of NT which has potential to support a commercial coal seam methane or underground coal gasification project.
- Dampier Bunbury Pipeline Group completes the final commissioning for Stage 5A expansion of the Dampier-Bunbury gas trunkline. The project, which will provide a 500 terajoules a day increase in haul capacity, was completed for $605 million - $55 million under budget.
- Shell signs a binding sales and purchase agreement with PetroChina for a 20-year supply of up to 2 million tonnes a year of LNG sourced from its 25% share in Gorgon gas project offshore WA.
- NT Parliament passes the LNG Project Bill which gives Inpex Australia and Total a guarantee to be able to build its Ichthys LNG plant at Blaydin Point near Darwin.
- Adelaide Energy releases an independent assessment of the Jacaranda Ridge field in the onshore Otway Basin of SA indicating a proved, probable and possible reserve of 22 million barrels of oil equivalent.
- Beach Petroleum group finds gas in its Canunda-1 wildcat in the Cooper Basin of SA. Sydney Gas Company announces an estimated 25000 petajoule in-place coal seam methane resource in its Hunter Valley, NSW permits.
|
- Nexus Energy sells its 19.4% stake in Anzon Energy to Roc Oil enabling Roc to proceed with compulsory acquisition of remaining Anzon shares to complete the takeover.
- Woodside Petroleum-operated $1.6 billion Angel gas field development on the North West Shelf of WA comes on stream producing gas/condensate via pipeline to the Burrup Peninsula gas plant.
- AED Oil’s Puffin-11 appraisal finds a new oil zone in the Puffin Southwest field area in the Timor Sea.
- Neptune Marine Services takes delivery of its second offshore construction support vessel from Singapore company Nor Supply at a cost of A$35.5 million.
- Arrow Energy’s review of its Australian coal seam methane resources indicates a total of 70.5 trillion cubic feet of gas, the bulk of which is contained in the Bowen and Surat Basins of Qld.
- Nexus Energy farms out a 20% interest in Browse basin permit AC/P41 off WA to Mitsui E&P Australia for US$20 million plus the funding of three exploration wells to the value of US$34 million. Nexus also reopens sale process for a 25% stake in the Crux liquids project in Browse Basin permit AC/P23 after the initial US$255 million sale to an unnamed buyer falls through.
- Santos secures a $539 million contract to supply 33 petajoules of gas over six years beginning 2010 from the John Brookes field off WA to Moly Mines’ Spinifex Ridge molybdenum/copper mine in the Pilbara region of WA.
- Shell Development Australia takes a 14.9% stake in coal seam methane explorer Pure Energy Resources, while Arrow Energy lifts its stake in Pure Energy from 11.6% to 15%.
- Dampier to Bunbury gas pipeline JV owners Duet Group, Alcoa and Babcock & Brown receive approval for construction of the proposed $700 million Stage 5B expansion of the line to begin in early 2009. The work involves laying 11 sections of looping line and will add about 112 terajoules a day to the existing full haul capacity.
- The National Offshore Petroleum Safety Authority’s (NOPSA) report into the Varanus Island pipeline explosion and fire off WA indicates ineffective anti-corrosion coating, ineffective cathodic protection and ineffective inspection and maintenance of the beach crossing section were the main causes of the incident in June 2008.
- Linc Energy produces first liquids from its Chinchilla coal-to-liquids demonstration facility in Qld which involves underground gasification of coal followed by liquefaction at the surface.
- Victoria Petroleum group finds oil in its Tigercat-1 wildcat in the Cooper/Eromanga Basin of SA.
- Unlisted company Coogee Resources, which has interests in the Jabiru and Challis oil fields and the Montara oil development project in the Timor Sea, puts up a ‘for sale’ sign for 100% of the company.
- The Clough Engineering/AMEC JV is awarded an engineering, procurement, fabrication and construction management contract for support to Chevron Australia’s production facilities at Barrow and Thevenard Islands off WA for an initial three years with options to extend.
- The first 16 students from the joint APPEA/Industries Services Training Group’s indigenous pre-employment training program at Winnellie in the NT have graduated and are ready for the workforce.
- Woodside Energy awards a $115 million civil works contract for the Pluto Project on Burrup Peninsula to Decmil Australia. It entails supply and installation of concrete foundations and pedestals plus in-ground electric and hydraulic services for the storage and loading facilities for Pluto LNG.
- Santos Group’s Henry-2 sidetrack development well tests gas at a rate of 44 million cubic feet a day and is suspended as a producer for connection to the existing Casino production facilities in the Otway Basin off western Vic.
- Sembcorp Marine of Singapore is awarded a contract from International Gas Transportation Co (parent of the North West Shelf Shipping Company) for a life extension of the LNG carrier Northwest Sanderling. The US$35 million works on the 20-year old vessel will take place in Sembawang Shipyard in June 2009.
- Arrow Energy is awarded a petroleum production lease for its Stratheden development located 20km northwest of Dalby in the Surat Basin of Qld – the company’s fifth coal seam methane project in Australia.
- BG Group of the UK makes a $5.2 billion friendly takeover offer for coal seam methane producer Queensland Gas Company at $5.75 per share.
- Canadian company TransAtlantic Petroleum makes an all-cash off-market offer of $1.05 per share for Perth-based Incremental Petroleum that trumps the previous bid by Cooper Energy.
- Altona Resources signs a Memorandum of Understanding with Chinese State-owned company CNOOC Energy towards possible development of the Arkaringa Basin coal-to-liquids and clean power scheme in central SA.
- Origin Energy finalises its transaction with ConocoPhillips to form a coal seam methane-suppled LNG JV (to be called Australia Pacific LNG) and received an upfront payment of US$5 billion. First investment decision for Train 1 of the proposed 14 million tonne/year plant in Gladstone is expected by end 2010 and first LNG production in 2014.
- Mark Nolan of ExxonMobil is appointed new chairman of APPEA, taking over from Colin Beckett of Chevron Australia who has completed his two-year term. The new vice-chairman is Eric Streitberg of Buru Energy.
|
- North West Shelf Gas Project Train 5 comes on line at 4.4 million tonnes LNG/Year bringing total output from the Project to 16.3 million tonnes/year.
- Anzon Australia’s UK parent Anzon Energy accepts a scheme of arrangement that will effect a merger with Roc Oil and give Roc 53.1% of Anzon Australia.
- Woodside petroleum awards a 2-year $80 million civil works contract for Pluto LNG project to Decmil Australia to build site accommodation for project personnel on Burrup Peninsula, WA.
- AGL Energy signs MoU with EESTECH to establish a demonstration project using EESTECH’s hybrid coalmine gas technology to generate energy from ventilated coal mine methane gas.
- ConocoPhillips will invest up to $9.66 billion for 50% stake in a joint venture with origin Energy to develop an LNG project in Gladstone, Qld based on Origin’s coal seam methae reserves in Qld.
- Hess Corporation finds a 28m net gas column in its Nimblefoot-1 wildcat in the offshore Carnarvon Basin permit WA-390-P, its third discovery in three wells in the permit in 2008.
- Emerson Stewart has been awarded a contract by Apache Energy for provision of engineering services for storage and administration buildings for reindeer gas project at Devil Creek in WA.
- UK’s BG Group bows out of its bid to takeover Origin Energy.
- Nexus Energy farms out 25% interest in the Crux liquids project in AC/P23 Browse Basin, WA and 20% of exploration permit AC/P41 to an unnamed buyer for $384 million.
- Kimberley Land Council representing traditional owners in the Kmiberley region of WA selects four possible sites for the proposed LNG development hub.
- Santos group finds oil in Cuisinier-1 wildcat in the Cooper/Eromanga Basin of southwest Qld.
- APPEA lobbies federal Government to create a Clean Global Contributors category that would compensate LNG exporters for emissions released during the liquefaction process on the grounds they are producing a clean fuel for Asian markets and contribute markedly to the decrease in world greenhouse emissions.
- Essential Petroleum flows gas at 9 million cubic feet a day during a production test of its East Wing-1 wildcat onshore Otway Basin of Vic.
- Nexus Energy completes successful Longtom-4 development well in it s Longtom gas field in the offshore Gippsland Basin, Vic and schedules first production for April 2009.
- Chevron group releases public environmental review for expansion of its Gorgon LNG/Domestic gas project on Barrow Island amid calls by the Conservation Council of WA for the EPA to withdraw its environmental approval of the project on the grounds that the extension will change the scope of development.
- Qld Govt awards Arrow Energy/AGL joint venture a 45-year point-to-point pipeline licence for a gas line to be built between Moranbah coal seam methane deposit and Gladstone.
- Queensland Gas Company upgrades its proven coal seam methane reserves in Qld by 16% to 705 petajoules following analysis by independent certifiers Netherland Sewell & Associates. 2P reserves are up by 12% to 2703 petajoules.
- Kellogg joint venture has been awarded a $300 million work authorisation to finalise front end engineering and design (FEED) studies for the Chevron group’s Gorgon LNG project.
- Santos buys the undeveloped Spar gas field in retention lease WA-4-R from the Chevron-led Gorgon group for an undisclosed price. The field was found in 1976 by West Australian Petroleum.
- Prime Minister Rudd announces the formation of a $100 million Global Carbon Capture Storage institute to be based in Australia to promote research and investment in technology for transporting carbon dioxide for large scale commercial carbon capture storage projects.
- Central Petroleum completes and suspends its first coal seam methane well in the Pedirka Basin of the Northern Territory.
- Mosaic Oil finds 9.1m of gas pay in its Freneau-1 wildcat in the Surat Basin of Queensland.
- Chevron Australia seeks environmental approval for a new LNG hub to be built on the Pilbara coast of WA south of the Burrup Peninsula initially for its Wheatstone gas field development. Plans call for an initial 2-train 10 million tonnes per annum plant with scope to add trains to reach a total of 25 million tonnes a year.
- Sunshine Gas board accepts takeover offer from Queensland Gas Company.
- Victoria Petroleum group finds oil in its Warhawk-1 wildcat in the Eromanga Basin of SA.
- Sapex shareholders vote in favour of a $104 million merger with Linc Energy.
- Inpex Australia and Total decide to pipe gas from their Ichthys gas/condensate field in the Browse Basin off WA 800km to an LNG plant to be built at Blaydin Point in Darwin Harbour, NT.
|
- Queensland Gas Company secures control of Roma Petroleum.
- Federal Court of Australia approves merger between Great Artesian Oil & Gas and Drillsearch Energy.
- Arrow Energy upgrades its 2P coal seam methane reserves by 81% to 1430 petajoules.
- LNG Ltd sings engineering & construction service contract with SK Engineering & Construction of South Korea for its Fisherman’s Landing LNG plant project at Gladstone, Qld and secures a site licence for the plant from Gladstone Ports Corporation.
- Baraka Petroleum creditors terminate voluntary administration procedure allowing directors to regain control of the company.
- Innamincka Petroleum’s Flax oil field comes on stream at an initial rate of 350 b/d from Flax-1 well. Additional wells will follow to bring total production rate to 1000 b/d.
- Neptune Marine Services wins $2.5 million support contract to deliver integrated services for development of ENI Australia’s Blacktip gas field in the Bonaparte Gulf.
- Arc shareholders and the Federal Court of Australia separately approve the company’s merger with Australian Worldwide Exploration.
- Woodside Petroleum awards a 5-year $122 million contract to NorCE Offshore for support of Woodside’s inspection, maintenance and repair program in Australia.
- WA Government orders a review into the security of the State’s gas supplies following two supply interruptions (NW Shelf and Varanus Island) in 2008.
- Inpex Australia group finds significant gas/condensate in its Mimia-1 wildcat in the Browse Basin off WA close to its existing giant Ichthys gas/condensate field in the adjoining permit.
- APA Group buys Central Ranges Gas Pipeline in NSW.
- Construction of the Callawonga-Christies-Tantanna fields’ oil flowline in the SA Cooper Basin is completed and carries 3000 b/d oil, thus reducing road transport costs and logistics.
- Chevron group commits to construction of a domestic gas plant on Barrow Island adjacent to the proposed LNG facilities – all to be fed by gas from offshore Gorgon fields.
- Queensland Energy Resources chooses the Paraho II processing technology for its proposed McFarlane oil shale deposit near Proserpine, Qld but then …
- Qld Govt imposes a 2-year moratorium on all new oil shale projects in the State.
- Santos group completes Cuisinier-1 discovery in Eromanga Basin of Qld as an oil producer.
- Anzon Australia group increases 2P reserves in the Basker/Manta/Gummy fields in Bass Strait to 74.2 million barrels of oil equivalent (boe). It also confirms that remaining proven (1P) reserves total 42.9 boe.
- Stuart petroleum acquires 50% stake in the Oliver oil field in Timor Sea from the Albers Group for $85 million to be paid in appraisal and development work commitments.
- Santos receives Victorian Government approval for an upgrade of its Patricia/Baleen gas processing facilities near Orbost in eastern Vic to be able to receive new gas supply from Nexus Energy’s offshore Longtom gas field development.
- Queensland gas Company makes an offer to acquire fellow coal seam methane company Sunshine Gas, valuing Sunshine at $895 million.
- 3D Oil estimates the combined 2P reserves and best estimate contingent resources in its West Seahorse field offshore Gippsland Basin of Vic to be 7.86 million barrels recoverable.
- Arc Energy/AWE merger and de-merger of Buru Energy is completed.
- Icon Energy reports a 5-fold increase in in-place coal seam methane reserves in its Surat basin acreage, Qld to 5.44 trillion cubic feet of gas.
- Woodside Petroleum group’s Vincent oil project offshore Carnarvon Basin of WA is brought on stream via the Maersk Ngujima-Yin FPSO.
|
- Arrow Energy and AGL Energy enter sales and purchase agreement with Victorian Funds Management Corp for sale of their north Queensland gas pipeline for $205 million.
- Queensland gas Company increases its 2P coal seam methane reserves in south east Queensland by 83% to 2415 petajoules.
- Eastern Star Gas sells a 35% stake in its conventional NSW Coonarah gas field and the Wilga Park power station to Gastar Exploration for $3.1 million plus $0.26 million following the power station’s successful expansion.
- Shell issues a formal invitation to tender for the front end engineering and design contract plus engineering, procurement and construction of its 3.5 million tonnes per annum cyclone tolerant floating LNG facility like to be used to develop Shell’s Prelude gas field in the Browse Basin of WA.
- Origin Energy rejects BG Group’s revised takeover offer of $13.8 billion.
- The WA Government’s Northern Development Taskforce identifies nine potential sites for the government-backed Kimberley LNG hub.
- MEO Australia forms a strategic alliance with unlisted company Resources Development International enabling MEO to meet its immediate exploration funding requirements.
- Queensland Government is to spend $45 million for a feasibility study into the potential use of water produced from coal seam methane developments in the State.
- Anzon Energy group plans a major expansion of the Basker/Manta/Gummy oil and gas development in Bass Strait which includes construction of a new FPSO to replace current vessel Crystal Ocean.
- Adelaide Energy buys Origin Energy’s Katnook gas production facilities in onshore Otway Basin of SA for $2.17 million.
- Chevron flows gas at 53 million cubic feet a day during a drill stem test at its Iago-2 appraisal well in retention licence WA-17-R off WA which also contains the Wheatstone gas field.
- Queensland Gas Company appoints Bechtel as project contractor for its proposed Curtis Island LNG plant near Gladstone in Qld with FEED to begin immediately.
- Molopo announces a five-fold increase in its Qld coal seam methane gas-in-place potential to 7.5 trillion cubic feet.
- Roma Petroleum directors recommend acceptance of Queensland Gas Company’s takeover offer of 11 cents and 0.0177 QGC shares for every Roma share.
- ENI Australia is considering an FPSO development for its Kitan oil discovery in the Joint Petroleum Development Area (Timor Gap) and a tie in of two previous nearby discoveries at Kuda-Tasi and Jahal.
- The Santos Gladstone LNG partnership transaction with Malaysian national oil company Petronas has become unconditional after all regulatory conditions, including FIRB approval, have been satisfied.
- Hess Corporation finds 46m net gas pay sand in its Briseis-1 wildcat in 1118m of water offshore Carnarvon Basin, WA.
- Drilling and infrastructure services provider AJ Lucas Group is acquiring Mitchell Drilling Corp for $150 million.
- Eastern Star Gas and Gastar Exploration enter a Heads of Agreement with APA Group to investigate arrangements to transport coal seam methane from Narrabri project in NSW to the NSW gas market.
- Altona Resources extends its Memorandum of Understanding with BP Australia to evaluate development opportunities in Altona’s coal-liquids and power project in SA until 30 June 2009.
- Metgasco upgrades its 2P coal seam methane reserves in permit PEL 16 in the Clarence-Moreton Basin of NSW by 21% to 298 petajoules.
- ExxonMobil & BHP Billiton give the official go-ahead for the $1.46 billion development of the Turrum oil and gas field in Bass Strait via a new platform linked to existing facilities at Marlin field and the pipeline link to Longford onshore treatment plant.
- Incitec Pivot signs a 7 petajoules, 15-year coal seam methane supply agreement with Arrow Energy and approves construction of its $935 million 330,000 tonnes per annum ammonium nitrate plant at Moranbah in central Qld. First gas is due in 2010.
- Santos finds gas in its Netherby-1 wildcat in offshore Otway Basin of SA and plans to tie development into that of nearby Henry gas field.
- Lakes Oil announces plans to merge with unlisted Cape Energy South Australia to create a stronger combined entity include reserves in the offshore Gippsland Golden Beach gas field.
- Woodside Petroleum group decides against processing gas from Greater Sunrise fields in Timor Sea in East Timor and will choose either a Darwin landing or a floating LNG plant option.
|
- Arrow Energy signs preliminary agreement with Shell that could result in Shell buying interests in Arrow’s Australian (and international) coal seam methane interests. The deal includes Shell buying 30% of Arrow’s permits in Australia for an initial sum of $435 million and a further $209 million payable on final investment decision and production from LNG Ltd’s associated LNG plant planned for Gladstone.
- New CSIRO facility opened in Perth to aid research into prevention of gas hydrate formation in offshore petroleum production pipelines.
- Explosion and fire at Apache Energy’s Varanus Island gas plant off WA will disrupt WA’s gas supplies for many weeks.
- Dampier-Bunbury gas pipeline owners obtain finance and equity commitments to begin Stage 5B expansion work expected to cost $700 million. Construction to begin in 2009 for completion in fist half of 2010.
- Federal Energy Minister Martin Ferguson flags use of tax breaks to ignite investment in off and onshore gas projects as part of the Government’s review of barriers to investments in large scale petroleum developments.
- Adelaide Energy flows oil from its Jacaranda Ridge-2 gas discovery in onshore Otway Basin of SA.
- Queensland Gas Co makes $50.9 million cash and share offer for Roma Petroleum as well as a pre-bid acceptance agreement with Oil Drilling and Exploration to accept QGC’s offer for its 19.16% shareholding in Roma.
- Neptune Marine Services’ subsidiary Tri-Surv Geomatics wins $8 million hydrographic contract for geophysical and geotechnical work at Inpex Australia’s Ichthys gas/condensate field in Browse Basin off WA.
- Cougar Energy signs MoU with Direct Invest to raise up to $280 million for Cougar’s proposed underground coal gasification and power station project near Kingaroy in Qld.
- Arc Energy and Aviva Corp for partnership to study potential for CO2 sequestration in depleted oil and gas reservoirs in North Perth Basin of WA.
- Hess Corporation finds gas in its Glencoe-1 wildcat offshore Carnarvon Basin of WA.
- Coal-to-liquids company Linc Energy makes $104 million offer for merger with SAPEX to consolidate its hold on prospective acreage in the Arkaringa Basin of SA.
- Roc Oil makes off-market takeover offer for Anzon Australia subject to receiving 100% acceptance of its offer for Anzon’s London parent Anzon Energy under a scheme of arrangement.
- Alcoa of Australia and private company Latent Petroleum form a joint venture to appraise and develop the Warro tight gas field 200km north of Perth which has estimated gas-in-place reserves of 5 trillion cubic feet.
- Oil Basins Ltd acquires 15% interest in WA offshore Carnarvon Basin retention lease RL3 which contains the undeveloped Cyrano oil field from Black Rock Oil & Gas for $95,000.
- Engineering company Clough wins a $200 million contract from Apache Energy to install offshore facilities for the Reindeer gas field development in Carnarvon Basin off WA.
- Sunshine Gas’ 7-well appraisal program in Bowen Basin of Qld confirms presence of thick gassy coals at its Atria coal seam methane project north of Blackwater.
- Federal Energy Minister Martin Ferguson introduces amendments in Parliament to offshore petroleum law to clear the way for geosequestration of CO2 in offshore locations.
- Beach Petroleum group’s Parsons oil field in Cooper Basin of SA comes on stream at 2640 b/d.
- Neptune Marine Services wins fabrication contract from Apache Energy for Van Gogh oil field development offshore WA.
- Bass Strait Oil will conduct a detailed assessment of Judith gas field offshore Gippsland, Vic after receiving independent recoverable resource certification from Gaffney Cline & Associates of an estimated 193.7 billion cubic feet. The field originally found by Shell in 1989 with Judith-1 wildcat.
- BG Group of UK increases takeover offer for Origin Energy to $13.8 billion, bypassing management and going directly to shareholders.
- Nexus Energy makes drilling and equipment package commitments totalling $US308 million towards development of the Crux field liquids project in the Browse Basin off WA.
- The Offshore Petroleum Act 2006 will come into force from 1 July 2008, replacing the Petroleum (Submerged Lands) Act 1967 as the primary legislation for administration of Australia’s offshore petroleum resources.
- ExxonMobil and BHP Billiton lodge an environmental application for Phase 2 development of the Turrum oil and gas field in Bass Strait.
|
- Baraka Petroleum goes into voluntary administration following failed capital raising and asset divestment attempts.
- Mermaide marine signs agreement to sublet part of its Dampier supply base on the Burrup Peninsula for five years to serve as Chevron’s northwest supply base for the Gorgon gas project.
- Nexus Energy and Anzon Australia discontinue their merger plans.
- Anzon Australia’s Basker-6 sidetrack in Bass Strait appraisal flows oil strongly on test and suggests a potential upgrade of field reserves.
- 3D Oil confirms the oil accumulation at Seahorse field in Bass Strait with success in Seahorse-3.
- Santos finds oil in Cuisinier-1 in the Queensland Cooper/Eromanga Basin.
- Incitec Pivot takes 10.5% stake in Metex Resources as a cornerstone investment in Metex’s underground coal gasification project at Bloodwood Creek in Queensland.
- North West Shelf JV agrees to supply an additional 500,000 tonnes per annum of LNG to Japan’s Osaka Gas for six years beginning April 2009.
- Metgasco confirms a conventional gas discovery in its Riflebird-E14 well in the Clarence Moreton Basin of NSW.
- Federal Government removes excise exemption on production of condensate from NW Shelf gas fields and from onshore Australia.
- Federal Government adds 31000 skilled migrants to Australia’s 2008/09 Migration Program.
- Woodside Energy completes its purchase of Shell’s oil interests on the NW Shelf for $29.5 million.
- Mosaic Oil’s Taylor-18 appraisal well confirms an extension of oil reserves in the field up-dip from producing wells.
- Canadian company LNG Impel announces plans to build a $5 billion open-access, three-train LNG plant on Curtis Island near Gladstone, Qld to come on stream in 2013. Each train will produce 700,000 -1.3 million tonnes of LNG a year.
- Chevron awards a five-year contract to VetcoGray for supply of subsea equipment and support services to the Gorgon development project off WA.
- Neptune Marine Services signs agreement with Nor Supply of Singapore for acquisition of specialist anchor-handling, towing and supply vessel Nor Sea for use throughout Australasia.
- Inpex of Japan upgrades its Browse Basin Ichthys field gas reserves by 50% from 8 trillion cubic feet to 12.8 trillion cubic feet. The field, off WA, also contains an estimated 527 million barrels of condensate.
- Eastern Star Gas signs agreement with Clarke Energy Australia for a staged installation of a new gas-fuelled power station alongside its existing Wilga Park station in NSW. The new plant will be supplied from Eastern Star’s coal seam methane fields.
- Innamincka Petroleum finds gas in the Crocus South-1 wildcat in the Cooper Basin of SA.
- Woodside Energy awards the JCF joint venture (Technip, Chiyoda & Fluor) two contracts to carry out onshore plant studies on the proposed Browse LNG and Pluton Train 2 LNG developments in WA.
- Malaysian Government company Petronas will acquire a 40% stake in Santos’ proposed $7.7 billion coal seam methane-LNG development in Queensland for $US2 billion and pledges a further $US 500 million once final investment decision is reached on a second LNG train.
- Origin Energy rejects BG Group’s takeover offer which had been increased from $12.9 billion to $13.6 billion, saying the bid did not take sufficient account of the value of Origin’s coal seam methane reserves.
|
- WorleyParsons wins detailed engineering and procurement management services contract for North Rankin B Project on North West Shelf off WA.
- DOF Subsea (Australia) receives letter of intent from Woodside Energy for provision of Geosea diving support vessel and associated saturation diving support for the Vincent oil field development off WA.
- Asia-Pacific Gas Market Growth Project to explore the role of natural gas emissions in the Asia-Pacific region is launched in Melbourne.
- NW Shelf JV takes delivery of Dapeng Sun, the first of three Chinese-built LNG carriers that will transport LNG from NW Shelf gas fields to Dapeng receiving terminal in Guangdong Province, China.
- Engineering group Clough Ltd wins $200 million contract to construct an LNG jetty for Woodside Petroleum's Pluto LNG project on the Burrup Peninsula in WA.
- WA and Federal Governments re-iterate policy of non-renewal of retention leases if companies do not move towards development plans for discoveries.
- Shell announces plans for a floating LNG development for its Prelude gas field offshore Browse Basin in WA.
- Santos awards two parallel pre-front end engineering and design contracts for its Gladstone coal seam methane to LNG project to Foster Wheeler and Bechtel who will each undertake a six-month study to identify the most appropriate technology.
- Apache finds gas in Julimar Southeast-1 well offshore WA Carnarvon Basin bringing the number of gas discoveries in the permit to five.
- The $660 million Stage 5A expansion of the Dampier-Bunbury natural gas trunkline has been completed, increasing the capacity by 100 terajoules a day. The work involved installation of 570km of parallel pipeline, duplicating 50% of the main line.
- AWE announces plans to merge with Arc Energy in a cash-and-share deal worth $510 million that will form a new entity worth more than $2 billion.
- Clough Ltd wins engineering, procurement & construction contract for the $260 million onshore Devil Creek Development Project (operated by Apache) 65km southwest of Karratha. The plant will initially process gas from the Reindeer field offshore WA.
- Anzon Australia's Basker-6 ST1 sidetrack appraisal well finds south eastern extension of the Basker oil field in Bass Strait offshore Victoria.
- Dillsearch Energy merges with Great Artesian Oil & Gas to form a new entity with a market capitalisation of $75 million.
- Neptune Marine Services signs a letter of intent to acquire Perth company Access Management for an initial $4.5 million along with a three-year earn out period based on performance.
- UN allows Australia to extend its continental shelf area by 2.5 million sq kilometres adding to the nation's potential for offshore petroleum discovery.
- Nexus Energy increases its P90 reserve estimates for its Browse Basin Crux field liquids content to 63.8 million barrels (from 54.9 million barrels previously). P50 reserves are up to 75.2 million barrels from 66.3 million barrels previously.
- ExxonMobil & BHP Billiton sign gas supply agreement to sell up to 250 petajoules of gas over 10 years from their Bass Strait fields to Origin Energy beginning late 2009.
- Santos decides not to re-open the Moonie-Brisbane oil pipeline which has been closed since July 2007 following a leak at the Brisbane end. Oil is now trucked to Brisbane pending completion of the new Jackson to Moomba (in SA) pipeline in late 2008.
- BG Group (formerly British Gas Corporation) of UK makes a $13 billion bid for Origin Energy - a record high bid for the Australian resources sector.
|
- Beach sells a 10% interest in the Basker/Manta/Gummy Project in Bass Strait to Sojitz Energy for $123 million and retains a 30% stake.
- MEO Australia finds carbon dioxide-rich gas in Blackwood-1 wildcat in Timor Sea permit NT/P68. The find has estimated potential resources of 2.5 trillion cubic feet and MEO moves to secure a casting basin in South East Asia as a potential construction site for its concrete gravity base structure as centre piece for its proposed Tassie Shoals methanol/LNG artificial island project.
- Neptune Marine acquires offshore construction support vessel ROV Supplier from Trinity Offshore in Singapore for use in the Australasian subsea market.
- Venture Energy (affiliated with Advanced Well Technologies) and Southern Amity form a joint venture called Whicher Range Energy to exploit the Whicher Range tight gas field onshore South Perth Basin of WA.
- Metgasco and CS Energy upgrade their northern NSW proved and probable coal seam methane reserves by 27% to 247 petajoules.
- New study for APPEA predicts Australian production of crude oil and condensate will fall to 32% of demand by 2017 unless major new discoveries are found in the interim.
- Mosaic Oil signs agreement with CS Energy to supply CSE up to 20 petajoules of gas from the Waggamba field in the Surat Basin of Qld till March 2013.
- Chevron Australia announces intention to develop the Wheatstone gas field on the NW Shelf via a treatment plant on the WA mainland to produce LNG and domgas with FEED to begin in 2009.
- AED Oil signs a joint venture agreement with Sinopec of China to develop Puffin and Talbot fields in the Timor Sea plus surrounding exploration prospects. Sinopec will take 60% of AED’s assets plus operatorship.
- ENI group flows oil in its Kitan-1 wildcat at 6100 b/d in the Timor Sea Joint Petroleum Development Area 06-105 about 500km off the Australian coast in the Timor Gap.
- Victoria petroleum brings its Growler oil field on stream in Cooper basin of South Australia.
- Federal Government outlines four phases of consultation with all affected parties in its timetable to introduce an emissions trading scheme in Australia by 2010.
- Sunshine gas begins FEED study for its Lacerta coal seam methane field in the Surat basin of Qld.
- Nexus Energy has again boosted its reserves at the Crux gas/condensate field with proven reserves of liquids increasing 22% to 67 million barrels following two successful appraisal wells Crux-3 and Crux-4.
- Innamincka Petroleum finds gas in Yarrow North-1 wildcat in Cooper basin of SA.
- ExxonMobil takes a further 10% of Bonaparte Gulf permit WA-318-P from Drillsearch Energy bringing its interest to 65%.
- Arrow Energy and LNG Ltd award pre-construction services contract to Laing O’Rourke Australia for the group’s proposed LNG project at Gladstone based on coal seam methane from Arrow’s Qld fields.
- NW Shelf JV gives green light to development of $5 billion North Rankin B platform to recover remaining low-pressure gas in North Rankin and Perseus gas fields off WA.
|
- Innamincka Petroleum’s Flax-5 and Flax-6 appraisals of the Flax-Juniper oil discovery in the Cooper Basin of SA confirm the Permian reservoirs and potentially deepen the lowest known oil in the field by 25m.
- Queensland Gas Corporation and BG Group (British Gas) announce plans to build a $8 billion, 3-4 million tonnes per annum LNG plant near Gladstone in Qld using 190 petajoules a year of gas feedstock from QGC’s coal seam methane fields in the Surat Basin to be operational in 2013.
- Stuart Petroleum brings its Cleanup-1 oil discovery in the Cooper/Eromanga Basin of SA on stream at 120 barrels a day.
- Apache Energy awards a $25 million contract to engineering firm Clough to install additional compressor, pipework and instrumentation for its Mars Phase 2A Project on Varanus Island off the WA coast.
- Federal Government’s Department of Climate Change releases policy paper on mandatory reporting of energy and greenhouse emissions data as a basis for final drafting of regulations later in 2008.
- Origin Energy buys Woodside Petroleum’s 62.5% interest in Otway Basin permit Vic-P37 containing the Halladale and Black Watch gas/condensate fields for $13.6 million giving Origin 100% of the permit.
- Federal Government indicates a tougher approach to renewal applications for retention leases licences.
- Woodside Petroleum buys Shell Development Australia’s oil interests on the North West Shelf for $444.7 million. These include Shell’s share of Cossack, Wanaea, Lambert and Hermes oil fields, Cossack Pioneer FPSO, Egret oil discovery and surrounding oil exploration prospects totalling about 21.3 million barrels of 2P reserves.
- Nexus Energy confirms a south eastern extension of the Crux gas/condensate field in the Browse Basin of WA as well as an increase in pay zone thickness in its Crux-4 appraisal well.
- Woodside Petroleum awards $150 million contract for subsea installation work at Pluto field development off WA to international engineering construction company Acergy.
- Link Energy’s coal gasification to liquids demonstration plant at Chinchilla in Qld is ready for commissioning. The plant will involve first ever conversion of underground coal gasification process into clean diesel fuel.
- Shell buys three offshore southern Exmouth Sub-Basin permits (WA-384-P, 385-P & 394-P) from the Albers Group in line with Shell’s focus on gas potential for LNG projects.
- APPEA releases a new study of Australian petroleum resources conducted by Trevor Powell which indicates Australia faces a projected $28 billion petroleum liquids trade deficit by 2017. Without major new oil discoveries the country will be only 32% self-sufficient in oil by that time.
- Arrow Energy will partner ERM Power to jointly develop the $545 million, 450MW Braemar 2 power station 40km southwest of Darby in Qld plus a high-pressure gas pipeline.
- The Ross Garnaut Review on greenhouse matters calls on Federal Government to set an interim 2020 target of CO2 emission levels at around 20% of 2000 levels in line with regions such as the EU. The report also suggests a tougher 2050 target for Australia – presently 60% under 2000 levels.
- The AJ Lucas/Molopo Australia Gloucester Basin coal seam methane project in northern NSW has received independent certification of proven reserves of 14.9 billion cubic feet of gas, 170 bcf of 2P reserves and 359.2 bcf of 3P reserves plus 166.2 bcf of contingent resources.
- Federal Government announces a National Energy security Assessment and Action Agenda process for gas-to-liquids technology to help unlock Australia’s natural gas reserves.
- Inpex Australia and Total consider Darwin as an optional site (other than Maret Islands) for their Ichthys gas field-fed LNG plant.
- NSW Government grants major project status to a 145km gas transmission pipeline being developed by Metgasco to link its Casino coal seam methane project in northern NSW with the southeast Qld energy market at Ipswich.
- CO2CRC and Schlumberger set up a joint consulting service to provide CO2 storage solutions for companies seeking to manage and control greenhouse gas emissions.
|
- Electrical faults force temporary shutdowns to Woodside Petroleum’s Burrup Peninsula gas plant in WA and coincidentally to Santos’ Mutineer-Exeter oil fields offshore WA.
- Nexus Energy secures the tanker MV Ishwari for conversion to an FPSO for its Crux field liquids project in the Browse basin off WA.
- Molopo successfully completes its first horizontal lateral well at the Mungi coal seam methane field in Qld.
- The Chevron Australia – led Gorgon Project partners plan a 50% increase in LNG output from the proposed Barrow Island plant with the addition of a third LNG train of 5 Million tonnes per year production capacity.
- Chevron signs a deal with Atwood Oceanics for a new semi-submersible drilling rig being built in Singapore to be used for 3 years (and an option for a second 3 years) offshore western and northern Australia.
- Neptune Marine secures an $8 million contract from Apache Energy for engineering, diving, survey and fabrication work on the Simpson pipeline and for deconstruction of the disused North Herald and South pepper fixed platforms off WA.
- MEO Australia’s crucial Heron-2 appraisal flows gas, but mechanical problems impede the flow.
- Nexus Energy flows gas from the Montara sand reservoir above the main reservoir zone for the first time. The test confirms the field will produce 35 barrels of condensate per million cubic feet of gas.
- Inpex and Total begins a review of its budget and schedule for development of the Ichthys gas field via a proposed LNG plant and facilities on the Maret Islands off the Kimberley coast of WA. The review could result in increased costs and a delayed production start-up date of 2012/13.
- Latent petroleum plans appraisal and development of the Warro tight gas field onshore WA by 2009. The field was first found by WAPET in 1977 and has a gas resource of 4-7 trillion cubic feet in place.
- Honeywell wins the integrated control system contract for Woodside’s Pluto LNG gas project onshore and offshore WA.
- Drilling company AJ Lucas takes up to $47.2 million equity in coal seam methane company Sydney Gas.
- Engineering firm Clough signs Letter of Intent with Woodside petroleum for construction of a 300m-long jetty/load-out berth in Withnell Bay for the Pluto LNG project.
- A new $70 million. 115km gas line is to be constructed by Queensland Gas Co and AGL Energy to service markets in Queensland and other eastern states connections. The line will link QGC’s Berwyndale coal seam methane field and Wallumbilla in southeast Qld.
- Nexus Energy and Anzon Australia announce merger plans that will make the new combined entity Australia’s third largest petroleum exploration/production company in terms of 2P reserves and the fifth largest on the ASX in terms of market capitalisation.
- Apache Energy finds gas in its Brulimar-1 wildcat offshore WA.
- The Eastern Star gas/Gastar JV have increased 2P reserves in the Narrabri coal seam methane project in northern NSW from 59 petajoules to 185 petajoules following independent evaluation by consultant Netherland, Sewell & Associates.
|
|
|
