SEAAOC NEWS

Construction begins on Darwin marine supply base

Construction has commenced on the marine supply base at Darwin, Northern Territory, which is part of the NT’s 2030 target to establish Darwin as a key centre for gas operations and maintenance.

Forward estimates highlight role of oil & gas: APPEA

WHILE the resources sector has escaped the federal budget relatively unscathed, it has highlighted forward revenues being driven by the sector as underpinning the importance of the industry to the national interest.

Bonaparte LNG floating along

THE Bonaparte LNG project remains on target to begin front-end engineering and design studies next year before a final investment decision is made in the latter half of 2014.

Shell sells Prelude stake

Shell has sold a further 15% equity in the prestigious Prelude floating liquefied natural gas project in Australia to two large Asian LNG buyers.

More Wheatstone LNG heading for Japan

ASIA’S appetite for Australian LNG is continuing, with Chevron and its partners in the Wheatstone LNG project signing a non-binding agreement to supply Japan’s Chubu Electric Power Company with LNG from the Western Australian project.

MEO MPF status renewed

The Australian Government has renewed Major Project Facilitation status for MEO Australia’s Tassie Shoal liquefied natural gas and methanol project, following a five-year extension on environmental approvals issued in March.

Chevron cracks the whip

CHEVRON has warned that productivity at its Gorgon project remains a key issue if the $43 billion project is to meet its set timelines and budgets.

Deep water heartbreak

OFFSHORE exploration in Australia has moved into deeper waters, although the industry is hardly shouting about the trend.

Pluto gets ball rolling

Woodside’s Pluto project has delivered its first gas into a processing train, putting the liquefied natural gas project at ready for start up status.

Outlook bright for Australian LNG

AUSTRALIA’S resources and energy export earnings are forecast to continue to grow over the next five years to reach a record $A225 billion in 2016-17, boosted largely by the country’s LNG sector.

Inpex takes 17.5% stake in Prelude

INPEX has announced it has grabbed a 17.5% share in Shell’s Prelude floating LNG project in WA-44-L for an undisclosed amount.

BAM Clough wins jetty contract

Dutch construction company BAM International and Australian engineering company Clough have won a A$370 million (US$384.3 million) contract to build a loading jetty for the Inpex-operated Ichthys liquefied natural gas project.

Darwin population to grow by 50 pc

Investors in Darwin will see a soaring property market off the back of future resources projects, developments and government initiatives.

Woodside: The big picture

AS WOODSIDE grapples with securing third-party gas for a Pluto expansion and negotiating a deal with the Timorese government for the Sunrise project, changing supply side dynamics may seal the fate of its controversial Browse project.

NT workers given priority for gas jobs

Local workers will be given priority for jobs on the $34 billion Ichthys gas project, according to the Northern Territory Government.

Woodside heads for new frontiers

THE search for oil and gas in Australia’s offshore frontiers is set for a major boost with this week’s change in exploration strategy by Woodside.

Karoon and Conoco’s Poseidon adventure

KAROON Gas will kick of its 2012 drilling campaign in the first week of March, hoping to drill a minimum of five wells across three permits in the Browse Basin using the Transocean Legend to get a better handle on the Poseidon structure.

Pluto on track but profit dips

WOODSIDE Petroleum maintains the start-up date for its $A14.9 billion Pluto LNG project is on track as the company posted a drop in profit for the 2011 year due to one-off costs.

Total seeks 30% of Ichthys

FRENCH major Total has reaffirmed its faith in the Ichthys project and confirmed it is seeking a further 6% equity stake.

Ground broken on Wheatstone

CHEVRON Australia and its partners have officially broken ground on their $A29 billion Wheatstone LNG project at Ashburton North, near Onslow on Western Australia’s Pilbara coast.