TOWARDS DEVELOPMENT OF AUSTRALIA’S LARGE DEEPWATER GAS FIELDS

Abstract

Australia can anticipate a more extensive gas production future than any other OECD country. At the same time, much of our gas resource is located in large, remote, deepwater reservoirs. There is very little experience in bringing such fields to market, although several current developments internationally indicate that a new era of deepwater gas production is beginning. The limited knowledge base suggests that Australia could, and indeed should, take a lead in developing strategies and technologies necessary to produce major deepwater gas and gascondensate fields in an economically, environmentally and socially sustainable manner in the long-term.

This paper draws on a comprehensive database of deepwater field developments around the world to identify specific capability gaps, and the technology breakthroughs that may enable them to be overcome. Emphasis is placed on both floating facilities and all-subsea production solutions, with ultra-long tiebacks and floating LNG bringing particular benefits in the Australian context. Compact GTL is a key enabling technology for remote deepwater fields with associated gas.