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Australian Energy Producers Journal Australian Energy Producers Journal Society
Journal of Australian Energy Producers
 

Concurrent 19. Presentation for: Overcoming COVID challenges in project execution – West Barracouta

Grant Shaw A *
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A Esso Australia, L9 664 Collins Street, Docklands, Vic. 3008, Australia.

* Correspondence to: Grant.m.shaw@exxonmobil.com

The APPEA Journal 62 - https://doi.org/10.1071/AJ21366
Published: 3 June 2022

Abstract

Presented on Wednesday 18 May: Session 19

The West Barracouta (BTW) field, one of the largest proven undeveloped gas fields off the south-eastern Australian coast, commenced production in April 2021. The project was developed by Esso-BHP Gippsland Basin Joint Venture (GBJV), a 50–50 JV between ExxonMobil’s subsidiary Esso Australia and BHP Petroleum. The BTW gas field is situated ~6 km south west of the existing Barracouta gas field and platform, the first GBJV platform in Bass Strait. The BTW development involved drilling two subsea production wells, installation of umbilical controls from the existing platform and installation of a ~6 km subsea flowline to connect to existing gas pipeline via a hot tap. The BTW team successfully navigated through engineering, fabrication, testing, mobilisation of an international team and installation of the facilities in a COVID environment. The paper shares insights on how to: manage fabrication impacts with closures and restricted workhours to minimise disruption to the project; complete videoconference Hazid Identification Risk Assessment workshops across different geographical locations; develop and execute methodology for distributed component integrated testing with hardware located in different geographical locations; complete remote inspections, Factory Acceptance Tests (FAT)/verification using videoconference; complete enhanced familiarisation and testing activities at shorebase, prior to offshore installation, given restrictions in overseas travel/access to FAT locations; and safely manage installation personnel to ensure continuity of activities in a COVID environment, e.g. platform, installation vessel and diver COVID requirements.

To access the presentation click the link on the right. To read the full paper click here

Keywords: fabrication, Factory Acceptance Test, Gippsland, inspection, installation, restricted work, risk management, subsea facilities, testing.

Grant Shaw graduated from the University of Melbourne in 2008 with double degree in Chemical Engineering (honours – H1) and Science. He has worked for ExxonMobil since his graduation in technical and project roles across both the ExxonMobil’s production and projects organisations. He has experience within Esso Australia Upstream and also the Australian Midstream business. He was the Subsea Production System Lead for the West Barracouta project, and currently is in an Execution Lead role within the projects organisation.