ConocoPhillips files plan for Barossa pipeline construction

Oil major ConocoPhillips and its joint partners in the Barossa gas project have submitted an environment plan to Australian offshore safety regulator NOPSEMA to construct and install a pipeline on the field.

The company’s subsidiary, ConocoPhillips Australia Barossa, and joint venture partners SK E&S Australia and Santos proposed to develop the Barossa gas field located in Commonwealth waters some 300 kilometers northwest of Darwin.

The development includes bringing gas and condensate from subsea wells to a floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) facility via a network of subsea flowlines and risers.

Initial processing would occur on the FPSO to separate the gas, water, and condensate. The condensate would be transferred from the FPSO to specialized tankers for export, and the resulting dry gas would be sent to Darwin through a new 260-kilometer pipeline connected to the existing Bayu-Darwin pipeline.

The Barossa project is fully described in the Barossa Area Development Offshore Project Proposal, which was accepted by NOPSEMA in March 2018.

The Barossa Gas Export Pipeline Installation Environment Plan is the first of several environment plans that will be developed under the Barossa project proposal.

This environment plan specifically addresses installation of the gas export pipeline, which runs north-south from the Barossa gas field to the proposed tie-in location on the existing Bayu-Undan pipeline some 100 kilometers west-northwest of Darwin.

The installation activities include pre and post lay surveys, pre and post lay span rectification, installation of the gas export pipeline and end terminals, and pipeline pre-conditioning activities.

NOPSEMA said that the exact installation schedule was not finalized. However, installation activities are expected to occur between the fourth quarter of 2020 and the first quarter of 2024.

The total infield duration of the offshore installation activities is expected to be approximately nine months.

According to the offshore regulator, the installation schedule is indicative only with exact timing and duration subject to several factors such as vessel availability, weather, and sea state.

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