UK firm hands out draft EIS for offshore drilling ops in Southeast Asia

UK-based and AIM-listed Sunda Energy, formerly Baron Oil, has submitted drafts for public consultation of the environmental impact statement (EIS) and environmental management plan (EMP) for the drilling of its planned appraisal well at a gas field off the coast of Timor-Leste, Southeast Asia.

Sunda Energy’s subsidiary, SundaGas Banda Unipessoal (SundaGas), gave the Timor-Leste regulator, Autoridade Nacional do Petróleo (ANP), drafts for public consultation of the EIS and EMP on April 11 for the drilling of the planned Chuditch-2 appraisal well on Timor-Leste production sharing contract (PSC) TL-SO-19-16.

“The draft EIS and EMP incorporate results from the environmental baseline survey conducted at the location, as announced on 28 January 2025. The public consultation commences immediately, with announcements in Timor-Leste online, broadcast and print media,” highlighted the UK-based player.

The drilling of this well is anticipated to start in Q2 2025, after the company changed its timeline due to the overrun in the drilling activities of other operators using the same rig. At the end of 2024, Sunda disclosed a non-binding letter of intent (LOI) with an undisclosed drilling contractor regarding commercial negotiations for a definitive jack-up rig contract.

SundaGas Banda Unipessoal is the operator with a 60% interest in the Chuditch PSC while a subsidiary of the Timor-Leste state oil company, Timor Gap, holds the remaining 40%. Encompassing an area of approximately 3,571 square kilometers, with water depths of 50-100 meters, the asset contains the Chuditch-1 gas discovery drilled by Shell in 1998.

The Chuditch-2 appraisal well will be situated 5.1 kilometers from the site of the original well, at a water depth of 68 meters.