Name of the Project
Scarborough gasfield development.

Location
The project is located in the Carnarvon basin, about 375 km west-north-west of the Burrup peninsula, in Western Australia.

Project Owner/s
Woodside (73.5%) and BHP (26.5%).

Project Description
Woodside is proposing to develop the Scarborough gas resource, which has a contingent resource of 7.3-trillion cubic feet and supports the recovery of volumes of more than 500-billion cubic feet per well.

The new offshore facilities will initially have seven high-rate, subsea gas wells tied back to a semisubmersible floating production unit moored in 900 m of water close to the Scarborough field. Gas will be transported by an estimated 430 km pipeline to onshore processing infrastructure on the Burrup peninsula.

Potential Job Creation
Not stated.

Capital Expenditure
$11.4-billion.

Planned Start/End Date
First liquefied natural gas is targeted for 2024.

Latest Developments
Woodside has reported that it is committed to the development of the Scarborough gasfield, despite the tumbling oil prices and the volatile price environment for liquefied natural gas (LNG).

Reports have emerged that the project could be delayed as the coronavirus continues to rage globally.

“We are continuing to work collaboratively with BHP towards a final investment decision in 2020. We think our projects are resilient to low oil price outcomes – we test for that throughout our key planning processes. While we consider short-term price fluctuation, we make final investment decisions on long-term forecasts,” a spokesperson for Woodside told Mining Weekly.

BHP announced its decision to progress the Scarborough development into a feasibility study phase in February 2020, saying the decision was consistent with the company’s petroleum strategy to invest in advantaged gas.

The project will be submitted to the BHP board for a final investment decision in mid-2020. First LNG is targeted for 2024.

Meanwhile, Woodside has said that a hunt for a development partner for Scarborough is continuing.

CEO Peter Coleman said during the company’s annual results in February that the sell-down of a stake in the Scarborough field would continue, with Woodside opening up a data room to potential investors.

“We expect that process to complete around the middle of the year. We don’t expect any binding agreements to be completed by then, but we expect certainly a line of sight to potential sell down,” he said at the time.

Key Contracts and Suppliers
SNC Lavalin (engineering subdesign contract).

Contact Details for Project Information
Woodside, tel +61 8 9348 4000.