Name of the Project
Scarborough gasfield development.

Location
In the Carnarvon basin, about 375 km west-north-west of the Burrup Peninsula, in Western Australia.

Project Owner/s
The project is a joint venture (JV) between Woodside Petroleum and BHP. The JV partners reached an agreement in February 2021 to align their participating interests across the Scarborough and North Scarborough titles, resulting in Woodside’s holding a 73.5% interest and BHP holding the remaining 26.5% interest in both titles.

Project Description
Woodside is proposing to develop the Scarborough gas resource, which has a contingent resource of 11.1-trillion cubic feet and supports the recovery 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.

Woodside’s preferred concept is to process Scarborough gas through a brownfield expansion of the existing Pluto liquefied natural gas (LNG) onshore facility.

Potential Job Creation
Not stated.

Capital Expenditure
Woodside recently flagged a 5% increase in the capital cost estimate for the Scarborough development, which is now estimated to require a $12-billion capital investment comprising a $5.7-billion investment for the offshore component and a $6.3-billion investment for the onshore component.

Planned Start/End Date
First production from the Scarborough gasfield has been targeted for 2026.

Latest Developments
Woodside has defended the development of the Scarborough project, saying the company has set clear emission-reduction targets with an updated Pluto Greenhouse Gas Abatement Program.

“Woodside is targeting emissions reductions in line with corporate commitments of 30% by 2030 and net zero by 2050,” a spokesperson for the company has said.

The Say No to Scarborough Gas coalition launched a new campaign against the Scarborough development on October 29.

The coalition, which comprises several organisations, including the Conservation Council of Western Australia, Greenpeace, the Australian Marine Conservation Society and 350 Australia, has said that it will use "proven tactics from activists around the world who have successfully stood up to big business and big polluters, and has demanded an end to new fossil fuel projects”.

The coalition has claimed that Scarborough is one of the "dirtiest new fossil fuel projects currently planned in Australia", and that the project will accelerate climate change while threatening endangered marine life and habitats.

A spokesperson for Woodside told Mining Weekly on October 29 that gas Scarborough contained almost no carbon dioxide and would be processed through a highly efficient facility at Pluto LNG.

“The resulting energy will produce less than half the carbon dioxide emissions per megawatt-hour of energy produced from coal, making it one of the lowest carbon sources of LNG globally that can be delivered to north Asian customers,” the spokesperson has said.

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

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