PERTH (miningweekly.com) – US oil and gas major Chevron has called for greater cooperation between industry players and the government to unlock future value in the Carnarvon basin, offshore Western Australia.

Speaking at the Australian Petroleum Production and Exploration Association (Appea) conference, in Adelaide, Chevron Australia MD Nigel Hearne said that greater collaboration would most efficiently unlock the resources in the ground and extend the benefits, and would ensure the most economically efficient approach to future developments of the offshore resources.

“Collaboration will maximise the potential of Australia’s abundant resources. As we develop more fields and bring them to shore to fill available liquefied natural gas (LNG) processing capacity, we’ll get more LNG to market and with it greater volumes of domestic gas for Western Australia.

“Collaboration will drive efficiencies, minimise duplication of infrastructure and boost Australian government revenue.

“Think about what is possible if we were to work together to create a truly interconnected gas gathering system, which would ensure no resources are left in the ground or value on the table,” Hearne told delegates.

He introduced the idea of a Trans Carnarvon Basin Trunkline, which would be a multi-user, open-access offshore pipeline connecting shared offshore infrastructure to create an interconnected basin.

“This could link remote accumulations such as Scarborough, Thebe and the Exmouth fields, to existing gas facilities such as the North-West Shelf, Pluto and Wheatstone. 

“Something like this would enable gas from offshore fields to flow to where it is needed, and when it is needed via an onshore interconnector across the Burrup Peninsula.”

Hearne said that the shared infrastructure would hold a number of potential benefits, including improving the development likelihood of several hydrocarbon fields, minimise duplication of pipeline infrastructure, deliver greater domestic gas volumes to shore, create the best possible opportunities for local industry and Western Australian jobs, while reducing the industry’s environmental footprint.

“An interconnected basin will provide the most efficient and economic solution to develop the gas of the future.

“Ideally, an interconnected gas gathering system would be ‘rightsized’ – offering the optimal capacity that maximises value for all users. 

“If we get it right, it optimises development of potentially stranded resources and has superior economics over individual or ‘point-to-point’ concepts, keeping LNG and domestic gas plants full for longer and helping secure Australia’s energy future,” Hearne said.