Esso Australia drilling West Barracouta domestic gas wells

The development, located in the VIC/L1 block offshore Victoria, is part of the company’s continued investment in the Gippsland Basin and will be tied back to the existing Barracouta infrastructure offshore in Bass Strait, the first offshore field ever discovered in Australia.

With total depth of 1.3 kilometres reached on the first well and the second well almost complete, the company will have West Barracouta gas flowing to the Australian domestic gas market by early 2021.

“After more than 50 years, the Gippsland Basin Joint Venture continues to be a crucial source of gas supply for the nation and is the largest supplier of gas to the eastern Australia market,” said Nathan Fay, Chairman, ExxonMobil Australia.

“Since drilling the first Bass Strait well in 1965, our operations have delivered more than four billion barrels of oil and 10 trillion cubic feet of natural gas to Australia.  This is more than half of all the oil ever produced in Australia, and enough gas to power almost every home in Australia for a decade.

“Esso Australia continues to focus on delivering gas that Australians need to the domestic market.”

The new project builds on more than $5.5 billion invested by the Gippsland Basin Joint Venture in other recent Victorian projects supplying gas for Australians, including the Kipper Tuna Turrum offshore project and the Longford Gas Conditioning Plant.

“We are proud to continue our long history of investment in the Gippsland Basin where, along with our joint venture partner BHP, we have been powering Australian homes and businesses for more than five decades,” said Fay.

ExxonMobil subsidiary Esso Australia Pty Ltd operates the Gippsland Basin Joint Venture on behalf of a 50-50 joint venture with BHP Billiton Petroleum (Bass Strait) Pty Ltd and Esso Australia Resources Pty Ltd.

-ENDS-

About ExxonMobil in Australia

ExxonMobil, one of the largest publicly traded international energy companies, uses technology and innovation to help meet the world’s growing energy needs. ExxonMobil holds an industry-leading inventory of resources, is one of the largest refiners and marketers of petroleum products, and its chemical company is one of the largest in the world. The ExxonMobil Australia group has been operating in Australia since 1895. Learn more about us at www.exxonmobil.com.au. Follow us on Twitter: @exxonmobil_aus.

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