The Australian arm of UK consulting and engineering firm Wood has been awarded a contract by Woodside for a concept study for developing the Greater Sunrise offshore fields.
Wood will lead a multi-disciplinary subcontracting team comprising specialist consulting partners. The study will consider the key issues for developing, processing, and marketing gas. It will focus on delivering gas to Timor-Leste for processing and LNG sales or, alternatively, gas delivery to Australia.
The study will look at engineering, financial assessment and financing, local content, strategy and security, health safety and environment, and socioeconomic analysis which should point to the option most beneficial to the people of Timor-Leste.
The project would be, Woodside said, impartial and would not provide any recommendations to the joint venture in charge of the Greater Sunrise fields. It will be completed no later than the fourth quarter of 2024.
The Greater Sunrise fields, located approximately 450 km north-west of Darwin and 150 km south of Timor Leste, comprise the Sunrise and Troubadour gas and condensate fields.
The two fields were first discovered way back in 1974 but the maritime border dispute between East Timor and Australia delayed the development of the fields. Upon resolving their dispute, the two countries agreed to develop the project together.
Woodside added that the Sunrise JV also continued to make progress towards a new production sharing contract, petroleum mining code, and fiscal regimes with the government. The Sunrise JV consists of Timor Gap, operator Woodside Energy, and Osaka Gas.
