Australian National Offshore Petroleum Safety and Environmental Management Authority (NOPSEMA) has accepted Beach Energy’s plan to undertake subsea installation and commissioning works within petroleum production licence VIC/L23.
The activities are part of the Otway Phase 4 Development project which aims to increase gas supply to the Beach-operated Otway Gas Plant (OGP).
Accepted on 30 July, the environmental plan includes the removal and recovery of the Geographe-3 rigid spool and the installation of two rigid spools between the existing manifold and the new Geographe-4 and Geographe-5 production wells.
The scope also covers the installation of seven electrical flying leads (EFLs) and two hydraulic flying leads (HFLs), including on-bottom stabilisation, as well as a commissioning program, including production spool leak testing and electrical and hydraulic function testing.
Activities will be carried out within the Otway Basin in Commonwealth waters, approximately 45 kilometres southwest of the Victoria coastline at its closest point, and in a water depth of approximately 83 metres.
Work will take place over a period of up to 30 days in the four-month window from August to the end of October.
To remind, Beach Energy submitted the proposal to NOPSEMA for the subsea installation and commissioning works on 15 February.
The assessment of the drilling campaign for the Geographe-4 and Geographe-5 wells is in a separate environmental plan.