The Australian Government has committed to decommissioning the Northern Endeavour Floating Production Storage and Offtake facility and remediating the associated Laminaria-Corallina oil fields.
This follows the liquidation of the owner of the Northern Endeavour, the Northern Oil and Gas Australia (NOGA) group of companies in 2020.
The government investigated options to manage the Northern Endeavour in response to NOGA’s liquidation.
Decommissioning the facility and remediating associated oil fields was determined to be the most cost-effective way to:
- remove future potential risks; and
- protect the environment.
The Levy is an important measure to ensure that taxpayers are not left to pay for the decommissioning and remediation of the oilfields and associated infrastructure.
Decommissioning projects
Decommissioning and remediation will likely take several years and involve 3 phases:
- Phase 1: Decommissioning and disconnecting the facility from the subsea equipment.
- Phase 2: Permanent plugging and well abandonment.
- Phase 3: Removing subsea infrastructure and remediation of the Laminaria and Corallina fields.
- the current operations and maintenance of the facility
- Phase 1 decommissioning activities in close consultation with the National Offshore Petroleum Safety and Environmental Management Authority.
The facility
The Northern Endeavour is a 274m long Floating Production Storage and Offtake facility. It is permanently moored between the Laminaria and Corallina oil fields. Its location is approximately 550 km northwest of Darwin in the Timor Sea.