Australian gas-focused independent Santos is progressing with plans to drill and explore in the Bedout Basin, off the coast of Australia.
Santos has filed its environmental plan with the National Offshore Petroleum Safety and Environmental Management Authority (NOPSEMA), which is seeking public input for the plan.
Santos has proposed to drill up to seven exploration and/or appraisal wells in the Bedout Basi, in search of more hydrocarbons.
The company’s environmental plan covers drilling, evaluating, well testing and abandonment activities related to proposed exploration and appraisal drilling.
In addition, the activities include geophysical, hydrographic and geotechnical surveys, one to two weeks at each well location, to gather critical seabed and subsurface data that will enable the safe and accurate placement of a mobile offshore drilling unit (MODU) to undertake the drilling.
The environmental plan will have a validity of five years to allow the wells the time to drill.
The wells will each take approximately 40 to 110 days to drill.
Based on the current plan, the wells are proposed to be drilled between the third quarter of 2026 and the third quarter of 2031, using a moored semi-submersible MODU and/or jack-up MODU.
Santos said Bedout Basin has the potential to be the next major liquids-rich gas-led development off Western Australia. The drilling program will identify hydrocarbon resources.
Activities are scheduled to commence in the third quarter of 2026, subject to obtaining all regulatory/ business approvals and assumings activities may be undertaken at any time of year
