In late December 2019, Shell Australia revealed that a ‘significant’ gas and condensate discovery was made in the Browse Basin off the North West Coast of Western Australia.

Drilling of the Bratwurst -1 exploration well, within title AC/P64 (100 per cent Shell Equity, Operated), successfully concluded on 4 December 2019 after a 78-day campaign.

This campaign was completed in just over 18 months from bidding and 12 months from the award of the AC/P64 title.

The discovery is located approximately 160 kilometres northeast of the Shell-operated Prelude Floating liquefied natural gas (FLNG) facility – an offshore development that is expected to produce 3.6 million tonnes per annum (mtpa) of LNG, 1.3 mtpa of condensate and 0.4 mtpa of LPG.

Shell says the new discovery presents an opportunity for a future tie-back to Prelude and it supports the company’s growth plans for more and cleaner energy, with LNG being the predominant focus for Shell in Australia.

Executive Vice President of Shell Australia, Zoe Yujnovich, said gas is a core component of our strategy to provide more and cleaner energy solutions.

“[This recent] announcement shows how, through exploration, we are building a strong pipeline of discoveries to support our assets in Western Australia.”