Oil and gas major Shell has received key approvals from Australia’s offshore regulator for its Crux gas field development.
The National Offshore Petroleum Safety and Environmental Management Authority (NOPSEMA) approved the Environmental Plan (EP) that covers the completions, hot commissioning, start-up, and operation activities, including contingent and supporting activities for Crux.
The Crux project is located in the northern Browse Basin, 200 kilometres offshore north-western Australia and 460 kilometres of Broome, Western Australia.
The work scope covered by this EP includes the completion of five wells requiring well perforation, well clean-up, the tie-in of trees to topsides and associated activities with an approximate duration of three to 10 months. It also includes hot commissioning of gas turbine generators and associated activities to energise the Crux platform with an approximate duration of one to five months.
NOPSEMA has also given Shell the green light to start up Crux’s facilities and safely activate production from the field’s wells offshore Western Australia, with hydrocarbons being exported to Prelude FLNG. Start-up activities are expected to last from nine to 24 months.
The regulator also approved Shell’s operation of facilities with hydrocarbon export to Prelude FLNG. Production is planned for 15 years, subject to extension based on actual reservoir reserves.
Shell’s work under this latest EP is scheduled to commence from 2026, pending regulatory approvals and project schedule interfaces.
