ConocoPhillips Australia has confirmed a natural gas discovery in the Otway Basin, off the coast of Victoria. At the Essington-1 well, the company has detected gas in two key reservoirs, Waarre A and Waarre C.
Initial logging and wireline evaluation suggest a gross hydrocarbon column of approximately 62.6m in Waarre A, with a further 33.2m in Waarre C. The discovery lies around 53 km offshore from Port Campbell and about 12 km from existing gas production infrastructure.
Jan-Arne Johansen, President of ConocoPhillips Australia, described the find as a strong start to the operator’s renewed exploration programme in the region. He said further work will determine potential flow rates, resource recovery and the commercial viability of development.
Once operations at Essington-1 are complete, the well will be plugged and abandoned in strict accordance with the approved environmental plan. Drilling is expected to conclude by the end of November 2025. A second exploration well, Charlemont-1, is slated to start in December, subject to weather and operational constraints. Additional wells may be considered later under the existing environmental approvals.
ConocoPhillips operates the Otway exploration project with a 51 per cent stake, alongside Korea National Oil Corporation (29 per cent) and 3D Energi (20 per cent).
Johansen emphasised that natural gas remains a vital component of Australia’s energy mix as the nation works towards net zero, providing a reliable and affordable transition fuel that complements future low-carbon strategies.