Woodside Energy is set to undertake the closure of the Stybarrow Development in WA-32-L off the coast of Western Australia.
Located around 56 km north-west of Exmouth, the Stybarrow development was developed by a joint venture between BHP and Woodside Energy until the merger of BHP’s oil and gas assets with Woodside.
Under this exploration permit (EP), the equipment includes nine anchors, 10 suction base foundations piles and a historical exploration wellhead buried in the seabed which will remain in situ.
Management and removal of the other subsea equipment in the Stybarrow field, is addressed in the Stybarrow Decommissioning and Field Management EP.
The petroleum activity in this EP is scheduled to commence in March 2025 once the equipment removal activities described in the Stybarrow Decommissioning and Field Management EP are completed.
Impacts associated with the ongoing presence of the equipment include long-term degradation of the materials, alteration of seabed and benthic habitats and potential displacement or interactions with other users.
In July 2023, Woodside first proposed to abandon the Stybarrow development wells
The permanent plugging of the Stybarrow wells is required to complete no later than 30 September 2024, the National Offshore Petroleum Safety and Environmental Management Authority (NOPSEMA) advised.
Removal of well infrastructure above the mudline may commence early in 2024, and is required to be recovered no later than 31 March 2025.
Subscribe to Energy Today for the latest project and industry news.