Woodside Energy’s plan to undertake subsea decommissioning activities for the Minerva Field, located 11km off Victoria, has been approved.
As per NOPSEMA, Woodside is planning to undertake subsea decommissioning activities for the Minerva Field previously operated by BHP Petroleum.
The Minerva wells are approximately 11km south-southwest of Port Campbell, Victoria and in water depths of approximately 50m to 60 m.
Woodside plans to remove all subsea infrastructure and equipment from the seabed associated with the Minerva development in Commonwealth waters.
Activities covered by the Minerva Decommissioning and Field Management Environment Plan include:
- ongoing field management activities (inspection and monitoring) for the Minerva subsea and well infrastructure until final decommissioning
- removal of the Minerva gas pipeline bundle in Commonwealth waters. The pipeline comprises approximately 4.9km of 10-inch concrete coated rigid-steel flowline, bundled with an electro hydraulic umbilical and two 2-inch steel chemical injection lines and stabilisation materials
- removal of Minerva subsea infrastructure within VIC-L22 in Commonwealth Waters comprising five inline pipeline structures, five tie-in spools, and associated equipment and stabilisation material.
Equipment removal activities are planned to commence as early as Q4 2024 and require approximately three to five months, subject to vessel availability and weather constraints.
The field was discovered in March 1993. Production of the field ceased in September 2019 and the Minerva-3 and Minerva-4 wells were suspended.
The facilities consist of four wells, associated subsea infrastructure, subsea pipeline and the piggyback umbilical bundle.
Since cessation, pipelines and flowlines have been flushed and preserved, well barriers have been isolated and tested, flowlines have been disconnected and subsea facilities integrity inspections were completed with no issues identified.
Following the merger between Woodside and BHP in 2022, the titleholders for VIC/L22 and VIC/PL33 are Woodside and Cooper energy with Woodside acting as operator of the titles.
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