Santos is pleased that the Offshore Project Proposal (OPP) for the Dorado development has been approved by the National Offshore Petroleum Safety and Environmental Management Authority (NOPSEMA).
Dorado is a proposed phased liquids and gas development, including a first liquids phase with gas re-injection and the potential for a second phase development to recover and route the gas to the Western Australian domestic and LNG markets.
Dorado now has the essential regulatory permissions needed to support development, thanks to the grant of a Production Licence in April 2022.
Santos Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer Kevin Gallagher stated that Dorado is an intriguing development potential that the recent discovery at the neighbouring Pavo field has strengthened.
“Our focus now is to finalise the concept for an integrated liquids and gas development and obtain the remaining approvals required to support a final investment decision,” Gallagher said.
According to Gallagher, Dorado will add to Australia’s energy security, while potential additional gas development will provide a future source of supply for Western Australia’s domestic market and LNG projects.
“The best emergency reserve you can have for national liquid fuel security is oil in the ground and the infrastructure in place to produce it when you need it most,” Gallagher added.
The combined Dorado and Pavo fields are projected to have gross 2C contingent resources of 189 million barrels of liquids and 401 petajoules of gas (Santos-share 147 million barrels and 320 petajoules, respectively).
