Royal Dutch Shell has bagged approval from the Australian National Offshore Petroleum Safety and Environmental Management Authority (NOPSEMA) for moving ahead with the Crux gas project in Western Australian waters.

In 2018, the company’s subsidiary Shell Australia filed an offshore project proposal (OPP) to NOPSEMA for the development of the Crux gas field in Browse Basin.

NOPSEMA stated: “Today’s announcement follows a thorough and careful assessment process of almost two years. In line with statutory timeframes, this has included a public comment process and consideration of all feedback.”

Shell Australia plans to develop the Crux gas field through the drilling of five production wells and the installation of a platform, which will be linked via a 165km long export pipeline to the company-operated Prelude Floating Liquefied Natural Gas facility (Prelude LNG facility).

The Crux gas field is being looked up by Shell Australia as the primary source of backfill gas supply to the FLNG facility.

According to NOPSEMA, Shell Australia needs to get further regulatory approval for beginning the Crux gas project, which includes an accepted environment plan, a well operations management plan, and facility safety case.

Shell Australia’s partners in the Crux gas project are Osaka Gas Group and SGH Energy, which are aiming to draw around 2.9 million tonnes of gas per annum (Mtpa) of natural gas by using a not normally manned platform (NNM platform), which will be controlled remotely from the Prelude FLNG facility.

The front-end engineering design (FEED) contract for the NNM platform of the Crux gas project was awarded by Shell Australia to Wood and KBR in February 2019.

  Australia, Browse Basin, Crux development project, Crux gas field, Liquefied natural gas, NOPSEMA, Osaka Gas Group, Prelude LNG facility, Royal Dutch Shell, SGH Energy, Western Australia