Resources

Release Areas NT09-Special and W09-Special are located in the Joseph Bonaparte Gulf, about 400 km southwest of Darwin, in water depths ranging from 10 to 40 m (Figure 1 [PDF, 315KB]). The Release Areas are about 35 km southeast of the Blacktip gas accumulation. Gas from Blacktip will be piped to Darwin via the onshore gas plant near Wadeye and the Bonaparte trans-territory pipeline. This pipeline connects to the existing pipeline transporting gas from the Amadeus Basin to Darwin. The Release Areas overlie an offshore portion of the southern Petrel Sub-basin, a distinct Paleozoic depocentre of the Bonaparte Basin (Figure 2
 [PDF, 110KB]).

Release Area NT09-Special comprises 44 graticular blocks, or parts thereof, and covers an area of approximately 2680 km². It contains the Barnett oil accumulation that was discovered by Barnett 2 (1989) and appraised by the Barnett 3 well. The exploration wells Kinmore 1 and Shakespeare 1 were drilled to the north of this Release Area, Kulshill 1, 2 and Sunbird 1 to the east, and Kingfisher 1 to the south.

Release Area W09-Special comprises 21 graticular blocks, or parts thereof, and covers an area of approximately 1220 km². It contains the Turtle oil accumulation that was discovered by Turtle 1 in 1984 and appraised by the Turtle 2 well. The Cape Ford 1 exploration well tested a stratigraphic play downdip of Turtle 2. Wells drilled just outside the Release Area include Cambridge 1, Lacrosse 1, Matilda 1, Sandbar 1, Weasel 1 and Windjana 1, which are located to the west, Lesueur 1 to the northwest, and Pelican Island 1 to the southwest. To the north-northwest, Retention Lease WA-33-L is held over the Blacktip gas accumulation.

* A full version of the information covered in this part of the site is available as a downloadable file [PDF, 1,162KB] or you can navigate through the following pages:

• Release Area Geology
• Exploration History
• Hydrocarbon Potential
• Figures
• References