The Julimar-Brunello phase two is in water depths ranging between 174m and 201m in the Carnarvon Basin, approximately 200km offshore north-western Australia.
The project will supply natural gas and condensate from the Julimar reservoir to the nearby offshore gas processing platform of the Wheatstone project through the existing infrastructure in phase one of the Julimar project.
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The Julimar phase two development is a part of the Julimar field production system that is operated by Woodside Energy Julimar (Woodside) with a 65% interest. Kuwait Foreign Petroleum Exploration Company (KUFPEC) Australia (Julimar) owns the remaining 35% interest in the production system. Woodside is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Australian oil and gas company Woodside Energy.
The final investment decision (FID) on the development of phase two was taken in November 2019. The National Offshore Petroleum Safety and Environmental Management Authority (NOPSEMA), Australia’s offshore regulatory agency, accepted the revised environment plan of the company for the petroleum operation and other associated activities at the Julimar field in March 2021.
The development activities of the project are expected to be completed by 2022.
Julimar-Brunello phase two development project location
The project lies within production licence (PL) WA-49-L in Commonwealth waters offshore Western Australia, approximately 48km off the Montebello Islands to the south and adjacent to the Chevron-operated Wheatstone facility.
Julimar-Brunello phase two project development details
Julimar-Brunello phase two is a subsea development that will be tied back to the existing Brunello subsea infrastructure that is connected to the offshore Wheatstone platform.
The hydrocarbons from the Wheatstone platform will be transported to the Wheatstone project’s onshore facility comprising two LNG trains with a combined capacity of 8.9 million tonnes per annum (Mtpa), a domestic gas facility, and related infrastructure, located at the Ashburton North Strategic Industrial Area in Western Australia.
The development involves the drilling of seven wells including an exploratory well, a potential appraisal well, and five production wells to support future production at the Julimar project.
A production manifold along with a 22km-long and 18in diameter insulated corrosion-resistant alloy (CRA) gas transmission flowline, control umbilical system and associated subsea infrastructures will be installed.
The 18in-diameter pipeline is claimed to be the world’s biggest diameter CRA pipeline ever winded around a reel. The laying of the pipeline was completed using the Seven Oceans, a reel-laying vessel owned by offshore engineering company Subsea 7, in the third quarter (Q3) of 2021.
The intervention workover control system (IWOCS) umbilical and subsea jumper deployment frame (SJDF) were deployed to the seabed through a moonpool for the operation of a remotely operated underwater vehicle.
A shark cage was installed within the XT Cart, which enabled the placement of the SJDF on the XT Cart while providing a platform for fixing clamps.
Julimar field production system details
Located at a water depth ranging between 71m and 174m, the Julimar field production system was commissioned in 2016.
The field production system will include up to 14 Julimar and Brunello wells, three production manifolds, a suspended Julimar field exploration well, as well as Xmas trees, flowlines, and umbilicals, upon completion of phase two, according to the revised environmental plan.
Contractors involved
Woodside awarded an engineering, procurement, construction, and installation (EPCI) contract to Subsea 7 for the Julimar development phase two in March 2019. Subsea 7 subcontracted Strohm, a thermoplastic composite pipe (TCP) supplier based in the Netherlands, to supply two TCP jumper spools for mono-ethylene glycol (MEG) injection service at the Julimar field.
Oilfield services provider Schlumberger’s subsidiary OneSubsea, secured a two-year contract to supply an integrated gas production system for the project. The use of OneSubsea’s Blue Box sub-sea approach including capital-efficient solutions will reduce project cycle time and overall cost. Blue Box is designed to improve the efficiency of processes, manufacturing, and execution of subsea projects.
ICON Engineering, an oilfield services company based in Australia, assisted in the deployment of the SJDF through the moonpool of Ocean Apex, a moored semi-submersible rig.
John Wood Group, a multi-national engineering company, received a three-year contract to provide engineering and rig modification services for the project in 2017. The contract includes an option for two one-year extensions. The company was also awarded a contract to conduct the concept definition study for the subsea production system for the phase two project.
DrillScene and DrillExpect real-time drilling software, developed by Norwegian company Sekal and supplied by Sumitomo Australia, were utilised for drilling four wells of the Julimar-Brunello phase two project. Sumitomo Australia’s parent company Sumitomo, a Japanese conglomerate, owns a majority stake in Sekal.
