Oil and gas developments in Australia in 1985

Journal Article · Wed Oct 01 04:00:00 EDT 1986 · Am. Assoc. Pet. Geol., Bull.; (United States)

OSTI ID:6982956

Lindner, A W

Emphasis in exploration drilling in Australia in 1985 continued to move onshore and concentrate in the Eromanga/Cooper and Surat basins. So although the 267 exploration wells drilled established a new record, the total number of wells of all classes drilled (359 wells) fell below the 1984 tally, with fewer development and offshore wells (both exploration and development) drilled. Offshore appraisal drilling in the Gippsland and Carnarvon basins proved discouraging. Most new-field discoveries were made in the onshore Eromanga/Cooper basin and, once again, an encouraging spread of shallow Eromanga accumulations provided incentive to move away from established areas of production. Geophysical coverage was higher in 1985 than in 1984, substantially so in the offshore basins. The Mereenie-Alice Springs oil pipeline came on-stream in 1985, and construction began on the Amadeus basin-Darwin gas pipeline. Higher production rates brought Australia to a level of self-sufficiency for the first time, with hydrocarbon exports of 145,000 b/d and imports of 140,000 b/d. Gippsland basin fields reached a new 1-day peak (538,680 bbl) and averaged 474,000 BOPD for the year, contributing 90% of the nation's production. Thus, a greater proportion came from other fields than previously, with Queensland production surpassing Western Australia's for the first time since Barrow Island field came on-stream in 1967. 13 figures, 4 tables.

• Research Organization: A.W. Lindner and Associates Pty. Ltd., Thornleigh, Australia
• OSTI ID: 6982956
• Journal Information: Am. Assoc. Pet. Geol., Bull.; (United States), Journal Name: Am. Assoc. Pet. Geol., Bull.; (United States) Vol. 70:10; ISSN AAPGB
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

02 PETROLEUM
020200 -- Petroleum-- Reserves
Geology
& Exploration
020300* -- Petroleum-- Drilling & Production
03 NATURAL GAS
030200 -- Natural Gas-- Reserves
Geology
& Exploration
030300 -- Natural Gas-- Drilling
Production
& Processing
AUSTRALASIA
AUSTRALIA
DRILLING
ENERGY SOURCES
EXPLORATION
EXPLORATORY WELLS
FLUIDS
FOSSIL FUELS
FUEL GAS
FUELS
GAS FUELS
GASES
GEOLOGIC STRUCTURES
INDUSTRY
NATURAL GAS
NATURAL GAS INDUSTRY
NATURAL GAS WELLS
OIL WELLS
PETROLEUM
PETROLEUM INDUSTRY
PRODUCTION
SEDIMENTARY BASINS
WELL DRILLING
WELLS