NOPSEMA is assessing a decommissioning plan submitted by Woodside for subsea infrastructure no longer required for production from the Echo Yodel field located in the Dampier Sub-Basin in permit WA-23-L.
The plan, which was was submitted on April 17, make provision for Woodside to permanently plug for abandonment purposes the Yodel-3 and Yodel-4 production wells and the Capella 1 exploration well via the deployment of a mobile offshore drilling unit.
Plugging for the three wells is expected to take about 20 to 60 days per well to. If performed as a single campaign, the cumulative duration could be up to 180 days, which includes mobilisation and demobilisation.
Woodside said the plan was to leave the Echo Yodel subsea infrastructure in-situ permanently to provide a hard substrate to maintain the marine growth and habitat that currently supports local ecological functions. This includes the Yodel-3 and Yodel-4 Xmas trees, pipeline, umbilicals, infield umbilical termination basket, umbilical termination assemblies and the pig launcher.
The proposed petroleum activities program is scheduled to occur between the first quarter of 2021 and fourth quarter of 2023.
Woodside said the decommissioning activities would not interfere with any current or proposed marine protected areas and that the closes sensitive habitats was the boundary of the Montebello Australian Marine Park, located about 24 kilometres to the south.
