Santos has announced that its Barossa LNG development is now more than 98 percent complete, placing the project on the threshold of first gas and marking a significant milestone for Australia’s energy industry. With the Darwin LNG plant already entering its Ready for Start-Up (RFSU) phase, the delivery of gas from the offshore BW Opal FPSO is expected imminently.

A major offshore development

The Barossa gas field lies approximately 300 kilometres north of Darwin and has been developed to replace declining reserves from the Bayu-Undan field. At the heart of the project is the BW Opal, a floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) vessel constructed by BW Offshore with topside integration by Seatrium. The FPSO will process natural gas from up to six production wells, five of which have already been completed before exporting it via a 262-kilometre pipeline to the Darwin LNG facility.

Subsea installations, including manifolds and tie-ins, as well as the pipeline system, have been delivered and installed with the support of specialist contractors such as Allseas. These offshore works are now in the final stages of commissioning.

Darwin LNG: preparing for a new era

The Darwin LNG plant, located at Wickham Point in the Northern Territory, is a single-train facility with a nameplate capacity of 3.7 million tonnes of LNG per year. Since its commissioning in 2006, it has been a cornerstone of Australia’s LNG export industry, processing gas from the Bayu-Undan field in the Timor Sea.

With Bayu-Undan production ending in 2023, the future of Darwin LNG has been tied to the arrival of Barossa gas. To prepare for this transition, Santos has executed a comprehensive Life Extension (DLE) program. This initiative is aimed at keeping the plant operational for at least another two decades, ensuring continuity of exports and safeguarding the economic contribution the facility makes to the Northern Territory.

The program has included:

• Replacement of aging systems and critical infrastructure such as compressors, turbines, and control systems.

• Maintenance and remediation work on tanks, piping, and process equipment to meet modern safety and reliability standards.

• Pipeline duplication and tie-ins to connect the Barossa field to the existing onshore infrastructure.

• Workforce expansion during peak construction, creating jobs for local contractors and suppliers across the Northern Territory.

Contractors such as_ UGL, Worley, NACAP, and KAEFER Integrated Service_s have been instrumental in delivering these works. Their contributions have ranged from brownfield construction and engineering to mechanical maintenance, scaffolding, insulation, and coatings. Together, they have enabled the plant to reach RFSU status, confirming it is technically ready to begin receiving and processing gas.

A national energy milestone

The Barossa project is operated by Santos, with partners SK E&S and JERA Co. Its successful delivery will not only sustain LNG exports from Darwin but also reinforce Australia’s role as one of the world’s leading suppliers of liquefied natural gas. First gas is expected in the coming weeks, positioning the project to provide long-term energy security and economic benefits for the Northern Territory and beyond.

By aligning the completion of offshore and onshore infrastructure, Santos and its contractors are bringing one of Australia’s most important LNG developments to fruition. The imminent start of production at Barossa represents a new phase for Darwin LNG and a key milestone in the nation’s energy future.