Total has interests in fourteen permits offshore of the northwest coast of Australia (Map courtesy of Total).

On August 7, 2008, Total reported a gas discovery from the Mimia-1 exploration well on the WA-344P permit (Total 40%) in the Browse Basin offshore Australia.

Total E&P Australia and Inpex (operator, 60%) acquired the WA-344P exploration acreage in Nov. 2007 and completed the Mimia-1 well in July 2008. The well hit a 236-ft (72 m) gas column.

The Mimia-1 well was drilled in a water depth of 833 ft (254 m) 12 miles (20 km) northeast of the WA-285P (Inpex 76%,Total 24%), the site of the Ichthys gas-condensate field, which holds nearly 13 Tcf of recoverable gas and 530 million bbl of recoverable liquids.

Inpex and Total are preparing the development of the Ichthys field (for which production is planned for 2015) and are considering how the Mimia discovery could best be incorporated into this development.

In mid-May 2008, Total acquired 50% participation in two offshore permits in the Vulcan Basin (also on the northwest shelf of Australia), in partnership with operator Apache, and of one permit (operator,100%) in the Browse Basin, north of Ichthys.
Vulcan Basin permit AC/P 42 covers 743 sq mi (1,925 sq km). Permiat AC/P 43 covers 566 sq mi (1,465 sq km). The blocks are 186 miles (300 km) northeast of Ichthys and 186 miles offshore, in water depths ranging from 49 ft to 1,804 ft (15-550 m).

Total has been in partnership with Apache since 2007 in the AC/P37 license in Australia’s North West Shelf. The gropu operates the lower levels of this offshore license with an 80% interest, while Apache operates the upper levels.

The third license, WA-408P in the Browse Basin, is fully owned by Total. The block covers 654 sq mi (1,694 sq km) and lies 28 miles (45 km) north of Ichthys, in water depths ranging from 984 ft to 1,312 ft (300-400 m).

Last summer, Total acquired 100% interest in blocks WA-402P and WA-403P about 124 miles (200 km) offshore. WA-402P covers 1,988 sq mi (5,150 sq km), and WA-403P covers 2,195 sq mi (5,685 sq km) in a water depth of 328 ft (100 m). Exploration of the blocks was to begin this year.

Total farmed into another Browse Basin block last February, signing an agreement with Apache for 80% of block AC/P37, which lies 124 mi (200 km) offshore in 656 ft (200 m) water depth.

Total entered this area in 2006 and has been strengthening its presence for the last year and a half. The company has interest in fourteen permits offshore of the northwest coast, acting as operator on four of them.

Though Total is expanding its Australian interests, the company is not a participant in the largest resource development project in the region ─ Australia’s North West Shelf Venture (NWSV), operated by Woodside Energy Ltd. The NWSV is based on the Burrup Peninsula near Dampier in the Pilbara region of Western Australia.

This development includes enormous gas and condensate fields on the North West Shelf and supplies gas to the domestic market in Western Australia, LNG to Japan, and condensate, oil and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) to international markets.

The six equal partners in the NWSV include BP Developments Australia Ltd., Chevron Australia Pty. Ltd, Japan Australia LNG (MIMI) Pty. Ltd., Shell Development (Australia) Ltd., BHP Petroleum (North West Shelf) Pty. Ltd. and Woodside Energy Ltd.