Shell announces a 'significant' gas and condensate discovery in the Browse Basin off the North West Coast of Western Australia.

Shell Australia has announced a “significant” gas and condensate discovery in the Browse Basin off the North West Coast of Western Australia.

The find was made through the Bratwurst-1 exploration well, which was said to be successfully concluded after a 78-day campaign. The discovery is located 99 miles north east of the Shell operated Prelude FLNG facility and presents an opportunity for a future tie-back to Prelude, according to Shell.

No figures were released in connection with the discovery, but it was said to support Shell’s growth plans for “more and cleaner energy, with LNG being the predominant focus for Shell in Australia”.

“Gas is a core component of our strategy to provide more and cleaner energy solutions” Zoe Yujnovich, executive vice president of Shell Australia, said in a company statement.

“Today’s [Friday, December 20] announcement shows how, through exploration, we are building a strong pipeline of discoveries to support our assets in Western Australia,” Yujnovich added.

Shell has had a presence in Australia since 1901, according to its website, which states that Shell Australia has a record of investing in large projects.

In October this year, Shell’s QGC business announced that the 500th cargo of LNG had sailed from its LNG plant on Curtis Island, Queensland. In June, Shell revealed that the first shipment of LNG had sailed from its Prelude FLNG facility located 295 miles North East of Broome in Western Australia.

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