Cooper Completes Sole Project's Offshore Phase

Australian Cooper Energy March 18 said installation and testing of the 67 km control umbilical connecting the Sole gas field in Gippsland Basin with the Orbost gas plant has been completed.

“This milestone marks completion of the offshore construction phase of the Sole gas project, free of lost time injuries and within budget,” it said.

The only work remaining on the offshore project is repair of the damaged pipe section which is expected to commence in late April, Cooper said. The offshore project, which was 93% complete at end-February, is expected to be fully completed, ready and available to deliver gas to APA Group’s Orbost gas plant by end-May 2019.

Cooper, which holds 100% equity in the Sole gas field, is undertaking the A$355mn ($264mn) offshore development, while APA Group is conducting a A$250mn upgrade to the onshore Orbost gas processing plant to enable processing of gas from Sole.

Cooper said that work on the onshore element of the project to upgrade Orbost gas plant to process gas from Sole is well advanced. “APA are currently assessing the most likely plant completion date within the September quarter and working closely with Cooper Energy to confirm timing and ensure a safe and reliable start-up for the plant,” Cooper said.