Gobe Fields

The Gobe fields in Papua New Guinea (PNG) have formed an essential part of the country’s energy landscape, with oil exports beginning in 1992. These mature oil fields have transitioned into gas fields in recent years, contributing to the PNG liquefied natural gas (LNG) project.

Oil Search (now Santos) proactively initiated decommissioning planning for the Gobe field operations in 2017. RESL has been involved in every step of the decommissioning journey, from strategic planning to more detailed engineering.

This is the first decommissioning project for any oil and gas installation in PNG. Strategic considerations included the remote location and associated logistics challenges and ensuring the end state was appropriate for the local conditions and meets customary landowners’ requirement.

Oil Search selected us for decommissioning in PNG’s Gobe rainforest following a personal recommendation, underscoring our renowned expertise. Our consistent performance cemented an enduring partnership marked by trust and successive project collaborations.

Here is RESL’s journey for this project:

• 2017: Oil Search requested that we do a strategic risk assessment, which led to our being asked to produce an AACE class 5 cost estimate
• 2018: We undertook a comparative assessment process and upgraded the estimate to an AACE class 4 estimate
• 2021: We verified the previous work using revised governance frameworks, lidar scans, and 3D models where physical access was impossible

Following our cost estimates, RESL was appointed the owner engineer to oversee the technical aspects of the FEED planning for the Gobe field. This included performing part of the FEED work for the decommissioning phase and providing critical inputs on technical HSE and risk work undertaken during the FEED.

Our consistent performance with the Gobe field decommissioning project cemented an enduring partnership, where Oil Search selected us for additional work on the surrounding fields.