Santos said Sept. 27 it had been awarded new acreage on-trend with the Dorado discovery in the adjacent permit, offshore Western Australia, in a joint venture with BP Plc.

Santos will operate the new permit, WA-541-P, in the Northern Carnarvon Basin which lies to the west of the recent Dorado, Roc and Phoenix South hydrocarbon discoveries in the Bedout Sub-basin.

The southern portion of WA-541-P is directly adjacent to the proven Dorado structural-stratigraphic play trend, which is interpreted to extend into the new block.

Kevin Gallagher, Santos managing director and CEO, said Santos is committed to building its position as the leading producer of gas to the WA market.

“Santos is pleased to have been awarded this acreage on-trend with the Dorado discovery, a now proven world-class, liquids-rich petroleum system with high-quality reservoirs.

“We are excited at the opportunity to increase our exposure to this highly prospective region, leveraging our offshore operating expertise and building on the success of our 2019 drilling campaign to pursue further growth through our activities in Western Australia,” Gallagher added.

“We are proud to be the biggest producer of domestic gas in Western Australia, powering the industries that power Australia,” he said.

WA-541-P covers 6,964 sq km and is a 50-50 joint venture.