ExxonMobil has provided a round up of its 2025 decommissioning activities off Australia’s Bass Strait, as well as plans for 2026.
Andy Hospodar, Senior Project Manager Australia Major Projects at Esso Australia Resources Pty Ltd, summarised the company’s current position in the ExxonMobil Decommissioning Progress Report 2025.
It includes a busy programme ahead for the coming year across key offshore assets.
“Esso is progressing the safe shutdown and decommissioning of the non-producing Bass Strait facilities in consultation with stakeholders,” said Hospodar.
“At the same time, Esso continues to safely operate offshore platforms and subsea facilities that still produce energy for the region.”
Esso Australia Resources owns and operates the following assets in Bass Strait: 421 wells; 19 platforms; six subsea facilities; and more than 800 kilometres of subsea pipeline.
These assets form part of the Gippsland Basin Joint Venture between Esso and Woodside Energy (Bass Strait) Pty Ltd (Woodside Energy) and the Kipper Unit Joint Venture (Esso, Woodside Energy, and Mitsui E&P Australia Pty Ltd).
Building on the momentum of 2024, Hospodar said that during 2025 Esso completed all well abandonments across all GD 817 listed wells, advanced facility preparation across multiple platforms and strengthened regulatory alignment through proactive Safety Case submissions and approvals.
“Decommissioning activities remain on track to meet key milestones,” he noted in the report, highlighting close engagement with official bodies such as the National Offshore Petroleum Safety and Environmental Management Authority (NOPSEMA).
More Safety Cases are expected to be submitted to NOPSEMA in early 2026, he added, including flushing activities and Stasis Mode transition of Fortescue, and a combined MPSV campaign and transition to Stasis Mode for Flounder, Mackerel and Kingfish A.
“Development of the combined Safety Case covering future MPSV campaigns and transition to Stasis Mode for Bream A is [also] ongoing with completion targeted for the first quarter of 2026,” noted Hospodar in the report.
The group’s forward planning timeline for decommissioning actives in the area stretches into the 2030s, with work spread across multiple fields.
