Woodside Energy is continuing the decommissioning of the Griffin oil and gas field offshore Western Australia, with a notified activity window running from 16 to 29 October 2026, according to the National Offshore Petroleum Safety and Environmental Management Authority (NOPSEMA).

Located in production licence WA-10-L, approximately 65 km north-west of Onslow, the Griffin field lies in water depths of around 130 m. Its 12 former subsea oil production wells were permanently plugged in 2017, and associated subsea infrastructure was flushed of hydrocarbons.

Subsea infrastructure removal

Woodside’s accepted Griffin Decommissioning and Field Management Environment Plan covers the staged removal of subsea equipment, including wellheads, subsea trees, flexible production risers, flowlines, umbilicals and associated structures. The original plan identifies approximately 47 km of flexible production flowlines and 12 km of rigid production spools and flowlines within its scope.

The programme is being managed through separate environmental plans and regulatory approvals. The gas export pipeline and certain remaining field infrastructure are covered by separate approval arrangements.

Woodside reported significant progress during 2025, including completion of wellhead severance activities, following the recovery of the field’s riser turret mooring in 2024. The company also reported that more than 60 km of pipeline, flexible flowlines and umbilicals had been recovered and transported to an onshore facility near Onslow for cleaning and preparation for recycling, reuse or disposal.

NOPSEMA lists the October 2026 activity dates based on notifications submitted by Woodside. The dates relate to the notified activity and should not be taken as the start of the overall decommissioning programme.

For more information visit: https://info.nopsema.gov.au/activities/15/show_public