ConocoPhillips Australia – COPA which is a subsidiary of ConocoPhillips, the U.S.-headquartered energy giant has gone ahead and kicked off the drilling activities off Australia coast in a well located in the Otway Basin, having a semi-submersible rig that is owned by an offshore drilling player named Transocean.
After the Transocean Equinox, a Transocean semi-submersible drilling rig, which apparently was booked in order to search for more gas offshore Australia, there was a discovery that was made at the Essington-1 exploration well in the VIC/P79 exploration permit in November 2025. The rig spud the Charlemont-1 gas exploration well in the Otway Basin offshore Victoria on December 10, 2025.
The well that went on to intersect prominent gas shows almost 160 meters above the primary target – Waarre A in the Waarre C on December 25, 2025, as per 3D Energi, a ConocoPhillips partner and also a Melbourne-based oil and gas exploration player whose subsidiary, TDO, holds a 20% interest in both permits.
As pressures were thought to be higher at 2,552 meters than expected, drilling activities off Australia coast went on to be temporarily paused in order to assess the potential alterations to the well design, including alternatives to go ahead and continue to drill to the primary target.
The partner claims of the operator that the pre-drill evaluation of the Charlemont-1 prospect did not expect intersecting gas at such a shallower level. Due to this, the activities are at present underway to evaluate the potential adjustments to the well design in order to enable drilling to the primary target, which is the Waarre A.
ConocoPhillips Australia, notably, is the operator, having a 51% stake, with partners like 3D Energi as well as Korea National Oil Company holding the other 20% and 29% interests, respectively.
