Our approach

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Consultation Hub

As an operator of some of Australia’s oldest oil and gas fields, Esso Australia is committed to identifying and actively engaging key stakeholders on our upcoming projects and activities. Our ongoing consultation plays an essential role in how we align our approach and ensure the essential work that we are undertaking meets the community’s needs and expectations.

Fill out our Esso Consultation Questionnaire to help us better understand your consultation needs

Consultation on offshore petroleum activities

We are currently proposing several onshore and offshore activities in the Bass Strait and are working with the communities we operate in to find solutions that balance environmental impacts and benefits with the needs of the community and regulatory requirements.

Consultation provides an opportunity for people or organisations who may be affected by petroleum activities to raise concerns, including objections or claims, about the potential impacts of the activity, to seek information about how they may be affected, and how the Esso Australia intends to manage the activity to ensure the associated impacts are as low as reasonably practicable and are acceptable.

Information provided by relevant persons in consultation may also help Esso Australia better understand the values and sensitivities of the environment and inform the evaluation of the potential impacts and risks associated with the activity and how to manage them appropriately.

All offshore petroleum activities must have an Environment Plan (EP) accepted by the respective Commonwealth, State or Territory Regulator before they can take place.

Activities with an onshore component such as Carbon Capture and Storage or State Water Environment Plans may require additional regulatory approvals such as referrals, permits and licenses accepted by relevant regulators.

ExxonMobil must consult with relevant persons about those activities when preparing each regulatory submission.

You may be a relevant person if you or your organisation have functions, interests, or activities that may be affected by an offshore petroleum activity proposed under an environment plan being prepared or already underway under an environment plan being revised.

The terms ‘functions’ ‘interests’ and ‘activities’ should be read broadly. You do not have to have a legal or financial interest that may be affected by an offshore petroleum activity to be a relevant person.

Interests that may be affected can include things like cultural and spiritual connections to the sea or interests in the protection of specific marine species. However, to be a relevant person your interests should be more than a general interest in the environment and/or offshore petroleum activities.

These methods of relevant person identification, verification and assessment are also applied to onshore activities to ensure Esso is approaching its consultation processes in a consistent manner across all its regulatory submissions.

For more information on what defines a relevant person, please read this brochure from NOPSEMA

worker walking down steps on offshore platform

Decommissioning in the Bass Strait

We are currently managing the decline in Bass Strait oil and gas production by streamlining our operations, including decommissioning our non-producing offshore facilities.
Learn more about decommissioning
Turrum Phase 3 Drilling

Esso is planning to undertake a drilling campaign from the Marlin Complex (Marlin A and Marlin B) location in the Gippsland Basin off the Victorian coastline. This campaign will be completed during 2025 along with other jack-up rig activities.
Read the informational bulletin
Jack-up rig Well Plug and Abandonment

Esso Australia is planning to plug and abandon (P&A) 21 platform-based wells and five subsea wells in the Gippsland Basin, off the Victorian coastline.
Read the informational bulletin
Bass Strait State Waters Environment Plan

Esso Australia is reviewing and updating the Environmental Management Plan for petroleum activities in State waters, as required under the Victorian Offshore Petroleum and Greenhouse Gas Storage Act 2010.

Read the information bulletin.
Kipper Subsea Drilling

Esso is planning to undertake a subsea drilling campaign at the Kipper location in the Gippsland Basin off the Victorian coastline. This campaign was originally planned for 2020 and will now be completed during 2025 along with other jack-up rig activities.
Read the informational bulletin
Gippsland Basin Geophysical and Geotechnical Investigations Environment Plan

Esso is planning to continue to undertake geophysical and geotechnical (G&G) activities across multiple licence areas located within Commonwealth Waters in Bass Strait.

Read the information bulletin.
Bass Strait Non-Producing Environment Plan

Esso Australia is developing the Bass Strait Non-Producing Environment Plan to manage the environmental risks and impacts associated with non-producing infrastructure in the 'Cessation of Production' or 'Stasis Mode' stages. This Environment Plan will supersede the currently accepted Bass Strait Environment Plan.

Read the information bulletin
Bass Strait Producing Environment Plan

Esso Australia is developing the Bass Strait Producing Environment Plan to manage the environmental risks and impacts associated with the operation and maintenance of producing infrastructure. This Environment Plan will supersede the currently accepted Bass Strait Environment Plan.

Read the information bulletin
Campaign #1A: Umbilicals and flexibles removal

Esso is undertaking decommissioning activities, referred to as Campaign #1A. Esso proposes to remove approximately 47 kilometres of umbilicals and flexibles, along with associated ancillary subsea property such as umbilical termination assemblies and concrete stabilisation mattresses.

Read the information bulletin
Jack-Up Rig - Well Works - Barracouta

Esso Australia is planning to undertake well works, including Plug and Abandon and workover activities, on up to 10 platform-based wells at the Barracouta platform in the Gippsland Basin, off the Victorian coastline. This work will be undertaken in the first half of 2026.

Read the information bulletin.

Community Information Sessions

As operator of some of Australia’s oldest oil and gas fields, Esso Australia is committed to identifying and actively engaging key stakeholders on our upcoming projects and activities. Our ongoing consultation plays an essential role in how we align our approach and ensure the essential work that we are undertaking meets the community’s needs and expectations.

Upcoming Community Information Sessions to be held in the 4th quarter of 2025. Details to follow.