WA outages hit Santos output

The impact of outages on Santos’s production has been revealed, with output in Western Australia down 20 per cent in the December quarter.

The company's John Brookes platform has been out of action since November, slowing production at the key Varanus Island domestic gas facility.

The Adelaide-based business has also suffered problems at its Devil’s Creek plant.

Santos produced 6.8 million barrels of oil equivalent in WA in the quarter, down 20 per cent on the same period in 2021, markets were told in its latest quarterly.

Santos said John Brookes would be back online in late January or early February, while the repair works for that platform would also lead to delays at the Spartan development.

But oil production in the state was higher than the previous quarter, partly driven by the start of production at the Pyrenees infill program.

Santos was also hit by a shock court decision last year to overturn approvals for drilling at its Barossa project.

Barossa was 55 per cent complete, Santos said, although drilling had been suspended.

“Santos is now proceeding with applications for all remaining approvals in accordance with the guidance provided by the court,” the company said. 

“The timing of the resumption of drilling activities on Barossa is uncertain and subject to regulatory approvals.”