Bonaparte CCS Project Awarded Major Project Status
July 3, 2025
The Bonaparte CCS project has been awarded Major Project Status by the Australian Government. It is the first offshore carbon capture and storage (CCS) project to receive the status in Australia.
The Bonaparte CCS Assessment Joint Venture is operated by Inpex subsidiary Inpex Browse E&P (53%) and also involves TotalEnergies CCS Australia (26%) and Woodside Energy (21%).
The awarding highlights the project’s recognized potential to support a lower carbon future as well as reflecting the Australian government’s acknowledgment of the project’s strategic importance in achieving Australia’s net zero goals.
Appraisal works in 2024 confirmed a high-quality saline aquifer reservoir suitable for safe and permanent carbon storage in the Bonaparte Basin, approximately 250 kilometers offshore Darwin in the Northern Territory of Australia.
Inpex considers the project has potential to be one of the largest commercial CCS projects in the world, and it could substantially contribute to decarbonizing northern Australia and the Asia-Pacific region.
The Joint Venture intends to transport and store carbon dioxide (CO2) safely and permanently in the Bonaparte Basin, which has a potential carbon storage capacity of more than 10 million tons per year.
The Joint Venture commenced preliminary front-end engineering design (FEED) work in April 2025 and plans to commence CO2 injection around 2030. The Joint Venture is also now conducting detailed analysis of the reservoir appraisal data, to support a Declaration of Identified GHG Storage Formation application in advance of obtaining a greenhouse gas injection license.
Australian Energy Producers Chief Executive Samantha McCulloch said Industry and Innovation Minister Tim Ayres’ announcement was welcome recognition of the essential role of CCS in driving large-scale emissions reductions in Australia and the region.
“Australia has a comparative advantage in CCS, with world class geology, industry experience and strong links with regional trading partners looking to collaborate on CCS.”
Australia already hosts two of the world’s largest operational CCS projects, Chevron’s Gorgon and Santos–Beach Energy’s Moomba projects, which together store the equivalent of taking one million cars off the road every year.
According to a Net Zero Australia study, Australia will need between two and 20 Moomba-scale CCS projects to be built each year between now and 2050 to reach net zero.
Australian Energy Producers NT Director David Slama said the announcement is a major win for the Territory. “This proposed project has the potential to be a game-changer for the Northern Territory, bringing new jobs, investment and emissions reduction opportunities,” Slama said. “It underscores the importance of the oil and gas industry to the Territory’s long-term economic growth and energy security.”
