ExxonMobil Starts Drilling off Australia with Valaris Jack-Up Rig

Valaris 107 rig (Credit: ExxonMobil Australia and New Zealand)

Esso Australia, ExxonMobil’s Australian subsidiary, has started drilling for the nearly $200 million Kipper 1B project, which will bring online much-needed additional gas supply from the Gippsland Basin.

The project is using Valaris’ VALARIS 107 jack-up rig to drill and install one subsea well in the Kipper field and will involve significant upgrades to the West Tuna platform.

Kipper 1B will deliver crucial gas supplies to the Australian domestic market before winter 2026, with Gippsland gas set to continue powering Australian homes and business into the next decade.

“Projects like Kipper 1B are vital to help meet the country’s energy security needs by bringing new supply exclusively for Australia’s domestic market,” said Simon Younger, ExxonMobil Australia Chair.

Kipper 1B follows the successful completion of the Kipper Compression Project, and the West Barracouta project that came online in 2021.

Esso operates assets in Bass Strait that form part of the Gippsland Basin joint venture between Esso and Woodside, and the Kipper Unit Joint Venture, with Esso, Woodside, and Mitsui as partners.