GB Energy is advancing the Golden Beach gas field development in Victoria’s offshore Gippsland Basin – a landmark energy storage project set to deliver vital dispatchable energy and supply flexibility to Australia’s East Coast domestic gas market. Positioned beside the Longford Gas Hub, Golden Beach will help stabilise the market and strengthen reliability through the energy transition. First discovered in 1967 (GB-1A), the field has been progressively de-risked, with a modern 3D seismic survey in 2018 and new appraisal drilling in 2023 (GB-2). This comprehensive dataset, complemented by analogues from other Gippsland Basin fields, provides a robust foundation for understanding the reservoir and unlocking its full development potential. The project’s innovation is to operate the field as a seasonal storage facility before progressing to ultimate depletion. Unlike most storage projects globally, Golden Beach is purpose-designed from a reservoir that has not been depleted, allowing for an optimised design that ensures reliable deliverability during periods of peak demand. This paper outlines the field development pathway – beginning with gas production, transitioning into a seasonal storage facility, and ultimately progressing to final blowdown. Extensive modelling and scenario testing show the resilient development across a wide range of market and subsurface conditions, ensuring well deliverability during peak seasonal demand. A carefully designed drilling and completion strategy, focused on reliability and flexibility, adds further confidence to project outcomes. Golden Beach is more than a robust technical development. It is critical energy infrastructure that safeguards supply, provides flexibility, and underpins a smooth and orderly transition for Australia’s energy market.
Bagheri et al. (Wed,) studied this question.
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