Santos Offshore Pty Ltd was awarded exploration permit WA-540-P, located in the Roebuck Basin, on 6 June 2019.Â  The permit has been awarded for a period of six years and will expire, or be eligible for renewal, on 5 June 2025.  The block was awarded after being offered as block W17-4 in a re-release of acreage in the 2018 Offshore Federal Acreage Release.  Work commitments have been assigned for the duration of the permitâs validity and include the acquisition or licencing of 965 km 2D and 1,000 sq km 3D seismic in years one to three, geological and geophysical studies, to include well planning, in year four, the drilling of an exploration well in year five (between June 2023 and June 2024) and further geological and geophysical studies in the final year, to include post-well studies.  There are no existing wells with the permit area. It lies directly north, and adjacent to, Santosâ other four Roebuck permits that it acquired in its takeover of Quadrant Energy and in which the Dorado discovery lies.  WA-540-P, which covers an area of 6,359 sq km, was awarded on 6 June 2019.Â  Santos Offshore Pty Ltd holds 100% interest and operatorship of the permit.
Santos was awarded WA-540-P, NE of Dorado field area (6359kmÂ²), awarded for 6 years, formely W17-4.