Santos and its partners are preparing to begin a new exploration drilling campaign in the Bedout sub-basin offshore Western Australia in April 2027, while development work continues on the Dorado oil project.
Junior partner Carnarvon Energy said the semi-submersible Transocean Equinox has been contracted for the 2027 drilling programme. The company announced the rig contract on 1 June 2026 as preparations continued for drilling in its Bedout exploration acreage.
Santos has separately outlined plans for three exploration wells in the Bedout Basin during 2027. Its May 2026 investor briefing said the wells would test oil and gas prospects in the northern part of the basin. The company reported 292 million boe of gross 2C resources across the Bedout Basin, including 213 million boe at Dorado and 34 million boe at Pavo.
Work is also continuing on the Dorado development. Carnarvon Energy said the joint venture completed pre-FEED for an optimised development concept during the financial year ended June 2025. The concept is based on an oil production rate of 60,000 bopd and could use a redeployed FPSO together with a conventional piled wellhead platform. The company said the development concept could deliver first oil around three years after FID.
Upstream reported on 5 October 2026 that junior partner Carnarvon Energy estimates Dorado could reach project sanction in 2028. However, Carnarvon Energy has not specified 2028 as the FID year in the publicly available September 2026 material reviewed for this article. Its latest project information states that the joint venture is reviewing the development timeline.
Dorado is being advanced as an oil development with potential for a later gas phase. The current concept provides for produced gas to be reinjected during the initial liquids development before being considered for subsequent production. Carnarvon Energy holds a 10% interest in Dorado, with operator Santos holding 80% and CPC Corporation the remaining 10%.
The 2027 drilling campaign will add to exploration activity across the Bedout Basin as the partners continue work on both new prospects and the Dorado development.
