Bayu Undan

Santos plans to transform the depleted Bayu-Undan gas field, located in the Timor Sea, into one of the world’s largest carbon capture and storage hubs. The project targets capturing up to 10 million tonnes of CO₂ per year, primarily from the nearby Barossa gas project and its high-CO₂ content gas. CO₂ will be captured at the Darwin LNG facility, then transported via the existing Bayu-Undan pipeline to the offshore reservoir for permanent injection. The initiative is expected to reach a Final Investment Decision (FID) in 2025, with CO₂ injections beginning around 2028. The project seeks to offset significant emissions from Barossa, enabling it to claim net-zero status from the outset. Despite its potential, the project faces substantial financial, regulatory, and cross-border challengesm ranging from engineering complexity and infrastructure repurposing to securing approvals from both Australian and Timor-Leste authorities.