Carnarvon gears up for Buffalo drilling
Firm will drill first well offshore Timor-Leste in the second half of this year
Australian independent Carnarvon Petroleum is preparing to drill its first well offshore Timor-Leste following the acquisition of a 50pc stake in the Buffalo field redevelopment by UK-headquartered Advance Energy. In return, Advance will fund drilling of the Buffalo-10 well for up to $20mn on a free-carry basis. The two companies aim to bring Buffalo, which lies in the prolific North West Shelf (NWS) oil and gas region, back onstream nearly 20 years after it was decommissioned. Australia’s BHP and Canada’s Nexen—since acquired by Chinese NOC Cnooc—originally operated Buffalo but took it offline in 2004 after production fell from a peak of 45,000bl/d to 4,000bl/d. 40,000bl/d – Level to
Also in this section
10 March 2026
From Venezuela to Hormuz, the US—backed by the most powerful military force ever assembled—is redrawing not only oil and gas flows but also the global balance of energy power
10 March 2026
By shutting the Strait of Hormuz, Iran has cut exports of distillate-rich Middle Eastern crude, jet fuel and diesel, and is holding the energy market hostage
10 March 2026
Eni’s director for global gas and LNG portfolio, Cristian Signoretto, discusses how demand will respond to rising LNG supply, and how the company is expanding its own gas and LNG operations through disciplined, capital-efficient investments
9 March 2026
Petroleum Economist analysis sees increases in output from Saudi Arabia, Venezuela and Kazakhstan among others before region’s murky descent






