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On 8 December 2011, Woodside and its North West Shelf partners approved Phase 1 of the Greater Western Flank (GWF), an offshore gas development covering the Goodwyn GH and Tidepole fields. The contemporaneous report put the investment at A$2.5 billion and forecast that the phase would come online in early 2016; that date was a forecast, not confirmation of when production actually began.
What the joint venture approved
The approval covered the first development phase in the broader Greater Western Flank area, offshore Western Australia. PerthNow reported the project cost as A$2.5 billion on 8 December 2011. That is the value reported at the time, not a current cost estimate.
The 2011 report named Goodwyn GH and Tidepole as the fields in Phase 1. BHP Billiton’s 2011 annual report describes the first phase, GWF A, as including Goodwyn GHA/B and Tidepole. The difference in the Goodwyn name reflects the terminology used in the two records.
Why Woodside said it was investing
Woodside chief executive Peter Coleman said the development was intended to maintain offshore supply to the Karratha Gas Plant and support the North West Shelf Project’s marketing of domestic gas and liquefied natural gas (LNG). He also said it would help maximise the value of existing infrastructure. The project was therefore planned as a development connected to an established offshore and onshore gas system, rather than as a standalone processing project.
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Who was involved, and what the historical share figure means
The 2011 approval report listed Woodside’s partners as BHP Billiton, BP, Chevron, Japan Australia LNG and Shell. BHP Billiton’s 2011 annual report identified Woodside as operator of GWF A with a 16.67% share at that time. That percentage is a historical interest in the phase and should not be read as a current ownership figure.
Woodside’s current North West Shelf project information lists Woodside, BP, Chevron, CNOOC, Japan Australia LNG and Shell as participants, and says Woodside has an aggregate 33.33% interest in most NWS joint ventures, with exceptions for CNOOC ventures. Those current project-level details are not a substitute for the specific 2011 GWF A interest.
What happened to the early-2016 schedule?
At approval, the phase was expected to come online in early 2016. The sources cited here do not establish the actual Phase 1 start-up date, so the announced schedule should not be presented as a verified production milestone.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How the 2025 Greater Western Flank decision differs
Greater Western Flank activity continued after the original Phase 1 approval. Woodside’s 2025 annual report says participants reached a final investment decision on GWF 4 in 2025. That later development is a five-well subsea tieback to existing North West Shelf infrastructure, with production via the Karratha Gas Plant. It is a separate later phase, not a new description of the fields or scope approved in 2011.
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Sources
- PerthNow, 8 December 2011 — approval, reported investment, partners, fields, rationale and schedule forecast.
- BHP Billiton Annual Report 2011 — GWF A description, field naming and historical Woodside operator interest.
- Woodside North West Shelf Project — current project description and participant information.
- Woodside Energy Annual Report 2025 — NWS configuration and the separate GWF 4 decision.
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