ExxonMobil – one of the country’s largest producers of domestic gas – said it expects the number of wells it operates in the Bass Strait to almost halve by winter 2024, confirming the risk of a gas shortage on the east coast.

In a warning that will heighten concern about possible electricity rationing, David Berman, commercial director at ExxonMobil Australia, said the rundown in offshore supplies means the venture it runs with Woodside Energy can no longer be relied on to cover for outages at other fields and power plants.