AWE and Origin’s Waitsia gas discovery is about 217 miles north of Perth, Western Australia. This picture shows the Pearce Air Base in Bullsbrook, some 21 miles north of Perth. Agence France-Presse/Getty Images PERTH, Australia—Australian energy company AWE Ltd. said Thursday it may have made the largest onshore natural-gas discovery in Western Australia for 50 years, in partnership with Origin Energy Ltd. The Waitsia field could contain more than one trillion cubic feet of natural gas, AWE said, following an initial analysis of the recently drilled Senecio-3 well. The assessment helped to send shares in Melbourne-based AWE up 14%. Australia has long been a hot spot for oil and gas exploration, and international companies including Chevron Corp. and Royal Dutch Shell PLC are investing billions to build export facilities following success with the drillbit in previous years. However, industry groups say interest has been flagging recently, especially offshore where […]