More of the Great Australian Bight has been opened up to exploration by oil and gas companies

MORE of the Great Australian Bight has today been opened up for oil and gas exploration, in a move that will incense opponents to projects already planned for the sensitive region.

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MORE of the Great Australian Bight has today been opened up for oil and gas exploration in a move which will incense opponents to projects already planned for the sensitive region.

Federal Minister for Resources Matthew Canavan this morning said that one extra block, in the far west of the Great Australian Bight, would be released for bidding by oil and gas companies to explore.

The block, which is about 190km off the coast and 820km from Adelaide, is in “shallow to ultra-deep water depths, (of about) 150—4000m’’ with “multiple potential oil- and gas-prone source rocks’’.

Mr Canavan made the announcement at Australia’s largest oil and gas conference, APPEA 2018, where protesters opposed to Statoil’s plans to drill for oil in The Bight staged a mock oil spill.

Protesters at the APPEA oil conference in Adelaide today.

Wilderness Society South Australia Director Peter Owen said: “The Great Australian Bight is a natural marvel that should never be threatened by the highly risky business of ultra-deep sea oil drilling, as we saw in the Deepwater Horizon disaster in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010.

“The Bight is a haven for 36 species of whales and dolphins, including the world’s most important nursery for the endangered southern right whale.

“The Bight is Australia’s most important sea lion nursery and supports seals, orcas, giant cuttlefish, great white sharks and some of Australia’s most important fisheries. The community opposition will continue only to grow.”

Minister Canavan told the opening session of the APPEA conference that fossil fuels were vital to Australia’s future energy needs, as he announced the 2018 release of 21 areas located across six basins.

“Offshore oil and gas exploration is vital to meeting Australia’s future energy needs,’’ he said.

“The annual Offshore Petroleum Exploration Acreage Release is a key part of our plan to promote investment in new offshore exploration.”

Mr Canavan also said the Government was now consulting on how to reform the acreage release program for future years.

“The proposed reform will make future acreage releases more responsive to market demand, improve transparency of consultation processes, and simplify bidding rounds,” he said.

The 2018 Acreage Release is available at www.petroleum-acreage.gov.au

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