Oil and gas exploration in the Great Australian Bight is on the cards again

A FEDERAL Government proposal to release another oil and gas exploration block in the Great Australian Bight has drawn condemnation from the Wilderness Society, which says the remote area is “entirely inappropriate’’ for petroleum projects.

A FEDERAL Government proposal to release another oil and gas exploration block in the Great Australian Bight has drawn condemnation from the Wilderness Society, which says the remote area is “entirely inappropriate’’ for petroleum projects.

The Government has released a list of 21 areas it is considering opening up for bids from oil and gas explorers next year.

But Wilderness Society South Australia director Peter Owen says BP and Chevron had turned their back on their exploration plans in the region and other companies should do the same.

In 2016 BP scrapped a $1.4 plan to drill in The Bight, with Chevron also pulling out in October this year from a separate project.

The new offshore drilling acreage would be to the west of these stalled project areas, near the Western Australian border.

“We’ve been saying for a long time now that The Bight is a completely inappropriate place to expand the fossil fuel industry, it’s very rough, it’s very remote, it’s very deep,’’ Mr Owen said.

“We know from BP’s modelling that if something goes wrong out here there’s very little we can do.

“We shouldn’t be pushing to expand the fossil fuels industry anyway. If anything w should be transitioning away from the existing fossil fuel operations. not looking to expand new ones.’’

Minister for Resources Matt Canavan invited comments from aquatic industries and others with an interest in offshore Australian waters as part of the process.

“New exploration for offshore oil and gas is a vital first step to enabling the next wave of investment in the Australian resources sector, and the prospect of new oil, gas and condensate production,” he said.

“Investment in new permit areas is crucial to maintaining a pipeline of future developments and to strengthen our long-term energy security. The annual acreage release is a major part of the Australian Government’s efforts to attract this exploration investment.

“The 2016 acreage release secured significant investment, with the Australian Government’s award of eight new offshore petroleum exploration permits in 2017 potentially resulting in $359 million in oil and gas exploration investment over the next six years.”

Consultation on the new acreage areas remains open until February 7.

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