Regulator: Beetaloo gas could bail out the east coast
Territory gas could help bail out the east coast as a court has ordered activists to explain their actions around the Barossa project. Read the latest breaking gas news.
Northern Territory
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Two inquiries and a two-year fracking moratorium have held back the supply of Northern Territory gas to east coast markets.
A new Australian Competition Commission Report identified potential east coast gas shortages from 2027, the latest report forecasting supplies would expire at least a year ahead of the previously predicted.
The NT has two bountiful gas provinces within a 1000km radius: Santos’ rich Barossa gas project in the Timor Sea and the Beetaloo Basin near Elliott.
The ACCC report released Friday made a strong case for the development of the Beetaloo Basin and other untapped Australian gas provinces.
“Several large gas deposits are situated in the Narrabri, North Bowen, Galilee and Beetaloo basins,” the report said.
“The cumulative volumes of these deposits would be sufficient to meet east coast domestic demand into the long term but, to date, these basins largely remain disconnected from the east coast gas grid.
“For example, the Beetaloo Basin in the Northern Territory has largely untapped reserves and resources. If brought to market, these resources are sufficient to meet local NT demand and supply gas to the east coast.
“Pipeline projects also face regulatory delays comparable to that faced by gas producers and explorers, increasing the lead time for bringing new gas to market. For example, Santos’ Narrabri project reportedly faced lengthy court delays relating to the construction of the Hunter Gas Pipeline.”
The activists opposed to the Barossa gas project, whose conduct was condemned by a federal court judge in February, have suffered a further blow, with a court ordering them to handover communications with discredited academic witness, Michael O’Leary.
Federal Court judge Natalie Charlesworth ruled the Environmental Defenders Office must hand over communications it had with climate activist groups including the NT Environment Centre as Santos seeks damages for the 15-month delay constructing the connecting pipeline from Barossa to the Darwin LNG plant in Wickham Point.
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Originally published as Regulator: Beetaloo gas could bail out the east coast
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