Offshore gas exploration: Company pushes ahead with survey off Central Coast
The possibility of a gas field off the Central Coast has been raised again with one company’s surveys revealing promising reserves which will now be investigated further.
Central Coast
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The possibility of offshore gas drilling along the NSW coast has been raised again with news that MEC Resources intends to push ahead with its so called PEP11 project.
The company did three days of 2D surveying along 200km of coastline between Sydney and Newcastle in the first half of last year over an area known as “the baleen prospect” which is understood to have given promising results.
This proposal could now become an election issue after the NSW Greens jumped on the plan calling for the NSW government to rule out any gas fields in the area.
NSW Greens Marine Spokesman Justin Field said MEC Resources released a shareholder statement around New Year providing the 2D seismic survey results which showed the project ‘remains highly prospective’.
“Alarmingly, the results from the 2D seismic survey found additional gas resources to what was originally anticipated,” Mr Field said.
“The statement concluded that the project is on track for more testing, with the proposal for 3D seismic testing to be released before the end of March this year,” he said.
NSW Greens Marine spokesman Justin Field said the government’s “benign objection” to gas drilling in the past had been largely ignored by MEC.
“The lack of action by the NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian shows that the NSW Government is prepared to stand quietly by while Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Federal Resources Minister Matt Canavan turn the NSW Coastline into a gas field,” Mr Field said.
“The NSW community expects action from the state Government to protect the marine environment, commercial and recreational fisheries and the valuable tourism assets that are NSW’s beaches and coastal areas.
If Premier Berejiklian is genuine in her opposition to the project she would take up the issue with her federal colleagues and make a public statement that no infrastructure for the project will be allowed on NSW land.
The latest resources exploration concerns come after NSW Minister for Resources Don Harwin last year ruled out coal seam gas exploration in the region.
Mr Harwin revealed in September that the government would buy back a petroleum exploration licence over 15,000 hectares of land around Wyee, Budgewoi and Swansea.