New application for gas drilling off the coast between Newcastle and Manly
Environmentalists have slammed plans by an energy company to drill for gas off the NSW coast this year. The controversial application was lodged this week.
Manly
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An energy company has submitted a controversial application to drill for gas off the NSW coast.
The announcement was made on the Australian Stock Exchange on Tuesday by BHP Energy Ltd, the parent company of Advent Energy Ltd.
It revealed that Advent Energy Ltd had submitted an application to the National Offshore Petroleum Titles Administrator (NOPTA) to enable drilling in an area known as PEP11, which stretches from Newcastle to Manly.
The company wants to drill a well at Baleen, off the Central Coast.
The ASX statement said the application also sought to extend the current permit expiry date which is in March 2021 by two years.
The statement said PEP 11 — which covers 4,576 sqkm of the offshore Sydney Basin — is “immediately adjacent to the largest gas market in Australia and is a high impact exploration project”.
“PEP 11 remains one of the most significant untested gas plays in Australia,” it said.
The news is a grave disappointment for environmentalists who were last week celebrating after learning plans for seismic testing had been dropped. But they had also voiced fears drilling could still be on the cards.
Natasha Deen of Save Our Coast, said plans to drill could see rigs off our favourite beaches.
“In the wake of catastrophic, unprecedented bushfires, that have resulted in tragic loss of life, devastated communities, and decimated wildlife and habitat, to be allowing drilling for gas off our coast in this climate emergency is incomprehensible,” she said.
“PEP 11 is 4,500 sqkm of ocean from Newcastle to Manly in some places 5.5km to shore, and this plan could see rigs off our favourite beaches, risking devastation of the NSW coastal environment, and risking not just marine life and coastal ecosystem, but our thriving tourism and fisheries industries and our way of life.”
“We need strong leadership (in renewable energy) to prevent further climate damage, not blasting and drilling for more fossil fuels that will devastate our local coastal environment and accelerate our path towards further climate damage.”
Environmental lawyer Kristyn Granville of the newly established Save Our Coast Northern Beaches group, said there was “a huge environmental risk from drilling for gas, from the potential for pollution incidents so close to home, through to the climate change impacts of methane as a greenhouse gas”.
She will lead a community action event to prevent offshore gas at Manly Town Hall on Sunday at 3pm.
Guest speakers will include MPs Zali Steggall and Abigail Boyd.
The Manly Daily attempted to contact Advent Energy and BPH Energy.
MEC Resources is the major shareholder of Advent Energy.
Director of MEC Resources Andrew Bald did not want to comment on the application.