Santos Kevin Gallagher made clear in an investor call that the company will not actively advance the controversial Narrabri gas project in northwestern New South Wales for now. According to the Guardian, Gallagher said the company will not “spend capital or exert effort on that path” while required approvals are pending. Instead, Santos is prioritizing exploration in the Beetaloo Basin in the Northern Territory, where it is pursuing an expansion drive.
Gallagher said a strategic review found that Santos reserves in eastern Queensland and the Browse Basin off Western Australia should be “downgraded.” The Narrabri project will undergo “further review” only in 2027, after the Beetaloo reserve assessment is complete. Opponents of the Narrabri project are urging Santos to finally abandon it. “They should finally pull the plug and stop stringing everybody along,” a spokesperson for environmental group Lock the Gate Alliance told the Guardian.
The Narrabri project has been the subject of fierce controversy for years. Environmentalists and residents criticize the planned development of coal seam gas due to potential groundwater contamination and greenhouse gas emissions. New South Wales government approved the project in 2020 with conditions, but several regulatory approvals are still missing. Santos had originally planned to drill up to 850 gas wells in Narrabri to supply eastern Australia’s gas market.
Source: www.theguardian.com
