Gas in the Norther Territory

Gas production by Fracking in the Beetaloo Basin

What is happening in the Northern Territory right now?

Gas, gas and MORE GAS!

There are growing concerns among those of us who want to reduce CO2 emissions from Australian sources, about the proposed fracking of the Beetaloo Basin in the Northern Territory (NT) for its fossil gas reserves. Note that the term "fossil gas" is a more accurate description than the commonly used term "natural gas".

The Guardian has published several articles highlighting key concerns about proposed fracking in the NT in recent weeks. On May 17, the article ''Darwin’s ‘sustainable’ Middle Arm development is key to huge fossil fuel projects, documents show'' notes that the Australian Government Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW) briefed the Minister for the Environment, Tanya Plibersek, shortly after taking office in May 2022 on the link between the Middle Arm Sustainable Development Precinct and the export of fracked gas production from the Beetaloo Basin. The Middle Arm project is receiving a substantial taxpayer subsidy on the basis that it is about the export of renewable energy products - clearly, fossil gas is NOT a renewable energy product!

The article followed a call by the NT MP for Lingiari, Marion Scrymgour, for a pause on Beetaloo Basin approvals over fracking risks. BCCAG wrote a letter to Minister Plibersek to urge that the Lingiari MP's call to pause approvals be heeded - see the link to our letter HERE.

Subsequent to this, on May 22 The Guardian published a follow-up article ''NT government accused of lying about meeting climate condition before it greenlit ‘carbon bomb’ Beetaloo fracking'', which concludes that the recommendations of the Pepper Inquiry are being ignored while the NT government falsely claims these recommendations have/are being implemented.   

The BCCAG committee is networking with other like-minded groups in the Melbourne area to brief and lobby both government and cross-bench federal MPs on the facts and to express our dismay that our government considers it okay to frack a large area of the NT. Apart from the gas developments in the Beetaloo Basin, there are the very high emissions that will result from the offshore Santos Barossa gas project that is also destined for processing at Middle Arm in Darwin.

It should be noted that despite a unified front, the government is far from united on the issue of fracking in the NT. We will be closely watching developments and will update BCCAG subscribers on significant news of these developments.