LNG

Santos, the Australian LNG operator and owner of assets in Papua New Guinea, said it would continue to work through land access, native title, pipeline licensing and the environmental approvals processes to get Narrabri Gas volumes and the Hunter Gas Pipeline ready for a final investment decision and to provide supplies for the East Coast of Australia.

The Narrabri Gas Project is 100 percent committed to the domestic market and could supply up to 50 percent of the natural gas needs of New South Wales.

Santos has maintained that gas produced close to market will always have a cost advantage over gas imported from Western Australia or from overseas and would help to put downward pressure on domestic gas and energy prices for NSW customers.

Gladstone LNG plant operator Santos, based in Adelaide, is developing its own domestic gas volumes called the Narrabri project in NSW and which would supply the largest Australian city Sydney.

The Narrabri project is a coal-seam gas venture located near the state border between Queensland and NSW.

The venture is based on developing the CSG in the northwest of NSW with up to 850 wells and which Santos has always pointed out would be much less expensive than gas from anywhere else.

LNG interests

Santos also operates the Darwin LNG in the Northern Territory of Australia. It additionally has stakes in the Papua New Guinea LNG export plant operated by US major ExxonMobil Corp. and in the expansion project called Papua LNG.

“Santos notes the decision by the Full Federal Court to allow the appeal against the determination by the National Native Title Tribunal that proposed future acts, being the grants of Petroleum Production Lease Application Numbers 13, 14, 15 and 16 for the Narrabri Gas Project, may be done,” said Santos.

“The Court has determined the National Native Title Tribunal erred at law by declining to have regard to evidence on climate impacts that was tendered on behalf of the Gomeroi applicant,” it added.

“The Court did not make any findings in relation to Santos’ conduct. Santos has at all times negotiated with the Gomeroi people in good faith,” it stated.

Santos the attempted to explain that the Court’s orders regarding next steps are yet to be made.

“Santos will continue to engage constructively with the Gomeroi people and work closely with them to ensure their heritage is protected,” the company said.

Santos also hopes that they benefit from the project development, including through training and employment, and involvement in all aspects of cultural heritage protection and management.

While gas is going to be required for decades to come in Europe, the Asia-Pacific region and North Asia, corporate investment in more supply is the only way to ensure reliability and affordability of energy while making the system cleaner.