Barossa Gas Project
The Barossa Gas Project is a proposed gas field in the Timor Sea situated in Australian waters around 300 km (190 mi) north of Darwin.
It is intended to take over from Bayu-Undan field after its reserves are exhausted, supplying LNG to the Darwin facility via a new pipeline which, for part of its length, runs parallel to the existing Bayu-Undan to Darwin Pipeline.[1] Condensate oil will also be extracted.[2] Worth A$4.7 billion, the project was approved in 2021, with gas production expected to commence in 2025. The project is expected to create about 600 jobs during construction and 350 ongoing jobs in Darwin over the following 20 years.[3]
Emissions
The project has been criticised for its future carbon emissions. If developed, Barossa would become the most carbon-intensive gas development in Australia,[4] due to the high concentration of CO2 in Barossa's gas of about 18 per cent.[5] It has been estimated that as much as 1.5 tonnes of CO2 could be produced for every tonne of LNG.[6] A 2021 report using the Darwin LNG project as a case study suggested that emissions could be greatly reduced by the use of solar power by using Sun Cable's Australia-Asia Power Link[4] but the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA) described the project as an “emissions factory with a gas by-product”,[7] saying that even if it employed carbon capture and storage, the project would continue to release financially risky carbon dioxide emissions at the site, onshore and across the whole supply chain.[8]
Legal cases
Tipakalippa case
In June 2022, traditional owners of the Tiwi Islands filed a lawsuit against Santos and the federal government, who they said had not properly consulted them. Munupi Senior Lawman and Tiwi Traditional Owner Dennis Tipakalippa also argued that NOPSEMA, the federal offshore gas regulator, should not have approved Santos’ plans to drill the Barossa gas field due to the Santos' inadequate consultation.[9] The traditional Owners are concerned about the effect on the nesting areas of flatback and olive ridley turtles, which provide one of the Aboriginal people's traditional food sources. Four federal government marine parks, including Ashmore Reef, are also in the vicinity. Santos has submitted an environmental impact plan, which includes the potential impact of an oil spill, and its plans for cleanup should one occur.[3] In September 2022 Judge Mordecai Bromberg found that NOPSEMA was "not lawfully satisfied that consultation had occurred", dismissing Santos’ environmental plan, thus invalidating its approvals for drilling. As a result Santos had to disconnect its drilling rig from the sea north of Melville Island and leave the Barossa field by 6 October 2022.[10] In December Santos lost an appeal.[11][12] In January 2023 NOPSEMA ordered Santos to stop construction on their pipeline to enable a cultural heritage survey to be done.[13] Despite no direct involvement in the case, in April 2024 Sunrise, Jubilee Australia and the NT Environment Centre were ordered to hand over documents, to determine whether Santos will also pursue costs for the lawsuit carried out by the EDO on behalf of Tiwi Island traditional owners, which has been critiqued by human rights groups.[14]
South Korean case
A March 2022 legal challenge by leaders of the Larrakia and Jikilaruwu Tiwi Islands clan targeted the South Korean state-owned Export-Import Bank of Korea and the Korea Trade Insurance Corporation. An injunction application attempted to stop the Export-Import Bank of Korea (KEXIM) and the Korea Trade Group (K-Sure) from providing loans and guarantees of up to A$700 million for the project.[15] They hoped to prevent Santos from building the gas pipeline near Cape Fourcroy, a habitat for many marine species, and a place where many Aboriginal people hunt, live, and camp.[16] However the case failed in the Seoul District Court.[17]
References
- ^ "Darwin Pipeline Duplication (DPD) Project NT EPA Referral" (PDF). Northern Territory Environment Protection Authority (NT EPA). Retrieved 2021-12-08.
- ^ Richardson, Nathan (30 March 2021). "Australia's Santos takes FID on Darwin LNG Barossa backfill project". S&P Global Commodity Insights. Retrieved 7 June 2022.
- ^ a b Bardon, Jane (7 June 2022). "Tiwi traditional owners launch Federal Court action to try to stop Santos Barossa gas field". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 7 June 2022.
- ^ a b Vorrath, Sophie (16 November 2021). "Gas industry proposes big solar to halve LNG emissions, with support of Sun Cable". RenewEconomy. Archived from the original on 17 November 2021.
- ^ "Sea dumping legislation paves way for opening of new gas fields in Timor Sea". ABC News. 2023-11-14. Retrieved 2024-05-17.
- ^ "Santos back to the drawing board on unapproved Barossa gas project". ieefa.org. Retrieved 2024-05-17.
- ^ "'A carbon dioxide emissions factory': New $4.7b gas field may release more CO2 than LNG, says report". ABC News. 2021-06-23. Retrieved 2021-08-13.
- ^ "IEEFA Update: Santos won't solve the problem of Barossa LNG with carbon capture and storage". Institute for Energy Economics & Financial Analysis. 20 October 2021. Archived from the original on 23 October 2021.
- ^ "Tiwi Traditional Owner wins legal challenge to Santos Barossa Gas Project". Environmental Defenders Office. 21 September 2022. Retrieved 2022-09-21.
- ^ Nadig, Smruthi (21 September 2022). "Santos Australia loses environmental protection case in Tiwi Islands". Offshore Technology. Retrieved 2022-09-21.
- ^ "Dennis Murphy Tipakalippa v National Offshore Petroleum Safety and Environmental Management Authority & Anor". Climate Change Litigation. Retrieved 2024-05-17.
- ^ "Santos has lost a major gas battle against Tiwi Islands' traditional owners. Here's why they hope Barossa will still go ahead". ABC News. 2022-12-03. Retrieved 2024-05-17.
- ^ "Santos ordered to pause Barossa project pipeline construction after watchdog's surprise inspection". ABC News. 2023-01-25. Retrieved 2024-05-17.
- ^ Kurmelovs, Royce; Cox, Lisa (2024-04-25). "Activist groups not directly involved in Tiwi Island lawsuit must hand over documents to Santos, court rules". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2024-05-17.
- ^ "Traditional owners vow to keep fighting billion-dollar gas project despite losing court battle". ABC News. 2022-05-25. Retrieved 2024-05-17.
- ^ "South Korea sued to stop deep-sea gas pipeline". BBC News. 23 March 2022.
- ^ Bardon, Jane (25 May 2022). "Traditional owners vow to keep fighting Barossa gas field despite losing South Korean court battle". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 7 June 2022.