THE SQUIZ
The Northern Territory Government has given the all-clear for major onshore gas projects in the Beetaloo Basin, about 500km southeast of Darwin. The big announcement that’s been years in the making clears the way for potentially thousands of wells across the gas-rich region. It’s firmly against the wishes of 96 scientists who published an open letter yesterday that urged local lawmakers to prohibit fracking due to environmental concerns. And environmentalists say a gas industry in the Beetaloo Basin could lead to 89 million tonnes of emissions annually, 4 times the Territory’s current emissions. Chief Minister Natasha Fyles didn’t explain yesterday how those extra emissions would be offset, but she says green-lighting Beetaloo projects will help to “transition the Northern Territory and Australia to net zero emissions”. Experts say the region has the potential to become one of the biggest gas-producing areas in the world.

WHAT THE FRACK?
Yep, let’s step it back… The Beetaloo Basin has long been thought to be rich in oil and gas. Exploration began in 1984, but it wasn’t until 2015, when Origin Energy drilled a couple of wells and liked what they found, that things got serious. That prompted the Territory Government to commission an independent inquiry led by Justice Rachel Pepper. And in 2018, she found there are risks involved with an onshore gas industry, but if 135 recommendations were implemented, “those risks may be mitigated or reduced – and in some cases eliminated altogether”. But there has long been opposition to the idea from environmentalists and traditional Indigenous landowners who are concerned about carbon emissions and the effect on the region’s water table. That’s because fracking involves injecting high-pressure fluid into bedrock to extract the gas.

SO WHERE DOES THAT LEAVE THINGS?
Fyles says it’s a green light from them because no new risks have been identified, and a gas industry in the region will create thousands of local jobs and help fund things like schools, hospitals, and more development in remote regions. But expect climate advocates to continue to press the point that the United Nations says “any new gas or coal projects would blow our chances of limiting warming to 1.5C”. Independent Senator David Pocock agrees – he said it’s “so disappointing to see in 2023, Labor governments pushing to see the expansion of the fossil fuel industry”. From here, oil and gas production companies can start to weigh up the regulations they’ll have to adhere to if they want to start projects in the Beetaloo Basin. Some companies have already bailed, but others will begin submitting the first paperwork next year. According to the official plan, it will be about 8 years before the gas/oil will start flowing.