The Santos Darwin Pipeline Duplication Project has been given environmental approval following an assessment by the independent NT Environment Protection Authority (NT EPA).
The Environment Protection Act 2019 requires an environmental impact assessment and separate environmental approval for all projects that have the potential to have a significant impact on the environment.
Santos is developing the Barossa Gas Export Pipeline to bring gas from the Barossa reservoir in the Timor Sea, to Darwin. The NT EPA assessed the Santos Darwin Pipeline Duplication Project, which is the section of the pipeline in Northern Territory waters.
The pipeline duplicates a section of the existing Bayu-Undan pipeline, which is proposed to stay in place to provide Santos with the option of repurposing it to transport CO2 to the depleted Bayu-Undan reservoir for sequestration.
The NT EPA considered potential significant impacts from the project including on the marine environment, culture and heritage and from greenhouse gas emissions.
The environmental approval includes conditions to ensure potential environmental impacts are managed to an acceptable level.
The Barossa Gas project is worth $6.4 billion dollars to the NT economy and will create 600 local jobs through construction, and hundreds more over the next two decades.
The environmental approval can be viewed on the Department of Environment, Parks and Water Security website: https://depws.nt.gov.au/environment-information/environmental-assessment-and-approvals/environmental-approvals
Quotes attributable to Minister for Environment, Climate Change and Water Security, Kate Worden:
“The Santos Darwin Pipeline Duplication project has been through a rigorous environmental assessment by the NT EPA. I have applied the NT EPA’s recommended conditions and granted the environmental approval.
“The Territory Government has supported this project from the beginning. Gas will play a critical role in supporting our transition to renewables, ensuring ongoing energy security for Territorians as we head towards net zero.”
Quotes attributable to Minister for Mining Mark Monaghan:
“The Northern Territory is in a strong position to become a global leader in low-emissions energy exports.
“Our Government congratulates Santos on the Federal court ruling and for being granted NT EPA approval, we look forward to seeing this project and industry as a whole progress.
“The $6 billion Barossa Gas project is significant for the Territory’s economy and secures hundreds of local jobs for the next two decades, all while being pivotal in the world’s transition to a cleaner, greener future.”
Source: Northern Territory Government Newsroom
