Friday 11 November signifies the end of CHO directions regarding mask wearing and reporting.

As we are now living with COVID-19, Territorians are encouraged to keep practising the COVID safe behaviours we know work to limit the spread and protect our community.

While it is no longer mandatory, Territorians are strongly encouraged to test for COVID-19 when feeling unwell or showing symptoms to limit the spread of infection. People who test positive to COVID-19 should continue to register their result using the online declaration form. This will help people who are more at risk of becoming seriously ill to access support, including anti-viral treatments which are most effective when taken within five days of symptoms first starting.

Face masks remain an important way to help reduce the risk of COVID-19. Although not mandatory, mask wearing is still recommended in indoor and outdoor settings where physical distancing is not possible.

Some businesses and high-risk settings may require staff and visitors to wear face masks as part of their workplace health and safety practices.

At this time, NT Health hospitals and health care facilities require everyone to continue to wear masks.

Changes to public health measures are a timely reminder for Territorians to stay up-to-date with their COVID-19 vaccinations to make sure they have the best protection, particularly with COVID-19 cases on the rise as other states and territories experiencing another wave.

A fourth dose of the COVID-19 vaccine is available for all Territorians aged 30 years and over at participating GP clinics, pharmacies, respiratory clinics, urban and remote health clinics and Aboriginal health clinics.

For COVID-19 information and updates visit health.nt.gov.au/covid-19.

Quotes attributed to Chief Minister Natasha Fyles:

“As we are now living with COVID-19, Territorians are encouraged to keep practising the COVID safe behaviours we know work to limit the spread and protect our community.

“It has been a trying two years but the Territory is resilient. I thank all our frontline workers from hour health staff, to police, our teachers, and essential workers, without you we wouldn’t have been able to manage this pandemic.

“Just because the COVID measures are ending doesn’t mean we stop being vigilant. It is still important that we stay home if we are unwell, practise personal hygiene, and stay up to date with vaccinations.”

Quotes attributed to Dr Jacqueline Murdoch, Acting Chief Health Officer, NT Health:

“Over the past year, Territorians have learned that simple measures including staying home and wearing masks can help us protect one another from COVID-19.

“COVID-19 is a virus that will continue to come in waves and circulate in the community. Following an increase in case numbers around Australia, we have indications that a wave is coming now. I encourage everyone to continue practising the COVID-safe behaviours that we know work to limit the spread of infection.

“While it is no longer a requirement to register the result of a positive Rapid Antigen Test, it’s strongly recommended that you continue test if you’re heading out, especially when coming into contact with people who are at greater risk of becoming unwell. 

“If you test positive for COVID-19 you may be infectious for up to 10 days, but you’re most infectious two days before symptoms start and while you have symptoms such as a runny nose, sore throat, cough, fever. Make sure you stay at home while you’re unwell and until symptoms subside”

Source: NT Government Newsroom

Tamboran Resources ASX ANNOUNCEMENT

EP 98 operational update: Amungee 2H development well spudded

Highlights:

• The Amungee 2H (A2H) development well in Tamboran’s 38.75 per cent owned and operated exploration permit EP 98 spudded on 10 November 2022.

• Tamboran will drill the vertical and build section to a depth of approximately 2,450-metres, prior to drilling the 1,000-metre horizontal section within the primary target of the Mid-Velkerri “B” Shale.

• Following drilling, the A2H well is expected to commence a hydraulic fracture stimulation program with a US style unconventional shale design. The well is designed with 5-½ inch casing that allows for effective placement of proppant into the formation, optimising completion efficiency. 

Tamboran Resources Limited (ASX: TBN) Managing Director and CEO, Joel Riddle, said:

“The A2H well was successfully spudded on 10 November 2022 with the Silver City Rig 40 in Tamboran’s newly acquired and operated exploration permit EP 98.

“The drilling of the well and the fracture stimulation design will incorporate significant learnings from the recently drilled Maverick 1V well in Tamboran’s operated EP 136 permit, where the vertical section was drilled in 18.3 days, a record for a well in the Beetaloo with a true vertical depth of more than 2,500 metres.

“The fracture stimulation program has been designed by Tamboran’s operational team, who have drilled more than 5,000 unconventional wells in North America, and also incorporates learnings from the Santos operated Tanumbirini 2H and 3H wells in EP 161 (Tamboran 25 per cent non-operator), which have been on flow test with production tubing since early August 2022.

“The drilling and fracture stimulation of the A2H well, the first of two wells, will be fully funded by Tamboran as part of Stage 3 of the Farm-in Agreement with Falcon Oil and Gas Australia Limited. The location of the second well, which we are aiming to drill after A2H, is currently being evaluated." 

Click here to view full announcement 

Tamboran Resources: ASX ANNOUNCEMENT

Completion of acquisition of Beetaloo assets from Origin Energy Ltd

Highlights

• Tamboran has completed the acquisition of Origin Energy’s Beetaloo basin assets.
• The conditions precedent required under the sale and purchase agreement have been satisfied and operatorship of EPs 98, 117, and 76 has transferred to Tamboran.
• Tamboran welcomes ten staff from the Origin team who will play a key role in unlocking the commercial potential of the Beetaloo Basin.

Tamboran Resources Limited (ASX: TBN) Managing Director and CEO, Joel Riddle, said:

"We have successfully completed the acquisition of EPs 98, 117 and 76 from Origin Energy. Tamboran now holds the largest consolidated position in the deepest section of the Beetaloo Basin. The Company raised approximately $195 million to fund the purchase and assist in the commercialisation of these world class assets.

“We welcome the experienced team of professionals from Origin that have joined Tamboran. The team will provide valuable operational and technical expertise, having served in senior operational roles with Origin in the drilling of key wells in the Beetaloo over the last few years.

“We also look forward to working closely with our local NT communities, to generate further jobs and opportunities for all Territorians. Tamboran is very excited to be at the forefront of the development of the significant low-CO2 unconventional gas resource in the Beetaloo Basin, which is expected to bring significant employment and royalties to the Northern Territory, as well as support Australia’s national energy security and energy transition.” 

Click here to view full announcement 

Daly Roper Beetaloo Water Control District Extension

The boundary of the Daly Roper Beetaloo Water Control District (the district) has been extended by the Minister for Environment, Climate Change and Water Security.  This extension provides progress on recommendation 7.7 in the final report of the Scientific Inquiry into Hydraulic Fracturing in the Northern Territory (March 2018). The district maintains the name Daly Roper Beetaloo.

The district has been extended to include the Georgina and the Wiso Basins, and now includes Cape Crawford, Top Springs, Three Ways, Wutunugurra, and Canteen Creek. This extension is aligned to the management of water resources associated with the Beetaloo Sub-basin.

The extension will allow for water allocation plans to be developed and confer new water management rules for everyone wanting to access and use water in the district, which includes requirements for:

• bore work permits
• water extraction licences to take surface and groundwater.  This provision extinguishes the current exemption for bores that are equipped to pump less than 15 L per second requiring a licence. However, water extraction of less than 5ML per year continues to be exempt from licensing requirements for activities other than mining and petroleum
• installation of water meters and provide water usage to Water Resources Division for licensed extraction.

There is limited irrigated activity occurring on the extension area and it is currently unlicensed.

NOTE

• Water for stock and domestic use remains exempt from licensing.
• Parcels of land where the combined groundwater use from all bores is less than five megalitres per year remain exempt from licensing.

The extension was declared on 19 October 2022.

Download Daly Roper Beetaloo Water Control District Map PDF (1.2 MB)

Please direct all correspondence to:
Hydraulic Fracturing Inquiry Implementation Taskforce
GPO Box 4396, Darwin NT 0801
T 08 8999 6573
E hydraulic.fracturing@nt.gov.au
W hydraulicfracturing.nt.gov.au

Environment Protection Legislation Amendment (Chain of Responsibility) Bill 2022

The Environment Protection Legislation Amendment (Chain of Responsibility) Bill 2022 was introduced to the Legislative Assembly last week during the October 2022 parliamentary sittings.  

The Bill’s amendments to the Environment Protection Act 2019 will establish an environmental chain of responsibility framework for onshore petroleum activities. This is in response to recommendation 14.30 of the Scientific Inquiry into Hydraulic Fracturing in the Northern Territory, which states that prior to the grant of any further production approvals, the Government enacts provisions establishing a chain of responsibility for gas companies and related parties to ensure compliance with environmental obligations. 

The Bill is available on the Government’s Legislation database website and will be debated in the November 2022 parliamentary sittings. 

Introduction of the amendment Bill last week follows a number of stakeholder engagement processes, including consultation on an information paper in 2021 and an Exposure Draft of the amendment Bill earlier this year.
 
Thank you to all stakeholders that have constructively contributed to the development of these laws. 

Copies of the stakeholder submissions received on the Exposure Draft of the Bill, including a summary of outcomes arising from the consultation, are available to view on the Department of Environment, Parks and Water Security website here

Please direct all correspondence to:
Hydraulic Fracturing Inquiry Implementation Taskforce
GPO Box 4396, Darwin NT 0801
T 08 8999 6573
E hydraulic.fracturing@nt.gov.au
W hydraulicfracturing.nt.gov.au

Petroleum Legislation Amendment Bill 2022

The Petroleum Legislation Amendment Bill 2022 was introduced to the Legislative Assembly last week during the October 2022 parliamentary sittings. The Bill’s amendments to the Petroleum Act 1984 (the Act) will implement 13 recommendations from the Final Report of the Hydraulic Fracturing Inquiry (the Inquiry).

The changes introduced in the Bill will significantly improve the regulatory framework for the onshore petroleum industry and the ability to manage environmental impacts and risks to acceptable levels in a manner contemplated by the Inquiry.

The Bill contains the following amendments relative to the Inquiry recommendation:

• introduces the requirement to comply with nationally consistent guidelines for human health and environmental risk assessment (Rec 7.4 and 10.1);
• provides for the implementation of new charges to recover the cost of undertaking the Strategic Regional Environmental Baseline Assessment (SREBA) studies, including the Strategic Social Impact Assessment (Rec 12.2);
• introduces a framework for new charges for industry, that will recover the costs associated with regulating the onshore gas industry (Rec 14.1);
• establishes a comprehensive financial assurance framework to improve securities and insurance requirements for onshore petroleum operations (Rec 14.13);
• introduces an orphan well levy and fund to enable the government to monitor orphan wells as well as take action, as required, to secure the integrity of any orphan wells (Rec 14.14);
• enables the repeal of the Schedule of Onshore Petroleum Exploration and Production by establishing a legal framework for activity permissioning plans, assessment timeframes, approval criteria and reporting obligations in the Act and introducing new regulation-making powers to support them (Rec 14.17);
• empowers the community through key decision making processes. This includes introducing third party merits review for key decisions made under the Petroleum legislation (Rec 14.24);
• strengthens community confidence in the regulatory framework by amending cost rules so that litigation genuinely brought in public interest may not be subject to a costs order, introducing new civil enforcement proceedings and reversing the onus of proof for pollution and environmental harm offences; (Rec 14.25; 14.31 and 14.32);
• enables a more rigorous legislative framework that will provide a strong deterrent for non-compliance. Inspectors appointed under the Act, and relevant CEOs will have broader powers and more ways to ensure that gas companies are compliant with the law (Rec 14.29); and
• increases penalties and offences in the Act so that they will be comparable with or exceed equivalent penalties across all Australian jurisdictions (Rec 14.33).

Other amendments within the Bill include:

• enabling exploration for and production of naturally occurring hydrogen by amending the definition of petroleum; and
• enabling industry applications for Government to consider the use and sale of appraisal petroleum in preference to flaring or venting to reduce greenhouse gas emissions at the source. These applications will not be considered until the commencement of the Act and all Inquiry recommendations have been implemented, as determined by Government in 2023.

The Bill is available on the Government’s Legislation database website and will be debated in the November 2022 parliamentary sittings. This Bill is the third amendment to the Act since implementation of Inquiry recommendations commenced in 2018.

Government will not consider any production approvals for shale gas activities until all Inquiry recommendations are implemented.

Please direct all correspondence to:
Hydraulic Fracturing Inquiry Implementation Taskforce
GPO Box 4396, Darwin NT 0801
T 08 8999 6573
E hydraulic.fracturing@nt.gov.au
W hydraulicfracturing.nt.gov.au

Territory Labor is delivering the NT’s ambitious response to the challenges of climate change.

The NT’s Minister for Environment, Climate Change and Water Security has tabled in parliament the latest annual report highlighting significant reforms already taken to reach net zero emissions by 2050 as part of the Government’s key climate change strategy.

The Climate Change Response: Towards 2030 Annual Progress Report outlines key achievements in the past 12 months aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions, while pushing towards a 50 per cent renewable energy target by 2030.

The Climate Change Response recognises the opportunities that will come from emissions reduction and the transition to a low carbon future, while growing the economy in a sustainable way.

Since last year the government has implemented its electric vehicle strategy, reducing stamp duty and introducing grants for home and business charging stations; introduced a home and business battery grant scheme, and; has started construction on the first battery storage power station at Channel Island.

This is supported by initiatives such as the Darwin-Katherine Electricity System Plan, the Alice Springs Future Grid project, and the strategy and master plan setting out a future for the Territory as a world leader in renewable hydrogen.

Developing the renewable energy sector is one way the Territory Labor Government is unlocking new economic and development opportunities, while helping to build a resilient Territory that can more easily adapt to the challenges climate change brings.

To view the annual climate change report, visit: climatechange.nt.gov.au

Quotes from Minister for Environment, Climate Change and Water Security, Lauren Moss:

“Climate change remains one of the greatest global threats to our society, economy and environment and our government understands that the majority of Australians expect and demand action.

“We are acting and will continue to drive forward our transition to a low carbon future, while ensuring that the Territory builds the necessary resilience to resist the impact of climate change that’s already irreversible.

“We’re on track but we won’t be easing back as we also enable our community to capitalise on the opportunities that a renewables-led economic transition will provide for a cleaner, brighter future.”

Source: NT Government Newsroom

14 October 2022

Territory Labor is fulfilling its election promise to deliver water security for all Territorians now and into the future.

Today the Draft Territory Water Plan has been released for further community input after its development through extensive public and stakeholder engagement.

Ensuring the continuity of safe drinking water for all Territorians is a priority for the NT Government, as is taking action to address climate change risks to water security, including in remote communities.

The plan also focuses on ensuring water is managed and allocated responsibly and highlights the importance of putting a value on water through a charging framework to ensure that industry pays for water they use – not the taxpayer.

It also outlines the need for an independent Controller of Water Resources, a position for which Expressions of Interest are now being sought.

This is the Territory’s first whole-of-government, long-term strategic plan for water security across the Northern Territory, providing a roadmap for strengthening water governance.

The Draft Water Plan is another part of a suite of policies being implemented by Territory Labor to provide comprehensive protection for the environment and address the challenges of climate change.

It completes a recommendation in the Final Report from the Territory Economic Reconstruction Committee and addresses key recommendations of the Pepper Inquiry into Hydraulic Fracturing.

The Office of Water Security will take a lead role in implementing the Plan, and will report on its progress annually. The Plan will be holistically reviewed every four years.

The Territory Labor Government is determined to ensure an acceptable quantity and quality of water for people, economic opportunities, cultural and environmental flows.

Water is intrinsic to our lifestyle, culture, industry and health – Territory Labor will help protect it.

See the Draft Territory Water Plan here: https://haveyoursay.nt.gov.au/territory-water-plan

Quotes from Minister for Environment, Clime Change and Water Security, Lauren Moss:

“We are the first Territory government to take a long-term view on the need for a secure water future with continued access to safe drinking water as the top priority, especially for our remote areas.

“We need a plan like this to ensure we have clean, healthy water supplies to sustain our environment and ancient cultural values, for our community to live, and for our economic development goals.

“This plan ensures that the future use of water is based on science and on sustainability, and that it reflects the insights, expertise and aspirations of as many Territorians as possible.”

Source: NT Government Newsroom

From 12.01am tomorrow, Friday 14 October 2022, it will no longer be mandatory for people who test positive for COVID-19 in the Northern Territory to self-isolate.

It remains important for all people stay home when unwell to limit the spread of infection and protect the community. This applies not just to COVID-19 but all illnesses. 

The NT will enter a four week transition period for some COVID-19 public health measures to enable health services and high-risk settings to develop appropriate policies to ensure the safety of vulnerable people.

Until Friday 11 November, 2022 the following Chief Health Officer (CHO) Directions will remain in place:

·       People in the NT who test positive to a Rapid Antigen Test to declare their result using the online declaration form. 

·       Face masks must be worn in high-risk settings including: hospitals and health care facilities, aged care facilities, disability residential facilities, correctional facilities and family violence, sobering up and homeless shelters.

Changes to public health measures are a timely reminder for Territorians to stay up-to-date with their COVID-19 vaccinations to make sure they have the best protection.

It has now been three months since the most recent peak in COVID-19 cases in the NT, which means many people will now be eligible for a booster or fourth dose.

A fourth dose of the COVID-19 vaccine is available for all Territorians aged 30 years and over at participating GP clinics, pharmacies, respiratory clinics, urban and remote health clinics and Aboriginal health clinics.

Some people who test positive for COVID-19 are more at risk of becoming seriously ill. Anti-viral treatments are available for those at moderate to high risk, but timing is critical. Treatments are most effective when taken within five days of symptoms first starting. Territorians should talk to their GP or other hospital specialist to discuss care options and work out which risk group they are in. 

To help stop the spread of COVID-19, all Territorians should continue to:

·       Stay home if unwell, even if your symptoms are mild

·       Practise personal hygiene including hand washing or using hand sanitiser

·       Maintain a distance of 1.5 metres away from others where possible

·       Wear a mask indoors and outdoors when social distancing is not possible 

·       Stay up to date with your vaccinations

·       Avoid visiting people at high risk of severe illness, people in hospital, aged care or disability facility when unwell.

For COVID-19 information and updates visit health.nt.gov.au/covid-19.

Quotes attributed to Dr Jacqueline Murdoch, Acting Chief Health Officer, NT Health:

“As COVID-19 isolation ends, it remains important all Territorians stay home if feeling sick or experiencing COVID-19 symptoms, so you don’t pass any illness onto others.

“If you test positive for COVID-19 you may be infectious for up to 10 days, but you’re most infections two days before symptoms start and while you have symptoms such as a runny nose, sore throat, cough, fever.

“We’ve learned throughout the pandemic that simple measures including staying home and wearing masks can help us protect one another from COVID-19. I encourage everyone to continue practising those COVID-safe behaviours that we know work to limit the spread of infection. ” 

Source: NT Government Newsroom

Beetaloo Operations Update Carpentaria 3 Drilling Underway

Empire Energy Group Limited (“Empire”) is pleased to provide shareholders with an update regarding the operations in Empire’s 100% owned and operated EP187 tenement, located onshore Northern Territory in the Beetaloo Sub-basin (“Beetaloo”).

• Carpentaria-3H (“C-3H”), Empire’s second horizontal appraisal well with a planned 2,000m horizontal section targeting the Velkerri B shale, has commenced drilling
• C-2H average production rate over the first 51 days of testing was 2.2 million standard cubic feet (mmcsf) per day, equivalent to 2.4 mmscf per day per 1,000 metres of horizontal section
• C-2H tracer data analysis has commenced, with results to be used to inform C-3H completion and fracture stimulation design
• Carpentaria-4V (“C-4V”) to be drilled after the drilling of C-3H Cash at bank at 30 September 2022 was $32.7 million

Please click here to read the full announcement.