The Darwin LNG terminal takes gas piped from the Barossa field in the Timor Sea. Photo: Santos video screenshot.
A plan to duplicate an 8-kilometre-long section of gas pipeline that carries natural gas from the Barossa gas field to Darwin has been approved by the independent NT Environment Protection Authority (NT EPA).
The approval is for the section of the pipeline that runs through Northern Territory waters just south of Bathurst Island in the Tiwi group, and comes despite First Nations people’s objections to the project.
The section is part of Santos’ $6.4 billion Barossa Gas Export Pipeline which will bring gas from the Barossa reservoir in the Timor Sea to the Darwin LNG terminal.
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.
A Territory Government release says the NT EPA considered potential significant impacts from the project including on the marine environment, culture and heritage and from greenhouse gas emissions.
The NT EPA assessed the Santos Darwin Pipeline Duplication Project (PDP), the specific section of the pipeline in Northern Territory waters which duplicates a section of the existing Bayu-Undan pipeline. Santos has proposed to possibly repurpose the existing section to transport carbon dioxide to the depleted Bayu-Undan reservoir for sequestration.
On 15 January the Federal Court rejected claims by Tiwi Islanders that the proposed pipeline would damage the marine environment and would be contrary to what they said two culturally significant mythical Dreaming creatures would want.
Justice Natalie Charlesworth suggested the islanders had been coached by lawyers from the Environmental Defenders Office (EDO), and that there was significant divergence in the evidence presented by the islanders.
Territory Minister for Environment, Climate Change and Water Security Kate Worden said the project had been through a rigorous environmental assessment by the NT EPA.
“I have applied the NT EPA’s recommended conditions and granted the environmental approval,” she said.
“The Territory Government has supported this project from the beginning,” she added. “Gas will play a critical role in supporting our transition to renewables, ensuring ongoing energy security for Territorians as we head towards net zero.”
Minister for Mining Mark Monaghan added that the Territory was 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,” he said.
“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.”
