Major Gas Threat
Barossa Basin
Northern Territory (offshore)
What is the Barossa Basin?
Nowhere near the Barossa Valley wine region, Santos plans to develop the Barossa gas field in pristine waters north of the Tiwi Islands in the Northern Territory, Australia. If they succeed, it will be the dirtiest offshore gas project in Australia, possibly the world.
Despite describing itself as an ‘eco-friendly energy company’, the Korean energy giant SK E&S has teamed up with Santos to make the Barossa project a reality. They currently own more than a third of the project. Santos is leading the Barossa project and owns 50% of it.
The fossil fuel giant Santos has come under increasing pressure recently. Last year, the company lost a court case for failing to adequately engage stakeholders about fracking, were sued for greenwashing and faced community protests on Larrakia Country (Darwin) and in capital cities across the country.
“Nobody told any of us that this was happening. We have not been consulted. There are going to be huge risks if this does go ahead without any consultation with the Tiwi people… We want to know why we haven’t been told anything up until now.”
Antonia Burke, Dardawunga Impajimawu, Tiwi Islands resident
How many emissions are in the Barossa Basin?
If the Barossa gas is extracted, developed and burned, it would release 15.6 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions annually. That’s more than three million passenger cars for each year the project operates.
A recent IEFFA report found that Barossa gas has three times the CO2 content that the Darwin LNG plant facility can handle. Santos’ own documents reveal that two thirds of the CO2 from the Barossa offshore gas field will be vented directly into the atmosphere before the gas is piped into Darwin. When venting and combustion emissions, both on and off-shore, are calculated, the Barossa to Darwin LNG project looks more like a CO2 emissions factory with an LNG by-product.
The main component of gas is methane, which is 84 times more potent than carbon dioxide in the short term and is emitted in vast quantities across the entire gas supply chain.
Who’s investing in the Barossa basin?
Macquarie Bank is an equity holder and debt provider for the joint venture that is building the floating production and storage unit element of the Barossa project, while all four of the big banks were involved in Santos’ acquisition of ConocoPhillips’ Northern Australia Assets that make up the project.
SK E&S is a South Korean energy company owning 37.5% of Barossa. The company’s ties to the project don’t stack up with its self-proclaimed green profile and tagline as a ‘Clean Energy & Solution Provider.’ It recently faced a legal challenge in South Korea for greenwashing, having claimed that liquefied natural gas from the Barossa project will be “CO2-free”.
Tiwi Islanders have not been consulted about the Barossa project
The Barossa gas project has been in development since 2004. But in all that time, the companies behind Barossa have not properly consulted Tiwi Islanders about the project.
Santos’ proposed pipeline will be laid through Tiwi sea country and into Darwin, Larrakia country. It will put the Tiwi Islanders’ pristine sea country at risk and threaten sea life, while cutting right through a critical cultural site for the Dangalaba and Larrakia people.
Source: NITV News
