Major Gas Threat
Narrabri
New South Wales
What is the Narrabri gas project?
The Gunnedah basin is a coal seam gas (CSG) project located in central-west NSW owned by Santos.
Santos want to build 850 coal-seam gas wells over the next 20 years. This would be a disaster for the climate, the waters of the Great Artesian basin, many threatened species and for the sacred sites of the Gomeroi people.
What are the emissions of Narrabri?
The basin is a huge gas resource that must stay in the ground to keep global warming to 1.5 degrees. If the gas in Gunnedah basin is extracted and burned, it could lead to 115 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (Mt CO2-e) released into the environment. This is equal to 23% of Australia’s total annual greenhouse gas emissions, representing significant global warming potential.
In 2018-19, Santos’ operational emissions (scope 1+2) were the equivalent of 1.2% of Australia’s total emissions. This project will increase that figure to 1.4% of Australia’s total emissions, which does not take into account Scope 3 emissions, that are 4-5 times larger. This project will significantly increase both Santos’ emissions and Australia’s annual emissions.
Cultural heritage impacts
The Pillaga is an area of major cultural importance for Gomeroi people and was also a meeting place for different tribes for ceremony and law. There are hundreds of recorded Aboriginal sites within the Santos project boundary. Gomeroi people will lose access to many special places and traditional foods and medicines. Ecosystems and relationships with Country that are the foundation of law will be damaged or destroyed. The project will be incompatible with the continuing cultural practice on Country and Native Title rights may be extinguished.
Local resistance to Narrabri
The project has been met with overwhelming opposition from the general public. The NSW Department of Planning and Environment received nearly 23,000 submissions concerning the project, of which 98% were against it. The public understands that a project of this kind raises significant environmental, economic and social risks.
