Santos's $5.6 billion Barossa project wins final approvals from regulator NOPSEMA
Santos's offshore Barossa gas project off the coast of the Northern Territory has won final approvals from the national offshore gas regulator.
The $5.6 billion project involves drilling for gas under the Timor Sea, about 300 kilometres north of Darwin, to export as LNG to overseas buyers such as South Korea and Japan.
Federal offshore gas regulator NOPSEMA on Tuesday accepted Santos's final environment plan for its production operations, clearing the way for the Barossa project to go ahead following multiple legal challenges.
The project attracted national attention last year when a
Separately, a successful legal case run by the EDO on behalf of Tiwi Islands traditional owners in 2022 led to a
Photo shows
a woman uses a pencil to draw on a colourful map
Newly released videos show evidence involving "confection" used by the EDO in its failed legal bid to halt Santos's Barossa gas pipeline.
Santos's Barossa project is one of Australia's largest oil and gas investments in a decade — and is expected to be among the worst polluting in the world.
Reports have previously estimated the reservoir's
Santos's own project documents suggest the Barossa project could produce 15.2 million tonnes of climate pollution per year — a total of 380 million tonnes during its 25-year life span.
Barossa gas is expected to be shipped to overseas buyers as LNG.
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ABC News: Michael Franchi
)
Critics question how Barossa project will comply with Labor climate policy
Kirsty Howey, executive director of Environment Centre NT, described Santos's Barossa project as "one of the dirtiest gas fields in Australia".
"It's unfathomable that it's been approved in 2025 when the climate science is clear that we can't have new fossil fuel projects if we're going to avoid dangerous climate change," she said.
In a statement, a Labor campaign spokesperson confirmed the project was still subject to the safeguard mechanism, which requires major carbon emitters to progressively reduce or offset their emissions over time.
The policy is a key plank of the Albanese government's efforts to reach a 43 per cent reduction in emissions by 2030, and net zero by 2050.
Some Tiwi Islands elders have voiced opposition to the project.
(
(ABC News: Tristan Hooft
)
But Ms Howey said the Barossa project's approval showed "the safeguard mechanism has done very little to stem the flow of fossil fuel approvals".
"This approval in the middle of an election campaign just goes to show the failure of climate policy in Australia to ensure the necessary phase out of fossil fuels," she said.
Climate Council analyst Ben McLeod said the decision was "completely at odds with all our other efforts to cut climate pollution".
"This project is set to become one of the most carbon-intensive gas developments in the world,"
Mr McLeod said.
A Labor campaign spokesperson said the project's final approval was made separately to government.
"Technical regulatory decisions for offshore resources projects in Commonwealth waters are a matter for the independent expert regulator NOPSEMA," they said.
"The Albanese Labor government is working to put downward pressure on energy prices and emissions after a decade of delay, dysfunction and denial."
A Santos spokesperson said the Barossa project remained on track for first gas in the third quarter of 2025.
They did not answer how the project would comply with Australia's safeguard mechanism.
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