The environment plan for Santos' controversial Barossa gas project - which ACF has warned fails to properly assess greenhouse gas emissions or explain how Santos plans to comply with the safeguard mechanism - was today given the green light by offshore regulator NOPSEMA.
The Australian Conservation Foundation criticised the regulator for approving Santos' proposed exploitation of the massive undersea gas field, which contains a higher proportion of CO2 than any other gas field in Australia.
"This is Australia's dirtiest gas project and it should never have been given the green light," said ACF climate program manager Gavan McFadzean.
"Barossa is a massive climate bomb that will produce more climate pollution than usable gas.
"ACF wrote to proponent Santos and regulator NOPSEMA in December, warning the project's environment plan was not in our view compliant with relevant regulations and again in March this year outlining further concerns about the plan's assessment of marine impacts.
"Despite our repeated requests, Santos has failed to adequately explain to ACF how Barossa will comply with the safeguard mechanism or provide a proper assessment of how the greenhouse gas emissions from Barossa will affect Australia's environment.
"Santos' carbon capture and storage proposal is technically and financially unfeasible, won't address the problem and does not appear to be progressing.
"No matter where it's burned, Santos' gas damages places Australians love.
"Santos plans to extract gas from a delicate and biodiverse marine environment, creating risks for a range of species including sea snakes, turtles, dolphins and whales.
"This is the company that was recently fined for spilling 25,000 litres of oil condensate into the Indian Ocean in 2022 off the coast of WA after a kink in a pipeline caused it to rupture.
"This was not the first time Santos has been responsible for a large spill. In 2013 about 250,000 litres of crude oil leaked from the company's Zeus oil field in Queensland.
"The next federal government must comprehensively assess the climate and nature impacts of this project."
Tiwi Islanders have vigorously opposed Santos' Barossa gas plans for years.
Header pic by Xanthi Rivett
