The Controversy over the NT Gov Fracking Contracts continues from 2004 Morrison Government ‘Gas-Led-Recovery’ to 2023 Betaloo Basin Scientific Reports of Methan Bubbles – to 2024 NT Gov approval of USA Tamboran Resources to expand Fracking with 15 New Well.
Last week, USA Tamboran Resources now has approvals from the NT government to drill 15 new gas wells at its Shenandoah South project, about 600 kilometres south-east of Darwin. In April, the NT government signed a nine-year deal with Tamboran to buy its fracked gas from the Beetaloo Basin. The Beetaloo Basin covers 28,000 square kilometres.
Tamboran Resources is the largest stakeholder in the Beetaloo Basin. (Twitter: Tamboran Resources)
Despite Tamboran’s plans to store up to 34 million litres of wastewater in open storage ponds, clear 145 hectares of land and emit more than 170,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions annually, the project has not triggered further independent assessments such as an environmental impact statement. Environment groups and experts have slammed the sign-off, describing the approvals as “an absolute disaster” for climate change and water resources.
Tamboran’s plan involves extracting 375 million litres of water each year, but the NT government has not referred the project to be assessed under the water trigger.
Federal Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek said: “All projects must comply with national environment law, including the expanded water trigger introduced by the Albanese government.”
Image: Gettys
Fracking, short for hydraulic fracturing, is a technique used to extract oil and natural gas from underground rock formations, particularly shale rock. The process involves drilling into the earth and injecting a high-pressure mixture of water, sand, and chemicals into the rock. This creates fractures, allowing the trapped gas or oil to flow out to a wellhead at the surface. Fracking also uses huge amounts of water, which must be transported to the site at significant environmental cost.
Last year, Tamboran was fined over pollution violations, and whistle-blower contractors later revealed they were told to spray drill rig water despite Tamboran knowing the fluid was contaminated.
Empire Energy’s Carpentaria-1 exploration well in the Betaloo basin. Scientists have warned that the NT government’s approval of fracking in the area is not based on a full understanding of groundwater structure. Oct.2023 Photograph: Department of Industry, Science, Energy and Resources
Methane bubbles in groundwater cast doubts over Beetaloo basin fracking approval, scientists say. Coal seam gas, typically extracted by fracking, is between 95 and 97 per cent methane. Methane is a greenhouse gas like carbon dioxide (CO2). It does last in the atmosphere for less time than CO2. But, it is 80 times more potent at trapping heat over the first 20 years than CO2. Over a century, it is 28 times more powerful at warming the Earth than CO2.
Experts have cast doubt on groundwater studies that underpin the Northern Territory government’s decision to permit fracking in the Beetaloo basin, after methane bubbles were observed at hot springs in an area targeted for gas production.
In a 2023 report, commissioned by the Environment Centre NT (ECNT), the scientists warn of “critical knowledge gaps” in baseline groundwater assessments conducted by the government in response to the Pepper inquiry into fracking.
In 2022 Mining Companies Recommendations to NT Gov. to decarbonise their businesses to meet targets of net zero emissions by 2050.
In December 2023, The Guardian Australia, under freedom of information laws show the Fyles government quietly consulted the gas industry in late 2022 about a plan to meet the key climate recommendation from a scientific inquiry into fracking. The NT government gave the greenlight for companies to apply for approval to commence gas production in the Beetaloo basin between Katherine and Tennant Creek- although knowing it could not meet this recommendation and sought the federal government’s help in September 2022.
Senior bureaucrats wrote to companies including Santos, Inpex, Empire Energy, Hancock Prospecting and Top End Energy, seeking their feedback on the idea by late October 2022 before a submission was put to cabinet. Santos in a five-page letter dated 30 November stated its “strong belief that the most effective and efficient way to Australia and the NT achieving their targets of net zero emissions by 2050 is to allow industry to find the best ways to decarbonise their businesses”.
NT voters did not have a chance to give views on the proposal, nor did other important external stakeholders.
RECENT PAST
Fracking the basin has been planned since 2004. The former Morrison Coalition government planned a so-called “gas led recovery” to accelerate its development, fuelled by large amounts of taxpayer money – investing a further $173 million dollars into the Beetaloo Basin shale gas reserve – to encourage the fossil fuel industry to frack the remote area.
The move was unpopular with the region’s Traditional Owners, with fracking described by Traditional Owner Ned Jampijinpa Hargraves as “digging up my body, breaking my Tjukurpa (Dreaming)” in a government inquiry.
Australia’s First Nations peoples hold rights and interests in land covering about 40% of the continent, again land that has been sustainably managed by First Nations peoples for thousands of years and is therefore highly environmentally valuable.
Land management is central to combating climate change, through nature-based solutions such as storing carbon in trees, soils and mangroves and seagrass meadows. First Nations communities have at least 60,000 years of knowledge of how to care for Country in ways which can aid climate adaptation, mitigation and repair.
Fracking poses several environmental risks, including:
Water Contamination: The chemicals used in fracking fluid can potentially contaminate groundwater if they leak from the well or are improperly disposed of. This can affect drinking water supplies and local ecosystems.
Air Pollution: Fracking releases methane, a potent greenhouse gas, and other airborne hydrocarbons that can cause health and respiratory issues. Methane leaks contribute significantly to climate change.
Water Usage: Fracking requires large amounts of water, which can strain local water resources, especially in arid regions.
Induced Seismic Activity: The injection of fracking fluids into the ground can cause small earthquakes, known as induced seismicity. While most of these are minor, some have been significant enough to be felt at the surface.
Noise and Light Pollution: The fracking process involves heavy machinery and constant activity, leading to noise and light pollution that can disrupt local communities and wildlife.
Land Use and Habitat Disruption: The infrastructure required for fracking, including drilling sites and access roads, can lead to habitat destruction and fragmentation.
Australia: Fracking in Australia is a contentious issue, with regulations varying significantly across states and territories:
Victoria: Permanently banned fracking in 2017, making it the first state to do so.
Tasmania:Has a moratorium on fracking.
Western Australia:Introduced a moratorium in 2017 but lifted it in 2018, although fracking remains prohibited in 98% of the state.
South Australia: Planning a 10-year ban on fracking in the state’s south-east..
New South Wales:Allows fracking with certain restrictions.
Queensland:Permits fracking and is a major source of Australia’s unconventional gas.
Northern Territory:Lifted its fracking ban in 2018, reopening shale gas reserves for development.
