Santos submits Environmental Impact Statement for Narrabri Gas Project in New South Wales

Santos has submitted the State Significant Development Application and associated Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for its Narrabri Gas Project to the New South Wales (NSW) Department of Planning and Environment.

The proposed Narrabri Gas Project is located in the north-western part of NSW.

Gas supply from this project will cater up to 50% of NSW gas needs.

The gas will be made available to NSW and the east coast domestic market through a pipeline linking into the existing Moomba to Sydney Pipeline.

This pipeline will be constructed by APA Group and subject to a separate approval.

Santos managing director and chief executive officer Kevin Gallagher said the company has spent time producing a comprehensive EIS so the local Narrabri community and stakeholders can be confident the environment and water will be protected as the project is developed.

Gallagher added: “The EIS has concluded the project can proceed safely with minimal and manageable risk to the environment.

“The Narrabri Gas Project has the potential to play a significant role in the domestic energy space. Natural gas has a vital role to play in delivering energy security, whilst having the additional benefit of being 50% cleaner than coal resulting in a significant reduction in carbon emissions.

“The development of new natural gas resources is crucial in assisting Australia’s move towards a clean energy future.

“In NSW alone, more than one million homes and 33,000 businesses rely on natural gas as a source of energy.”

The project is expected to create about 1,300 jobs during the initial construction phase and around 200 ongoing jobs.

During its life, the project will generate around $1.2bn in state royalties.

The local community are also expected to benefit from a Gas Community Benefit Fund totalling up to $120m.

The EIS includes extensive studies and modelling on the environment in the project area, including water, flora, fauna, soil, noise, air quality and cultural heritage.

Santos has drawn upon more than 13,000 hours of on ground environmental surveys, carried out by environmental scientists.

A Groundwater Impact Assessment (GIA) was developed for the EIS to determine what impact the project would have on local water and it was found that the project would have a negligible impact on existing water users, the company claimed.

Santos’ operations will be located on approximately 1,000ha in and around the Pilliga near Narrabri.

Most of the project will be on state land in parts of the Pilliga that were set aside by the NSW government for uses such as forestry and extractive industries, following a thorough ecological assessment known as the Brigalow and Nandewar agreement.