Oil and gas companies are being invited to bid for exploratory drilling rights across 80,000 square kilometres of Commonwealth waters, including an area just a few kilometres from Victoria’s prized Twelve Apostles national park.
The federal government on Tuesday released 21 offshore blocks across the country for exploratory drilling, including in Victoria’s Gippsland and Otway basins, plus basins in Western Australia and Tasmania. One designated area sits six kilometres from the Twelve Apostles Marine National Park, off the coast of Port Campbell in south-western Victoria.
The Australian Petroleum Production and Exploration Association – representing the oil and gas sector – said it had world-class regulatory processes designed to protect unique flora and fauna and areas of heritage value.“Any future project proponent would be subject to a comprehensive approvals process, which includes detailed stakeholder engagement with local communities,” a spokesman said.
Supporters of gas, including the Morrison government, describe it as a necessary “transition fuel” in the green power shift, as a comparatively less-emitting alternative to coal that can keep energy reliable and affordable in periods when weather conditions for wind and solar generation are unfavourable. Gas is also used as a raw material in a range of manufacturing processes.
All areas in the Commonwealth’s latest offshore release are based on industry nominations and it is asking companies for work-program bids, the federal government said on Tuesday.
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