Australian court permits restricted pipelay at offshore Barossa development
Nov. 15, 2023
The Federal Court of Australia has ruled that pipelay activities can start on an 86-km section of pipeline for the Barossa Gas Export Pipeline in the Timor Sea offshore northwest Australia.
"The Northern Territory is poised to reap enormous economic benefits from Santos' Barossa Gas Project. When the 3-4 month pipelaying construction campaign commences, it will involve 500 Australian crew and about 300 expat crew and technical support personnel from Europe," Santos stated on its LinkedIn one month ago..
Courtesy Santos
Offshore staff
ADELAIDE, Australia — The Federal Court of Australia has ruled that pipelay activities can start on an 86-km section of pipeline for the Barossa Gas Export Pipeline in the Timor Sea offshore northwest Australia.
According to Barossa operator Santos, no activity may take place south of kilometer point 86 (KP86), as outlined on the map to the right.
The court has set Dec. 4 as the date of commencement for the hearing of an application bought by Simon Munkara. This seeks to prevent Santos from continuing pipelay until it revises its environmental plan following a re-consultation with relevant individuals, and the regulator NOPSEMA accepts a revised plan.
Santos said it would vigorously defend those proceedings and remains committed to delivering the Barossa Gas Project, which aside from maintaining supplies to the onshore Darwin LNG plant is important for local jobs, the company says, as well as providing opportunities for traditional owners, exports, and relationships with investors and gas customers in Asia.
