Push to block Narrabri gas heading interstate

The backers of a proposed project to pipe gas from Narrabri, in north-west NSW, to Newcastle, are seeking government backing to force the gas from the project to be sold in NSW, rather than be transported across state borders for export abroad.

Construction of the Eastern Gas Pipeline between Nowra and Nerriga, NSW.

The push comes as the manufacturing sector is gripped by surging gas prices, which have forced a number of companies to look hard at closing operations, to avoid looming losses.Read Brian Robins’ story in today’s Melbourne Age - “Push to block Narrabri gas heading interstate.”

And while their is apparently a struggle to keep NSW gas in NSW, some argue that we should even by mining it in the first place.

The Wilderness Society is proud to stand with thousands of community members across NSW who are working to protect their land and water from Santos coal seam gas in North West NSW.

Santos’ plans to build gasfields across the Gunnedah Basin of North West NSW are being met with fierce community opposition. Their Narrabri Gas Project is Santos’ plan to drill 850 coal seam gas wells through the Pilliga forest, the largest inland forest left in Eastern Australia.

Santos’ risky quest for coal seam gas in the Pilliga so far has met disastrous results – with over 20 pollution scares, including groundwater contamination, waste spills, and continuing leaks from evaporation ponds.

Now the project has lost bipartisan political support with the State Opposition announcing policy specifically ruling out gasfield development in the Pilliga. The economic justification for the project, a gas supply shortage in NSW, has also been conclusively disproven.

Technical uncertainty at Narrabri remains high and reserves were recently written down by 32%. 

The project has already been delayed for years due to the geotechnical difficulties, environmental contamination and community protests.

The community will not rest until the Narrabri Gas Project is scrapped altogether.

In fact, local community members are celebrating the results of neighbour to neighbour coal seam gas surveys. The incredible results are in: 96% of people living across more than 3 million hectares of land in North West NSW want to be gasfield free!