Onshore fracking in the Northern Territory’s Beetaloo Basin could be underway as early as 2024 after the government lifted a five-year moratorium.
Chief Minister Natasha Fyles says the way has been cleared with all 135 recommendations from the 2018 Pepper inquiry implemented.
“We have strengthened government agencies; we have strengthened legislation to rigorously assess environmental management plans,” she told reporters on Wednesday.
A new petroleum operations unit will monitor compliance, with an annual investment of $2 million.
About 500km southeast of Darwin, the Beetaloo Basin contains an estimated 500 trillion cubic feet of gas, making it one of Australia’s most energy resource-rich areas.
The region has been subjected to extensive environmental scrutiny for the past five years following concerns the NT didn’t have robust legislation or environmental data that could safely regulate the gas industry….