General News
28 November, 2023
Time running out for feedback
RESIDENTS have just weeks left to have their say on exploration plans off the coast...
Have your say: ConocoPhillips has lodged its Environment Plan for its proposed test drilling project in the Otway Basin, with just weeks for residents to provide feedback.
RESIDENTS have just weeks left to have their say on exploration plans off the coast.
ConocoPhillips Australia has lodged its Environment Plan for its proposed test drilling project in the Otway Basin to the offshore oil and gas regulator NOPSEMA, with the public comment period running until December 18.
The proposed Otway Exploration Drilling Program involves seabed surveys at up to nine locations, and drilling up to a maximum of six exploration wells in water depths ranging from 53 metres to 500 metres.
The activity is scheduled to start no earlier than April 1, 2024 and will be completed no later than December 31, 2028, with the exact timing dependent on the acceptance of the Environment Plan and the availability of a mobile offshore drilling unit.
The Australian Marine Conservation Society (AMCS) has created an online submission guide to assist communities in understanding the threats of this project to our oceans, as well as an animation based on ConocoPhillips’ modelling in its Environment Plan, showing where a spill could impact.
AMCS oil and gas campaign manager Louise Morris said a spill from ConocoPhillips’ test drilling program could be devastating for Australia’s most populated coast, from South Australia across Victoria to NSW, as well as Tasmania and King Island.
“The community has a right to better transparency and accountability in decisions made about nature – but this isn't happening when the public is forced into a rushed 30-day public comment period on a vast 810-page document that does not provide comprehensible information,” she said.
“ConocoPhillips’ Environment Plan details large footprints for six proposed drill sites, but the actual locations are not disclosed.
“The proposed drilling area includes the Zeehan Commonwealth Marine Park, critical calving grounds for endangered southern right whales and feeding grounds for the endangered blue whale, and 30 other species of whales and dolphins also use these waters.
“Australia’s south-eastern seas contain some of the richest, most diverse life on the planet, from the warm temperate waters around South Australia, Victoria and NSW to the cool temperate waters around Tasmania.
“They are full of marine treasures, from seals, southern right whales, blue whales and bluefin tuna to threatened kelp forests and unique deep-sea corals which are part of the Great Southern Reef.”
Ms Morris said a spill from ConocoPhillips’ test drilling program could be “devastating for Australia’s most populated coast”.
“Australians don’t want oil and gas exploration and drilling in our southern seas. In the past decade, communities have stopped BP, Chevron and Equinor from drilling in the Great Australian Bight, they have opposed proposed gas exploration off the coast of Sydney, Newcastle and the Central Coast, and there is a growing campaign against ConocoPhillips' plans with fishers, surfers and residents joining together in protests across Victoria, Tasmania and King Island,” she said.
“We cannot allow more oil and gas industrialisation in Australia’s south-east seas, where marine life is already experiencing multiple threats including climate change, with the waters there warming three to four times the global average and a coming marine heatwave.”
A ConocoPhillips spokesperson said the purpose of the Environmental Plan is to demonstrate that ConocoPhillips Australia’s proposed Otway Exploration Drilling Program can meet the objectives of the Environment Regulations.
The spokesperson said the draft Environmental Plan chapters were released for consultation on August 31, 2023 and when public comment closes on December 18, 2023 it will have been available to the public for 110 days for review.
“There is an estimated 0.016 per cent chance that a loss of well control event may occur when drilling an exploration well during this proposed activity,” the spokesperson said.
“Hydrocarbon reserves in the Otway Basin typically consist of gas condensate. If a loss of well control were to occur, modelling shows that the majority of the release condensate would evaporate during the first day.
“As the risk of an unplanned hydrocarbon release cannot be completely eliminated, detailed response plans for credible events must be developed to demonstrate to NOPSEMA and other stakeholders that ConocoPhillips Australia is prepared to respond in the extremely unlikely event an unplanned release occurs.
To further reduce the likelihood of a spill, ConocoPhillips Australia puts control measures in place. These include preventative measures including ensuring the relevant equipment is routinely tested and maintained, and response measures like having an accepted Oil Pollution Emergency Plan (OPEP) in place.”
The proposed activities are a continuation of ConocoPhillips Australia’s exploration program in the offshore Otway Basin which aims to identify commercially viable natural gas reserves to help meet Australia’s energy needs.
The ConocoPhillips spokesperson said specific locations for seabed surveys and exploration drill have not been confirmed.
“ConocoPhillips Australia has undertaken to assess the environmental impacts and risks associated with seabed surveys and drilling activities that may occur anywhere within broader operational areas within petroleum titles T/49P and VIC/ P79,” the spokesperson said.
“Overall, the process for selecting drilling locations is a complex and multidisciplinary effort that requires skilled professionals and advanced technology.”
The ConocoPhillips spokesperson said the objectives of the Offshore Petroleum and Greenhouse Gas Storage (Environment) Regulations (2009) are to ensure that any petroleum activity is carried out in a manner consistent with the principles of ecologically sustainable development.
They said additionally, these activities must be carried out in a manner which reduces the environmental impacts and risks associated with them to as low as reasonably practicable (ALARP), while also ensuring any remaining environmental impacts and risks are at an acceptable level.
“These objectives are critical to the protection of the marine environment and marine ecosystems from negative impacts associated with offshore petroleum activities,” the ConocoPhillips spokesperson said.
“The principles of ecologically sustainable development promote the responsible use of natural resources and emphasise the need to consider the long-term impacts of human activities on the environment.
“ConocoPhillips Australia has been conducting marine mammal surveys since 2021 to produce contemporary data that supports effective decision-making in the Otway Basin.
“This research continues to improve knowledge on the presence/absence, distribution and behaviours of key species during and outside of known peak seasons.”
Interested community members can view the Environment Plan and associated documents at www.consultation.nopsema.gov.au.