Environmentalists have long contested drilling in the Bight
Great Australian Bight closes for business
Santos joins the list of developers to withdraw from the region, deeming it too risky
The Great Australian Bight, once seen as a promising frontier deepwater exploration acreage, is effectively closed for business after the last deep-pocketed developers pulled out in July. Australian independent Santos announced in mid-July that its joint venture with US peer Murphy Oil had relinquished its 16,525km² exploration permit in the Bight. Santos owned 80pc of EPP43 and Murphy the remaining 20pc. They follow BP, Chevron and Norway’s Equinor in deeming the play too risky. The three firms abandoned their exploration plans for the Bight in 2016, 2017 and 2020 respectively. Environmental campaigners have long contested drilling in the Bight, which lies off the central and western portio
Also in this section
3 December 2024
Papua New Guinea’s LNG sector appears to be back on track, with other projects in the pipeline
2 December 2024
Crucial role of gas means country is laying the foundations to control physical and trading supply chains
30 November 2024
Decades of turmoil have left Iraq’s vast energy potential underutilised, but renewed investment and strategic reforms are transforming it into a key player in the region
29 November 2024
Although Iraq remains a major crude exporter, it is still some way from becoming a regional energy supply hub. Ambitious new cross-border schemes aim to rectify that situation
