Gas shock: Victorian Government approves gas production well under Port Campbell National Park

THE Victorian Government has formally approved a plan to start a gas production well passing under the Port Campbell National Park and near the 12 Apostles.

Beach Energy set up the Enterprise-1 drilling and testing program in May 2019.

The drill site starts onshore on freehold land about 450 metres north of the Port Campbell National Park, and extends about 3.5 kilometres southeast underground to a gas reservoir located 2km underground in the offshore Otway Basin.

This bore runs about 1.3 km beneath the park, and Beach Energy applied in February for ministerial approval to convert Enterprise-1 from a testing well to a production well.

Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change Lily D’Ambrosio gave her consent, under the National Parks Act 1975, on Wednesday last week.

The ministerial consent follows the federal government’s announcement of the 2021 Offshore Petroleum Acreage Release, which includes a large area of ocean to the east of the existing gas fields and just to the south of the 12 Apostles Marine National Park.

It also comes less than a month after a majority of Surf Coast Shire councillors supported a motion moved by Cr Kate Gazzard and seconded by Cr Liz Pattison to officially oppose the 2021 Offshore Petroleum Acreage Release and to also oppose any new oil or gas in the Otway Basin.

Shire mayor Libby Stapleton said the council had not received notification or advice from the Victorian Government about the ministerial consent.

“I’ve written to the minister requesting revision of the process in relation to future releases for the Otway Basin.

“Council’s position is consistent with our climate emergency declaration and reflects significant community concern.

“We need to do all that we can to protect our regional coastline.”

The Victorian Greens have been urging the Victorian Government to reject Beach Energy’s application and retract their support of gas drilling near the 12 Apostles Marine National Park, and their open letter to Premier Daniel Andrews had garnered more than 6,000 signatures as of earlier this week.

“New gas drilling in a climate crisis is absolutely absurd,” Greens MP Ellen Sandell wrote on Twitter.

“Gas drilling at the 12 Apostles should be a hard no.”

According to the notice of consent, it can be disallowed as it will not come into effect until it has been tabled for 14 sitting days in both the lower and upper house of the Victorian Parliament.

The notice states the “measures to protect park values and visitor experiences” include no works to occur in the park, as the gas field is not within the Arches Marine Sanctuary or the 12 Apostles Marine National Park.

Beach Energy’s information sheet about Enterprise-1 states the well uses extended reach drilling, which is “safe, efficient and has minimal environmental impact.”