Overview

• The National Offshore Petroleum Safety and Environmental Management Authority (NOPSEMA) has approved Santos's environmental plan, allowing production to begin at the Barossa offshore gasfield near the Northern Territory coast.
• The Barossa project, with an 18% carbon dioxide content, is among Australia's most carbon-intensive gas developments and is projected to emit over 270 million tonnes of CO₂ over its lifetime.
• Santos has confirmed that the project remains on schedule for first gas production by the third quarter of 2025, within its cost guidance.
• Environmental groups, including the Australian Conservation Foundation, have criticized the project as a 'climate bomb,' citing its significant greenhouse gas emissions and questioning its compliance with Australia's safeguard mechanism.
• Legal challenges concerning submerged cultural heritage were dismissed last year, with the Federal Court ordering the Environmental Defenders Office to pay Santos's legal costs.