Overview

• The Victorian government’s conditional approval on May 29 enables Viva Energy to advance finance arrangements and complete outstanding permits for its LNG import terminal.
• The planned facility will feature a storage and regasification unit, an extended pier and a seven-kilometre pipeline linking to Lara’s network.
• Federal Resources Minister Madeleine King has initiated a review of Queensland’s LNG export controls to bolster supply for the eastern seaboard as Bass Strait fields wane.
• Industry groups hail the terminal as a rapid remedy for looming winter shortages, while environmental advocates and locals warn it could entrench fossil-fuel reliance and harm coastal areas.
• Parallel proposals at Port Kembla, Port Phillip Bay and Port Adelaide signal a broader strategy to ramp up gas inputs in support of Australia’s energy transition.