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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
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| Statoil to drill in Great Australian Bight after signing deal with BP | Statoil to drill in Great Australian Bight after signing deal with BP |
| (7 months later) | |
| Norwegian company will take over two exploration permits from BP, which had scrapped its own drilling plans in December | |
| Australian Associated Press | |
| Fri 9 Jun 2017 04.44 BST | |
| Last modified on Thu 12 Oct 2017 23.59 BST | |
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| The Norwegian-based oil and gas company Statoil has announced plans to drill an exploration well in the Great Australian Bight by the end of October 2019 – a move that Greenpeace says presents a catastrophic risk and should be rejected. | The Norwegian-based oil and gas company Statoil has announced plans to drill an exploration well in the Great Australian Bight by the end of October 2019 – a move that Greenpeace says presents a catastrophic risk and should be rejected. |
| The company, which is majority owned by the Norwegian government, has signed an agreement to take over two exploration permits from BP for work in the Bight and has also given up its 30% equity in two other licences held by BP. | The company, which is majority owned by the Norwegian government, has signed an agreement to take over two exploration permits from BP for work in the Bight and has also given up its 30% equity in two other licences held by BP. |
| The plans for drilling are likely to face strong opposition from environmental groups due to fears any potential oil spill could damage the delicate marine ecosystem, which is a breeding ground for the Southern Right Whale. | The plans for drilling are likely to face strong opposition from environmental groups due to fears any potential oil spill could damage the delicate marine ecosystem, which is a breeding ground for the Southern Right Whale. |
| Greenpeace says Norway’s oil regulator recently criticised Statoil’s safety record and it could not be trusted to drill in the Great Australian Bight. | Greenpeace says Norway’s oil regulator recently criticised Statoil’s safety record and it could not be trusted to drill in the Great Australian Bight. |
| “Statoil has come under scrutiny for a worsening safety record, including a doubling of the volume of oil spills from their Norwegian wells last year and fourteen major safety incidents in the past eighteen months,” said Greenpeace Campaigner, Jonathan Moylan. | “Statoil has come under scrutiny for a worsening safety record, including a doubling of the volume of oil spills from their Norwegian wells last year and fourteen major safety incidents in the past eighteen months,” said Greenpeace Campaigner, Jonathan Moylan. |
| “Nopsema [the Australian regulator] should not approve drilling in such a sensitive area by a company with such a track record. | “Nopsema [the Australian regulator] should not approve drilling in such a sensitive area by a company with such a track record. |
| “The Great Australian Bight has some of the most extreme weather conditions on the planet. Extreme deepwater drilling under such conditions is too risky. Any spill would be catastrophic, as stochastic modelling done previously by BP has shown: the devastating impacts would reach from Perth in WA to Eden on the NSW south coast.” | “The Great Australian Bight has some of the most extreme weather conditions on the planet. Extreme deepwater drilling under such conditions is too risky. Any spill would be catastrophic, as stochastic modelling done previously by BP has shown: the devastating impacts would reach from Perth in WA to Eden on the NSW south coast.” |
| “Statoil should brace for strong opposition to its plans from the South Australian community, including from tourism and fishing communities who rely on a pristine Bight. “The livelihoods of communities that would be affected by a catastrophic oil spill should not be trumped by the special interests of the oil industry,” Moylan said. | “Statoil should brace for strong opposition to its plans from the South Australian community, including from tourism and fishing communities who rely on a pristine Bight. “The livelihoods of communities that would be affected by a catastrophic oil spill should not be trumped by the special interests of the oil industry,” Moylan said. |
| Statoil says the deal is in line with its global strategy. . | Statoil says the deal is in line with its global strategy. . |
| “With this transaction, we have strengthened our position in this promising, unproven basin with a large exploration upside,” Statoil’s Pal Haremo said. “We have a good understanding of the geology in our licence area, based on high-quality 3D data analysis. | “With this transaction, we have strengthened our position in this promising, unproven basin with a large exploration upside,” Statoil’s Pal Haremo said. “We have a good understanding of the geology in our licence area, based on high-quality 3D data analysis. |
| “We believe there could be an active petroleum system within our permit area and we are now positioned to test this potential under favourable market conditions for exploration drilling.” | “We believe there could be an active petroleum system within our permit area and we are now positioned to test this potential under favourable market conditions for exploration drilling.” |
| In December, BP scrapped its own plans to drill exploration wells in the Bight, saying the project would not deliver enough return on investment. | In December, BP scrapped its own plans to drill exploration wells in the Bight, saying the project would not deliver enough return on investment. |
| That followed the company’s modelling, which detailed the impact of a well blow-out and showed oil on the sea surface could travel up to 2,650 kilometres and almost certainly reach large sections of the South Australian coastline. | That followed the company’s modelling, which detailed the impact of a well blow-out and showed oil on the sea surface could travel up to 2,650 kilometres and almost certainly reach large sections of the South Australian coastline. |
| BP’s decision to scrap its plans for the Bight project drew criticism from the South Australian treasurer, Tom Koutsantonis, who said the company had walked away from a promise to invest $1.4bn in the program. | BP’s decision to scrap its plans for the Bight project drew criticism from the South Australian treasurer, Tom Koutsantonis, who said the company had walked away from a promise to invest $1.4bn in the program. |
| But environmental groups welcomed BP’s decision and called on the federal government to rescind all future drilling leases in the Bight. | But environmental groups welcomed BP’s decision and called on the federal government to rescind all future drilling leases in the Bight. |
| Energy | |
| South Australia | |
| Oil and gas companies | |
| BP | |
| Oil | |
| Great Australian Bight | |
| news | |
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