Northern Territory Shale Developers Look Towards LNG Production
Developers of shale gas in Australia's Northern Territory say they plan to replicate the liquefied natural gas boom in the state of Queensland, but without the duplication of infrastructure and overspending that occurred in the 2010s.The territory's Beetaloo sub-basin was surveyed over 30 years ago but the first commercial volumes of shale gas were shipped only this week from Tamboran Resources’ Shenandoah gas project.Like Queensland's coal seam gas-to-LNG ambitions, Beetaloo shale aspirations have met with initial scepticism by many industry watchers.
Minister says that Australia's data centres should be powered by renewable energy in the majority.
Chris Bowen, Australia's energy minister, said that the Northern Territory's plans to use large-scale shale-gas resources to power data centers would be in conflict with proposed national standards. This cast doubt on the Territory's ambitious plan to attract multibillion-dollar tech investments. Canberra's recent proposed policy mandates that data centres build renewable sources of power instead of pulling electricity from grid. Queensland and the Northern Territory both support gas-fired energy for data centres.
Australian energy firms increase their exploration
Australia is the No.2 liquefied natural gas producer in the world. This increase is due to domestic gas demand, a more favourable investment climate and improving technology. Australia, the world's No. Geoscience Australia has provided a summary of drilling activity, including estimates of contingent resources as of October 20, 2025, except where otherwise noted. The Beetaloo Sub-basin lies in the Northern Territory around 500 km (310 mi) south of Darwin. The Northern Territory Government estimates that the gas reserves are over 7 trillion cubic foot (Tcf).
The Australian far-right party proposes a state oil company and oil fund similar to Norway
One Nation, the Australian populist group led by Pauline Hanson, said it wanted to create an offshore production licenses fund in federal waters and a sovereign wealth fund in the style of Norway. It announced its 'energy policy' at the Australian Energy Producers Conference in Adelaide. One Nation, the Australian populist party led by Pauline Hanson, has gained popularity in recent years, winning their first House of Representatives seats. Gina Rinehart has also backed them, donating a plane and hosting dinners.
Australian State calls for quicker approvals of new oilfield
Queensland, Australia's state, said on Wednesday that it would urge the federal government to streamline approvals of a 'potentially' first new oilfield Australia has seen in decades. It argues that faster development is necessary to boost fuel security. Taroom Trough, a frontier basin that may contain large unconventional gas reserves, could also hold significant oil. This is after Australian junior Omega Oil and Gas found oil unexpectedly in 2025. David Crisafulli said that Shell has also started to produce small amounts of oil in the field.
Australia is preparing to review its gas market, which could affect LNG exports
Australia will soon issue a review of the gas market that could limit exports from its east coast. Three operators, led by Shell and Santos, send cargoes to Asia. They said that the review, which they expect Canberra to release this week, may 'include a plan for LNG exporters to prioritize local supply in the populous east, the main source of domestic demand. Tony Wood, energy analyst at Melbourne's Grattan Institute, said that the government is trying to solve a difficult problem. They want the domestic and international markets to be able access gas at a reasonable price.
ConocoPhillips launches natural gas drilling offshore eastern Australia
ConocoPhillips, a U.S.-based independent company, has begun drilling its first exploration hole as part of a larger campaign to search for natural gas off the eastern Australian coast, 3D Energi its junior partner said on Monday. 3D Energi announced in a filing with the ASX that work began on the Essington-1 oil well over the weekend. It will take 32 days for the drilling to reach 2,650 metres (8.694 feet). The company stated that this is the first well in the Otway Exploration Drilling Program for the development of new gas for Australia’s eastern domestic market.
ADNOC consortium targets Australia's Santos
Abu Dhabi National Oil Company's (ADNOC) is looking to expand its global gas business and has proposed a $18,7 billion takeover bid of Australia's Santos, the second largest independent gas producer. Santos has supported the plan. Here are some key details about Santos, including its production and reserves (measured in millions of barrels of oil-equivalent (mmboe)), its domestic and foreign oil and gas assets and its long-term LNG deals. 2024 Production (mmboe). Santos is the operator of Darwin LNG, Gladstone LNG and PNG LNG in Australia.
Santos Australia gets the green light on $2.3 billion Narrabri Gas Project
Santos’ A$3.6 billion (2.32 billion) Narrabri Gas Project in Australia, can proceed. A tribunal has ruled that the project is allowed to go ahead, as the increase in energy supply for the Australian market outweighs concerns about the impact on the climate or damage to Indigenous heritage sites. The decision comes after a decade of fighting over the granting of leases to Santos, which would allow it to drill 850 wells in the northwest New South Wales area and extract coal seam gas. This area overlaps the culturally important Pilliga forest.
Shell and PetroChina expand Surat coal-seam gas project in Australia
Shell and PetroChina announced on Monday that they have decided to expand their Surat coal-seam gas project in Queensland. This comes amid calls from the British oil giant for increased investment to boost the local energy supply. The decision was made at a moment when executives in the industry have been pressing for government action to bring investments back that were halted by state interventions to reduce energy prices and increase domestic supply. The Australian energy market operator…
South Korea's POSCO Launches Takeover Bid for Australia's Senex Energy
Australian coal seam gas producer Senex Energy Ltd said it had received a $605 million takeover proposal from POSCO International Corp and was opening up its books to the South Korean trader with the aim of gaining a sweeter offer.The A$815 million or A$4.40 per share offer from POSCO International, the trading arm of steel giant POSCO, has already been twice-improved, Senex said."The Senex Board believes it is in the best interests of its shareholders to continue to engage with POSCO International and will assess any proposal received on its merits…
Virus Lockdowns Pummel Global Gas Demand, Force LNG Output Cuts
Lockdowns to slow the coronavirus pandemic are pummelling gas demand in the world's biggest buyers of liquefied natural gas (LNG), pushing Asia's spot prices to record lows and forcing some suppliers to start cutting output. Economies worldwide have ground to a halt as virus containment measures have taken their toll, slashing gas demand for power generation, heating, cooking, vehicles and chemical manufacture. The world's biggest LNG markets - Japan, China, South Korea, and India - are all seeing a drop in demand.
Europe to be Natural Gas Kingmaker
It's probably not quite here yet, but the trend is unmistakeable; the world is moving to a globally-linked natural gas market and the rise of liquefied natural gas (LNG) is the key driver. Much of the increase in LNG capacity is because of the rapid boost to plants in Australia and the United States, as both countries take advantage of abundant local reserves of natural gas to muscle in on a market that until recently had been dominated by a few established producers and buyers.
Australia Gas Export Restrictions Counterproductive
When governments adopt new policies the benchmark for success should be that the change works, is efficient and fair to all parties and does not create unintended consequences. The decision by the Australian government to restrict exports of natural gas if the domestic market is constrained meets none of these criteria, although it may just persuade an increasingly angry public that the authorities are doing something. Whether the new policy does serve some short-term…
Australia in Talks With Gas Majors to Avert Local Shortage
Australian PM in crisis talks with gas majors; Australia faces gas shortage despite exports soaring. Australia's top gas producers, led by ExxonMobil Corp and Royal Dutch Shell, agreed to boost supply to the country's domestic market to help avert an energy shortage following crisis talks with Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull. Australia is on track to become the world's largest exporter of liquified natural gas (LNG), yet its energy market operator has warned of a domestic gas crunch from 2019 that could trigger industry supply cuts and broad power outages.
LNG Demand, Prices Surprise: Russell
China's record imports of liquefied natural gas (LNG) in December, and the doubling in spot Asian prices in the past six months, appear to contradict the prevailing market view that supply is overwhelming demand for the super-chilled fuel. But while demand for LNG has definitely firmed in recent months, and not just from China, it's still likely the case that the wave of new projects will push the market into surplus - just perhaps not by as much as some observers had feared.
No New Australian LNG Projects Doesn't Mean No New LNG
Conventional wisdom in the liquefied natural gas (LNG) sector is that no new projects will be built for several years, given the vast cost can't be reconciled with the current low prices. This view has led some in the industry to predict that the market will flip back to a structural shortage sometime in the early to mid-2020s, once again sending prices soaring as new supply takes so long to be built and become operational. The cancellation or deferment of investment decisions on several projects in Australia…
LNG Could Follow Crude Oil's Lead: Russell
In contrast to the carnage in crude oil markets, liquefied natural gas (LNG) prices in Asia have enjoyed relative stability for the past three months, but it's unlikely the calm will persist much longer. Spot Asian LNG prices <LNG-AS> ended last week at $5.60 per million British thermal units (mmBtu), about 28 percent below the recent peak of $7.80 reached on Nov. 22. In contrast, Brent crude oil has dropped 46 percent from its recent peak in early October to trade currently around $28.55 a barrel.
ACCC Approves Shell, BG Merger
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission will not oppose the proposed acquisition by Royal Dutch Shell (Shell) of BG Group (BG). “The ACCC’s view is that the proposed acquisition would be unlikely to substantially lessen competition in the wholesale natural gas market, in either Queensland or eastern Australia more broadly,” ACCC Chairman Rod Sims said. The ACCC considered whether the proposed acquisition would reduce the supply of gas, or reduce competition to supply gas…
AGL Writes Down Coal-Seam Gas Assets
AGL Energy Ltd, Australia's No. 2 energy retailer, said it will sell three coal-seam gas licences back to the government and write down the value of several more underperforming projects, cutting its net profit by $443 million. The announcement is the latest sign that Chief Executive Officer Andy Vesey, who assumed the role in February, is moving quickly to restructure the business to adapt to an industry under pressure to prove its environmental credentials. In April…