This week marked a defining moment for Australia's energy future with the commissioning of first gas from the Beetaloo Basin.

For years, discussion about the Beetaloo focused on its promise, and that promise has now become reality.

With gas flowing from Tamboran Resources’ and Daly Waters Energy’s pilot project through APA’s newly completed Sturt Plateau Pipeline (SPP), Beetaloo gas will underpin energy security for the Territory for years to come.

The SPP has been delivered in close collaboration with Traditional Owners, landholders, customers, communities and the NT Government.

The SPP is only 37-kilometres long, but its significance stretches far beyond its current footprint.

The SPP establishes a strong foundation to progress the larger-scale infrastructure that can connect the Beetaloo to deliver energy for Australia’s east coast and our Asian trading partners.

That’s why this week we were also pleased to announce the start of the environmental assessment process for the proposed North to East Australia Pipeline (NEAP).

The NEAP is a proposed ~1,600 kilometre pipeline that would link the Beetaloo to APA’s existing east coast gas network. It would allow Beetaloo gas to reach both consumers and businesses in southern Australian markets, as well as regional export markets through existing LNG export facilities in Gladstone, Queensland.

APA has submitted its referral of the NEAP to the Northern Territory Environmental Protection Authority, and the project has received Coordinated Project status from the Queensland Government for a streamlined whole-of-government assessment in Queensland. Commonwealth Government assessments will kick off later this year.

These milestones build on the significant progress we’ve already made with the NEAP.

The NT Government has thrown its support behind the project, issuing APA with a pipeline permit to survey our proposed route and we’ve already completed two years of seasonal ecological surveys to support our environmental submissions. We’ve also been engaging with the 28 landholders who sit along this proposed route and are advancing discussions with the Northern Land Council alongside broader community and stakeholder engagement.

In short, we’ve made great progress and we’re moving forward at pace.

In addition to the NEAP, we are also looking at another potential pipeline from the Beetaloo north to Darwin. The Beetaloo to Darwin Pipeline would create additional capacity to supply the Darwin LNG export market. Route planning is well underway, including options alongside APA's existing Amadeus Gas Pipeline corridor, allowing us to build on established infrastructure and longstanding community relationships.
 
The reality is that both projects could ultimately be required in the coming decade.

After years of planning, investment and belief, that promise is finally becoming real.