Santos Begins Drilling First Appraisal Well in Northern Territory's Beetaloo Basin
Australian energy company Santos has started drilling its first appraisal well in the Beetaloo Basin, located on exploration permit EP161. This marks a significant step toward assessing the commercial viability of shale gas resources in northern Australia. The project received environmental approval from the Northern Territory government earlier this year and involves construction by local contractor Exact Contracting. The Beetaloo sub-basin is estimated to hold over 430 trillion cubic feet of potential gas reserves, which could support long-term economic activity if developed at scale. Santos has held exploration rights in the area since 2012 and previously conducted seismic surveys there. The appraisal well aims to confirm whether these resources can be extracted profitably. Santos CEO Kevin Gallagher emphasized that this milestone reflects responsible development aligned with local communities, including pastoralists and Traditional Owners. If successful, Santos' acreage in the region could supply up to 10 million tonnes per annum of LNG for decades.
Topics: appraisal well drilling energy environmental management plan oil and gas exploration