CANBERRA, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- Norwegian energy company Equinor has cleared a major hurdle in its bid to drill for oil in the Great Australian Bight.
The National Offshore Petroleum Safety and Environmental Management Authority (NOPSEMA) on Wednesday granted environmental approval for Equinor's plans in the bight off the coast of South Australia (SA).
The decision was welcomed by Minister for Resources Matt Canavan, who emphasised the great potential for a new major petroleum basin to be opened up.
"The Great Australian Bight is relatively unexplored but considered to be highly prospective for petroleum resources, with potential to provide significant economic benefits and help strengthen our fuel security as a nation," he said in a media release.
"Around 20 years ago, we had 96 percent of our petroleum produced domestically in a raw product form - now we can only meet about half of our petroleum needs from domestic sources of production," he said.
According to the media release, it is another step in the regulatory process for Equinor prior to being able to drill its exploration well.
Equinor must now seek acceptance of its well operations management plan and safety case before any drilling activity can occur.
However, environment groups have promised a fresh campaign against the decision, according to The Australian report.
"The vast majority of Australians don't want oil drilling in the Great Australian Bight, and we will now be looking at our legal options to protect Australians from this risky and unwanted drilling," Wilderness Society South Australian Director Peter Owen said.
