ENERGY giant Santos has set no date on when a crucial document relating to its planned $2 billion coal seam gas project at Narrabri will be lodged.
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Under a timeline agreed upon with the state government, the company was due to submit its environmental impact statement (EIS) at the end of June.
But a four-month delay in receiving advice from the director-general has pushed the lodgement of the document back indefinitely.
The EIS will outline the expected impacts of the proposed 850-well operation on the environment and how the company plans to mitigate them.
Santos Energy NSW general manager Peter Mitchley said the company would not be rushed into submitting the EIS.
“Our commitment has always been to deliver a comprehensive and thorough assessment and we will take the time necessary to do just that,” he said.
“Santos is continuing to analyse the environmental data which will feed into our EIS.
“We want to ensure that what we’re delivering will meet the expectations of both the government and the community around the protection of the environment and the region’s water resources.”
Santos received a boost last week when NSW chief scientist Mary O’Kane concluded the risks of coal seam gas extraction could be “managed”, providing appropriate regulatory safeguards are put in place.
The result of the 19-month review has angered many opponents of the industry, with shock-jock Alan Jones potentially landing himself in legal trouble after imputing Professor O’Kane had been “got to” by the mining industry.
