Santos says it won’t ‘exert any effort’ on Narrabri gas project while it focuses on Beetaloo Basin

Santos chief executive, Kevin Gallagher, has told an investor briefing the company will not be “exerting any effort” on its Narrabri gas project while it awaits outstanding approvals, prompting fresh questions about the future of the controversial development. Gallagher told investors this week the company was prioritising exploration in the Northern Territory’s Beetaloo Basin, where it is pursuing an expansion . He said a strategic review had determined Santos reserves in eastern Queensland and Western Australia’s Browse Basin should be “deprioritised”. Sign up for the Breaking News Australia email According to the published briefing , the Narrabri project in north-west New South Wales would be subject to “further review” in 2027 after the company completed an appraisal of its Beetaloo reserves. “Narrabri, it’s really about just focusing on approvals and … you know, continue with that, but again, not spending any capital or exerting any effort on that route,” Gallagher told investors. “And some of these [domestic] assets will be re-evaluated once we’ve appraised the Beetaloo, and for obvious reasons. “If the Beetaloo works, then it changes what we might want to do with some of those assets. There’d be less of a requirement in some cases to do anything with any of them … because the Beetaloo has a scale”. …