Development consent for all CSG wells in the Illawarra - approval to drill and run them - has expired. But exactly what this means for the project is unclear...
Fifteen wells were approved for development in 2009, a determination altered to include a sixteenth well in 2011. But the determination (PDF) states that drilling and operation of the wells must take place before the expiry of one of two exploration licences, unless the director-general of the planning department steps in.
These two licences (titles granted by the NSW Government that define an area for oil or gas exploration) expired in February and April this year.
Does anyone know what's going on?
We phoned the NSW Department of Planning and Infrastructure to confirm that development could not proceed at this time; they plead ignorant. We were told that the department does not know, and that a lawyer would have to determine what 'expiry' means.
Stop CSG! Illawarra
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