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NT’s Blacktip gas field production drops, forcing shutdown of Northern Gas Pipeline

October 22, 2022

NT’s Blacktip gas field production drops, forcing shutdown of Northern Gas Pipeline

photo from a height of a power station with the sea in the background
The Channel Island power station is the main provider of electricity to the Darwin-Katherine interconnected system.(Supplied: Territory Generation)

Production from the offshore field which supplies gas for the Top End’s electricity generation has decreased by nearly 50 per cent this year — raising concerns about the long-term security of the resource.

Power and Water Corporation (PWC) has an agreement with Italian company ENI to buy gas from its Blacktip field until 2031, using the gas to generate electricity for the Darwin to Katherine grid.

But over the past 12 months, gas output from the field has been steadily dropping.

Blacktip’s production has decreased so much that there is not enough gas to run the Tennant Creek to Mount Isa pipeline, where PWC normally sends its excess supply.

Wood Mackenzie energy research analyst Anne Forbes said it was common for gas fields to have production issues, but Blacktip’s problems seemed particularly bad.

“There’s been quite a significant [production] decline, much more severe than we would generally assume would happen for this type of gas field,” she said.

“It’s been quite unexpected.”

Aging electricity infrastructure in the Northern Territory
Most of the Northern Territory’s electricity is provided by gas-fired power stations.(ABC News)

The Blacktip field is made up of 12 separate stacked reservoirs across four different geological formations — meaning it is difficult to extract gas from.

“[A gas reservoir] will always not perform as you expect — it might be better or it might be worse,” Ms Forbes said.

“In this case it’s not been as good as [ENI] had hoped.”

…click on the above link to read the rest…

US Preparing To Bomb Iran’s Nuclear Capabilities As Soon As Next Month: Report

July 26, 2018

US Preparing To Bomb Iran’s Nuclear Capabilities As Soon As Next Month: Report

As the White House convenes a policy meeting on Iran Thursday involving senior Pentagon officials and cabinet advisers under national security adviser John Bolton, and after a week of intense saber-rattling by President Donald Trump and his Iranian counterpart Hassan Rouhani, a new bombshell report by Australia’s ABC says the White House is drawing up plans to strike Iran’s alleged nuclear facilities as early as next month.

Senior figures in the Australia’s Turnbull government have told the ABC they believe the US is prepared to bomb Iran’s nuclear capability. The bombing could be as early as next month. —ABC report

Crucially, Australia is part of the so-called “Five Eyes” global intelligence partners which includes the US, UK, Australia, Canada and New Zealand, and plays in a key role in hosting top-secret facilities that guide American spy satellites.

According to the breaking report, ABC [Australian Broadcasting Corporation] has learned the following based on statements of key senior defense and intelligence officials:

  • Senior Government figures have told the ABC they believe the Trump administration is prepared to bomb Iran
  • They say Australian defence facilities would likely play a role in identifying possible targets
  • But another senior source, in security, emphasizes there is a difference between providing intelligence and “active targeting”

The report cites high level Aussie government officials who say that secretive Australian defense and intelligence facilities would likely cooperate with the United States and Britain in identifying targets in a strike on Iran.

One particular facility, the Pine Gap joint defense facility in the Northern Territory, would play a significant targeting role in joint US-led strikes on Iran, according to the report, it’s “considered crucial among the so-called ‘Five Eyes’ intelligence partners… for its role in directing American spy satellites.”

And further, other agencies are expected to play a role:

…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…

State of Fear – Corruption in High Places

April 13, 2016

State of Fear – Corruption in High Places 

Mr. X and his Mysterious Benefactors

As the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) reports, a money-laundering alarm was triggered at AmBank in Malaysia, a bank part-owned by one of Australia’s “big four” banks, ANZ. What had triggered the alarm? Money had poured into the personal account of one of the bank’s customers, a certain Mr. X, in truly staggering amounts.

najibA recent photograph of Mr. X.     Photo credit; Peter Foley / Bloomberg via Getty Images

Hundreds of millions of dollars were paid into the account of Mr. X by a Saudi prince described as “mysterious”, and two British Virgin Island companies characterized as “shadowy”.

Overall, more than $1.05 billion landed in Mr. X’s private account in a little over two years. This was bound to raise eyebrows, considering Mr. X’s official salary only amounts to approx. $100,000 per year. Not a bad salary to be sure, but even if he were to save half of it every year, it would take him 210,000 years to save up $1.05 billion, not just two.

Then the head of a government-owned Malaysian company put millions of ringgit into Mr. X’s credit card accounts, which had been a tad overdrawn (by slightly over $ 1m.), due to Mr. X’s wife splurging a bit on jewelry in 2014.

ringgitA nice little pile of ringgit suddenly found its way into Mr. X’s credit card accounts, taking care of a slight overdraft.

Apparently Mr. X was not shy about spending some of his new-found wealth either. Apart from his wife’s predilection for expensive jewelry and other luxury items, he himself occasionally displayed a yen for fancy cars and reportedly also favored swanky accommodation. Friends and partners of Mr. X also enjoyed a windfall.

…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…

Emissions reduction target: Julie Bishop disputes Climate Change Authority’s figures

August 15, 2015

Emissions reduction target: Julie Bishop disputes Climate Change Authority’s figures

Foreign Minister Julie Bishop has responded to the Climate Change Authority’s criticism of the Government’s emission reduction targets, saying its estimates are incorrect.

On Tuesday, the Federal Government announced plans to cut emissions by 26-28 per cent by 2030 based on emissions from the year 2005.

The Climate Change Authority said with the “right” policies it believed more ambitious targets than those adopted by the Government could be achieved at modest costs.

Authority chair Bernie Fraser said in a statement the body had recommended reductions of 45-63 per cent by 2030.

“Along with other countries, Australia has agreed to work towards reducing emissions to levels consistent with limiting global warming to less than 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels — this remains a challenging task,” he said in a statement.

“Measured against the reductions in emissions required to deliver a reasonable chance of limiting global warming to 2 degrees, all countries have a lot more work to do over the decades ahead.”

But Ms Bishop said figures released by the Authority were disputed by the Federal Government.

“Mr Bernie Fraser … [stated] China’s emissions would increase by 72 to 96 per cent above 2005 levels by 2030. The Australian Government disputes these figures,” she said in a statement.

“China’s 2030 target will allow emissions to increase by around 150 per cent from 2005 levels when calculated on China’s national currency.”

She said Australia’s 2030 target was strong, responsible and achievable.

“We have a proven track record of meeting our climate targets. We met our first Kyoto target and are on track to meet our 2020 target.”

Addressing the South Australian Liberal Party annual meeting, Prime Minister Tony Abbott said the emissions target was leading the pack economically and environmentally.

“When it comes to emissions per capita, our target, a target that we are absolutely confident that we can and will meet, is the best in the world,” he said.

…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…

 

 

 

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