Beetaloo Basin Flows Gas, Hopes to Meet Rising Asian Demand
Australia's remote Beetaloo shale gas basin has reached an important milestone in its multiyear development, with gas from an exploration well flowing into a new pipeline connected to Darwin. The initial production stands at around 40 terajoules or 37 million cubic feet of gas per day.
The Beetaloo basin is believed to have significant potential, with companies operating in the area claiming at least 200 trillion cubic feet of recoverable natural gas reserves. This could be compared with the Marcellus shale basin in the United States.
The escalation in the Middle East has strengthened the case for increasing Australia's liquefied natural gas exports. Australia is close to major Asian buyers, including China and Japan, and does not depend on maritime chokepoints such as the Strait of Hormuz.