Beetaloo Shale Developers Aim to Avoid Past Mistakes with Efficient Infrastructure Buildout

The Beetaloo sub-basin in Australia's Northern Territory has finally started shipping commercial volumes of shale gas, nearly 30 years after it was first surveyed. The Shenandoah gas project by Tamboran Resources shipped its first cargo this week.

Developers of the shale gas are hoping to replicate the success of Queensland's liquefied natural gas (LNG) boom without the mistakes that were made in the past. They plan to have multiple buyers for their gas, including LNG plants in Darwin and possibly on the east coast.

Beetaloo Energy CEO Alex Underwood said at a conference that they had learned from the experience of the coal seam rollout. He stated that it's not in anyone's interest to go their own way and duplicate infrastructure, which resulted in massive overexpenditure on LNG infrastructure in Queensland.

The big pipeline companies in Australia have expressed support for the Beetaloo project, saying there is space for all of them. However, the developers are keen to avoid the duplication that occurred in the past and build out infrastructure more efficiently.