2020 July 17th - Fracking plan for Canning Basin submitted by US-based Black Mountain subsidiary Bennett Resources

https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2020-07-16/bennett-resources-submits-fracking-plan-for-canning-basin/12458082?fbclid=IwAR2aNt_KE1V2IICtY359I8dqCCSG_P5iKY6QRK8fqChNQfp7BDurwOAAU-8

https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2020-07-16/bennett-resources-submits-fracking-plan-for-canning-basin/12458082

An American-owned oil and gas company says its extensive experience with fracking in the United States puts it in a strong position to kickstart an unconventional gas industry in Western Australia's Kimberley region.

Bennett Resources is attempting the first fracking program since the WA Government officially lifted the moratorium on hydraulic fracturing.(ABC Kimberley: Ben Collins)

  Darker yellow areas are where fracking is banned while green areas are petroleum titles.(Supplied: WA State Government)

There has been a lot of speculation about the feasibility and cost of building a trans-Australia gas pipeline over the years, with the idea recently put back on the agenda by the Federal Government.

It's hoped a proposal to link the gas fields in northern WA to manufacturers along the east coast could snap the economy out of a post-pandemic funk.

Ms Zumwalt-Forbes said although the eastern states were Black Mountain's preferred target market, the project's success was not dependent on a trans-Australia pipeline being built.

She said there was also an opportunity for Canning Basin gas to flow south to the Pilbara to existing LNG facilities on the North West Shelf as well as identifying potential international export markets.

Bennett Resources plans to begin a seismic campaign over its acreage EP 371 during the next 12 months, with drilling expected to start by 2022.

Key points:

• Bennett Resources has submitted plans to drill and frack six wells on Noonkanbah Station near Fitzroy Crossing
• The company is a subsidiary of Black Mountain, which has drilled more than 2,700 wells in the US and internationally
• Black Mountain president Ashley Zumwalt-Forbes says fracking the Canning Basin could address energy shortages in the eastern states

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Bennett Resources, a subsidiary of Texas-based Black Mountain, announced yesterday that it had submitted its referral to WA's Environmental Protection Authority to assess plans to drill and frack six wells on its newly acquired acreage on Noonkanbah Station, near Fitzroy Crossing.

The Government announced it was lifting its moratorium on fracking in November 2018 at the conclusion of the WA scientific inquiry, which found fracking posed a low risk to human health and the environment.