Indigenous Australians take South Korea financiers to courtroom over Barossa LNG undertaking
Conventional landowners in Australia’s Northern Territory have launched authorized motion towards South Korea’s export credit score companies in an try to dam funding for the Santos-led $3.6 billion Barossa gasoline undertaking, which can backfill the Darwin liquefied pure gasoline (LNG) export plant.
Individuals from the Tiwi Islands and Larrakia Conventional Homeowners are searching for an injunction from the Seoul Central District Court docket to dam the Export-Import Financial institution of Korea (KEXIM) and the Korea Commerce Insurance coverage Corp (Ok-Positive) from offering loans.
They are saying they weren’t correctly consulted on the undertaking and a deliberate pipeline will threaten turtles, dugongs, and different sea life which the islanders depend upon, reported Reuters.
“By taking the South Korean Authorities to courtroom to cease this gasoline undertaking, we’re defending our household and our land,” Tiwi Conventional Proprietor Daniel Munkara, one of many plaintiffs within the case, mentioned in an announcement.
Attorneys performing on their behalf have filed the injunction within the Seoul courtroom to attempt to stop South Korean export companies offering virtually A$1 billion in loans for the Barossa gasoline undertaking, reported ABC.
If the loans and mortgage ensures probably price round US$700 million are blocked, that would delay the undertaking, the teams mentioned.
The Barossa undertaking, as a result of begin producing gasoline in 2025, requires the development of a roughly 260 kilometer (162-mile) pipeline that can join offshore gasoline amenities to an current pipeline that runs to Darwin.
The undertaking is led by Australia’s Santos (ASX:STO) and companions embody South Korean vitality firm SK E&S.
Gasoline big in Korea accused by activists of greenwashing over Australian LNG
Santos declined to touch upon the authorized motion however mentioned the Barossa undertaking has all the required approvals in place, mentioned Reuters.
“As is the case for all of our initiatives, we undertake session with all key stakeholders the place they obtain detailed details about the undertaking,” a Santos spokesperson mentioned.
South Korea’s largest non-public gasoline supplier SK E&S was additionally going through authorized motion from a local weather activist group alleging that it falsely marketed the inexperienced credentials of the Santos-led Barossa liquefied pure gasoline (LNG) undertaking in Australia, Vitality Voice reported final December.
The Barossa undertaking took a ultimate funding resolution in March 2021 and is progressing on schedule and price range for first LNG within the first half of 2025, Santos mentioned late final 12 months. The undertaking contains a floating manufacturing, storage and offloading (FPSO) vessel, subsea manufacturing wells, supporting subsea infrastructure and a gasoline export pipeline tied into the prevailing Bayu-Undan to Darwin LNG pipeline.
The individuals within the Barossa undertaking are Santos (50% and operator), SK E&S (37.5%) and JERA (12.5%).
The individuals in Darwin LNG are Santos (43.4% and operator), SK E&S (25% ), INPEX (11.4%), Eni (11%), JERA (6.1%) and Tokyo Gasoline (3.1%).