BONAPARTE GAS PIPELINE

BONAPARTE GAS PIPELINE

3 DESCRIPTION OF PROPOSAL given in 2006

3.1 Introduction
The Australian Pipeline Trust (APA) proposes to construct and operate the Bonaparte
Gas Pipeline (BGP) from Wadeye to Ban Ban Springs, a distance of approximately
275 km. The BGP will be a high pressure gas pipeline that will connect to the
Amadeus Basin to Darwin Gas Pipeline (ADP).
The Power and Water Corporation (PWC) has negotiated an agreement with Eni
Australia Pty Ltd (Eni) to source replacement gas supplies, from the Blacktip field
located offshore in the Bonaparte Gulf, for existing power generation assets in the
Northern Territory. The BGP will transport treated natural gas from the Eni Blacktip
Gas Plant to supply fuel for the Northern Territory’s power supply. The current gas
supplies from the Amadeus Basin, west of Alice Springs, will begin to decline in 2008
and are unable to provide future supplies to Darwin. The pipeline, which will initially
be capable of delivering 30 PJ/year, will consist of a buried high tensile steel pipe
located in a 30 metres wide corridor. Above ground facilities at intervals along the
pipeline route are likely to include an inlet station at the Blacktip Plant, a scraper
station and up to 6 mainline valves along the pipeline and a regulator and meter
station at the ADP connection point. Provision will be made in the design and land
agreements to facilitate a future compressor station to allow for expansion of pipeline
capacity over time. These future compressor stations would be at the same location as
the scraper stations.
Eni are the owner/operator of the Blacktip offshore gas field. Eni will develop the
offshore gas production facilities and construct a pipeline to transport the gas from the
offshore platform to the gas processing plant at Wadeye. The environmental
assessment undertaken for the Woodside Blacktip development has been transferred
to Eni for the offshore pipeline and Wadeye gas processing facility.
3.2 Route
The proposed route of the Bonaparte Gas Pipeline commences near Wadeye which
lies near the coast of the Bonaparte Gulf. The pipeline generally follows the Wadeye
to Daly River township road for approximately 130km, then crosses the Daly River
upstream of the Causeway. The pipeline then heads east-north-east to a point
generally in the vicinity of the Dorat Road and Douglas Hot Springs Road intersection
and thereafter generally parallels the existing Cosmo Howley mine pipeline to the
Amadeus Basin to Darwin Pipeline connection.
3.3 Land Use
Land use along the proposed route comprises of approximately 130km of Aboriginal
freehold land, approximately 2km of government reserve and approximately 143km
of pastoral