AFR Santos - Beetaloo related15 Oct 2019 06:47
https://www.afr.com/companies/energy/gallagher-is-the-boldest-rider-in-australian-gas-20191014-p530jz
'Not just offshore
Even more intriguing is the potential offered by the deep onshore shales of the Northern Territory’s MacArthur Basin. Santos is set to start drilling in the MacArthur and just last week Origin Energy re-opened its shale exploration campaign in the adjacent Beetaloo Basin.
Santos’ share of the NT shales is expected to generate dry gas while there is informed hope that Origin’s play will produce liquids as well. But, either way, the most likely exit-point for shale discoveries of any scale has always been Darwin.
Another of the points that Gallagher made over and again through the opening phase of his deal marketing was that the ownership of any future Darwin LNG trains could be quite different to that of the foundation project.
To my mind this observation demonstrates the level of optionality that Santos has acquired in assuming ConocoPhillips' standing as the operator of DLNG.
There is reason to imagine, for example, that if the potential of the MacArthur-Beetaloo plays out as hoped, then Santos and Origin, along with some big gas customers, might share ownership of an expansion train at DLNG.'