Santos NSW

Monthly Activities Update

September 2025

Welcome to the September issue of our Monthly Activities Update for NSW.

Santos in the community

Image: More than 6,000 people attended the 2025 Santos Festival of Rugby

Narrabri Thrives as Santos Festival of Rugby Comes to Town

Narrabri played host to a spectacular weekend of rugby action this month, with the much-anticipated Santos Festival of Rugby attracting thousands of spectators to the region.

The weekend kicked off with a free community street party on Friday night, where locals and visitors came together to soak up the festive atmosphere ahead of the official sporting program.

A highlight for many was the opportunity to interact with the NSW Waratahs and Queensland Reds players, with both teams taking time to speak one-on-one with fans. Kids in particular were thrilled, lining up for autographs and photos with the players and mascots.

Saturday’s packed rugby schedule kept the crowds engaged, with a strong performance by the Waratahs who brought home a convincing win over the Reds in front of full stands.

The weekend concluded with a number of highlights, including an entertaining match between the Narrabri Blue Boars and Classic Wallabies, with the latter taking home the honours.

Local venues, including hotels, restaurants and shops, were operating at full capacity throughout the weekend, reflecting the significant economic lift and vibrant community spirit events like this bring to town.

Santos is proud to continue our longstanding support for regional sports and would like to thank our event partners and all the volunteers, spectators and local businesses involved in this great community event.

Santos in the news

Santos Signs Gas Supply MOU with Narrabri Shire Council

Santos has signed a non-binding memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Narrabri Shire Council for the potential supply of natural gas from the Narrabri Gas Project to a new industrial precinct in a deal designed to attract new business and boost economic growth in the region.

The MOU outlines Santos’ commitment to supply natural gas to businesses operating within the Northern NSW Inland Port, on the western outskirts of Narrabri, from project commencement.

Under the proposed agreement, Santos would supply the Narrabri Shire Council with up to 3.2 PJ per year of competitively priced natural gas for up to 10 years, subject to capacity at Wilga Park Power Station lateral pipeline and Santos’ final investment decision for the project.

View the full details here.

Orica Joins Gas Supply MOUs

This month, Santos also signed a non-binding MOU with Orica, one of the world’s leading mining and infrastructure solution providers, for potential domestic gas supply from the Narrabri Gas Project to Orica’s east coast manufacturing network.

In accordance with the MOU, the parties will negotiate potential domestic gas supply by Santos to Orica of up to 15 PJ per year from Narrabri for a period of up to 10 years. Santos and Orica will also explore decarbonisation activities through Santos’ third-party carbon management business.

View the announcement here.

XRG Consortium Withdraws Indicative Proposal

The non-binding, indicative proposal announced on 16 June 2025 from a consortium led by XRG, a subsidiary of Abu Dhabi National Oil Company, to acquire 100 per cent of the issued shares of Santos, has been withdrawn.

Read the full ASX announcement here.

Narrabri Gas Project (NGP) Update

Natural gas is an important part of our local energy supply, generating the electricity we need to cook our food, light our homes, and power our businesses. It is also crucial feedstock in industrial processes for making products like textiles, plastics and fertilisers. It will continue to play a critical role in the state’s energy transition, generating half the emissions of coal. Renewable energy needs a reliable power supply for grid stability, and gas-fired generators can rapidly turn on to support renewables during peak demand, or when they can't generate enough electricity like when the sun doesn’t shine and the wind doesn’t blow.

More than 1 million homes and 33,000 businesses in NSW rely on natural gas, and despite having significant undeveloped gas resources underfoot, NSW currently imports 100 per cent of its gas from interstate.

The NGP involves the development and production of natural gas near Narrabri and Santos has committed 100 per cent of this gas to the domestic market, with the potential to supply up to half of the state’s natural gas needs. With gas shortfalls predicted, the NGP will allow NSW to develop its own resources for the state, delivering energy security for the region and putting downward pressure on gas and electricity prices.

If you would like more information about this project, please contact our team via email at Energy.NSW@santos.com or give us a call on (02) 6790 9235. You can also visit the NGP website.

Ecological Surveys Get Underway Near Narrabri

Image: Ecologists will be working in the field over the coming months

Santos contractors will undertake ecological surveys of flora and fauna in the Narrabri Gas Project area during September and October, as part of our annual monitoring and reporting program.

The surveys are completed each year to gather data which informs and guides the ecological component of Santos’ operations.

Data collected during the program will build on our existing knowledge on the abundance, distribution, ecology and habitat value of native species within the project area.

The conditions associated with monitoring biodiversity values for the project are documented in the biodiversity plan, which is available on the Narrabri Gas Project website.

Drilling activities

There are no drilling activities planned at this time.

Pilot wells

Bibblewindi East, Bibblewindi West and Dewhurst South, Tintsfield and Kahlua wells are online.

Leewood

Santos does not need to irrigate at this time and water is stored in the holding ponds at Leewood.

Wilga Park Power Station

Wilga Park Power Station is online. August power production was an average of 383 MWh per day and minor routine maintenance activities were completed.

Other activities

Groundwater monitoring activities for Environmental Protection Licence compliance are ongoing.

PEL 1

Kahlua pilot wells are online.

Hunter Gas Pipeline and Narrabri Lateral Pipeline Activities

Santos is proposing to deliver natural gas from Narrabri to the east coast domestic market via two new underground pipelines – the Hunter Gas Pipeline (HGP) and the Narrabri Lateral Pipeline (NLP). These pipelines would run approximately 400 kilometres from Narrabri to Hexham, where they would connect into the NSW energy grid. To finalise the pipeline’s exact location, we are seeking feedback from landholders along the proposed route to consider their preferences, as well as any technical, environmental, and cultural heritage factors.

Survey activities are ongoing on both public and private land to confirm the alignment. Our land access team continues to liaise with landholders to discuss the alignment and negotiate survey and deed of option agreements. We encourage landholders to engage with our team to address any feedback, questions or concerns. Landholders can contact us at any time on 1300 427 546 or via email at info@huntergaspipeline.com.au.  

Narrabri Lateral Pipeline (NLP)

The proposed NLP will connect the Narrabri Gas Project (NGP) to the HGP, transporting Narrabri gas to the existing NSW gas transmission network. The NLP project is located in the Narrabri Shire local government area in north-west NSW within the traditional Country of the Kamilaroi (Gomeroi) People. The underground pipeline will span approximately 55 kilometres, starting at the Leewood gas processing facility (about 20 kilometres southwest of Narrabri), running south-east via the Bibblewindi facility, and tying into the approved HGP (approximately 5.5 kilometres southeast of Baan Baa). The NLP will bring economic benefits to Narrabri and surrounding regions, supporting up to 200 jobs during construction. The NLP will be buried underground with limited aboveground infrastructure.

We are currently finalising the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the NLP project.

For more information on the HGP or the NLP, please visit the HGP website.

Community Consultation

Community Consultative Committee and Advisory Groups

Effective community consultation is a vital part of our commitment to transparency and collaboration with the communities where we live and work.

As part of the conditions set by the Independent Planning Commission (IPC) for the NGP, Santos is required to establish and operate a Community Consultative Committee (CCC) and Advisory Groups in line with the NSW Department of Planning and Environment’s Community Consultative Committee Guideline: State Significant Projects.

Mr. Garry West was appointed as the Independent Chair of the CCC and Advisory Groups.

The CCC serves as a forum to facilitate open dialogue between the project proponent and representatives from the community, stakeholder groups and local councils on issues directly relating to a state significant project.

The most recent NGP CCC meeting was held on Tuesday 16 September 2025.

Previous meeting minutes are available here.

The Advisory Groups include:  

Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Advisory Group 
Biodiversity Advisory Group 
Greenhouse Gas Emissions Advisory Group 
Water Technical Advisory Group

Minutes from advisory group meetings are available here.

Community Partnerships

Free Skin Checks Booked Out at Quirindi Show

Image: The skin check van was a popular attraction at the Quirindi Show

Clear, sunny skies were the perfect backdrop for delivering an important health message at the Quirindi Show this month - get your skin checked!

With support from Santos, the Australian Skin Cancer Foundation was onsite again this year to provide free full-body skin checks to the community.

The team delivered 135 assessments over the show weekend, with 40 suspicious lesions and one possible melanoma detected and referred for further investigation.

Our community and land access advisors were also at the show to answer questions about our NSW operations, with free hats and sunscreen handed out to those who stopped by for a chat.

Santos is proud to leave a positive legacy in our local communities - one small, potentially life-saving check at a time!

Image: Santos staff handed out free hats and sunscreen at the show

Talent Scouts Put Young Hunter Athletes to the Test

Image: Local Indigenous high school students showcasing their sporting skills

Strength, speed and agility - these are just some of the athletic traits put to the test during a recent Indigenous Talent Identification Day in Muswellbrook.

Delivered through a partnership between Santos and the Hunter Academy of Sports, the showcase attracted thirty-five high school students from across the Upper Hunter.

The top-performing athletes on the day were awarded six-week scholarships, providing them with access to elite coaching and support from Academy staff.

Santos recently extended major funding support for the Academy into a second year, with the renewed partnership providing advanced sporting pathways and development opportunities to local rising stars.

As a proud supporter of grassroots sports across our region, Santos is excited to see young local athletes reach their full potential through this exciting program.

Elite Horsemanship on Show in Murrurundi

Image: Riders took part in a series of horsemanship challenges across the weekend

Some of Australia's most skilled horses and riders put on a spectacular show in Murrurundi this month, with thousands flocking to the town for the annual King of the Ranges event.

Featuring a three-day Stockman's Challenge and accompanying Bush Festival, the event attracted an estimated 5,000 visitors to the region.

Among the top-billed events of the weekend was the Santos Feature Cut-Out, which showcased a top field of local and interstate talent on Friday night.

The jam-packed program also showcased a range of traditional skills and activities, including bush poetry, working dog trials, camp oven cooking and billy goat races.

Santos is proud to continue our support for this fantastic event, as part of our commitment to having a positive impact in our local communities.