Santos NSW 

Quarterly Activities Update

Q3 2026                                                                                   

Welcome to our Quarterly Activities Update for New South Wales (NSW). 

In this edition:

• Bringing energy to AgQuip
• Annual ecological surveys spring into action
• NSW win at Santos Festival of Rugby 
• Celebrating the Narrabri Blue Boars
• Gardeners dig into National Tree Day giveaway
• New study pod for local students

Santos in the Community

Bringing energy to one of Australia's largest agricultural field days

Image: The Santos team with AgQuip BBQ raffle winner.

Santos is committed to ensuring local communities have access to accurate and timely information about our projects in New South Wales, which is why attending events to speak directly with locals forms such an important part of our community engagement.

The annual AgQuip Field Days in Gunnedah have been a highlight of our community calendar for almost two decades, and this year was no exception.  Our land access, community and technical experts enjoyed speaking with more than 300 people over the three-day event, with many valuable discussions had with landholders, shareholders and local residents.

Topics of interest this year ranged from land access, the Hunter Gas Pipeline (HGP) route and careers with Santos.  It was also pleasing to hear from a number of local high school students interested in pursuing engineering careers in the resources industry, with many looking specifically for information about Santos' annual vacation program. If you're interested in early career pathways at Santos, find more information here. 

Our BBQ raffle was another popular feature, with Gunnedah local Mick taking home the prize. Congratulations Mick!

Santos genuinely values the opportunity to speak with the community at AgQuip and we would like to thank everyone who took the time to stop by this year for a chat or to grab a factsheet. Connecting with the community keeps us energised to deliver much-needed gas to the east coast market and keep investing in the regions where we operate to make a positive impact.

Image: The Santos team were onsite at AgQuip to provide information about our NSW projects.

Narrabri Gas Project 

The Narrabri Gas Project involves the development and production of natural gas near Narrabri in New South Wales. Santos has committed 100 per cent of Narrabri gas to the domestic market, helping to bring energy security to the region and putting downward pressure on gas and electricity prices for homes, manufacturers and businesses.  

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) 6792 9035. You can also visit our website.

Annual ecological surveys spring into action

Image: Fungi observed in the Narrabri Gas Project area.

Santos contractors conducted ecological surveys of flora and fauna in the Narrabri Gas Project area during September, 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.

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). Survey activities continue on private and public land as Santos works to finalise approvals. Learn more about these projects on our website. 

Hunter Gas Pipeline 

Narrabri Lateral Pipeline 

Between 20 November 2025 and 18 December 2025, the Environmental Impact Statement for the Narrabri Lateral Project was publicly exhibited. The Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure (DPHI) received 375 submissions from the community on the project.

Santos recently submitted a Response to Submissions report to DPHI for their consideration and assessment. This report addresses the matters raised by the community, government agencies and other stakeholders during the EIS public exhibition process. This report is available for viewing on the DPHI website. 

Since exhibition of the EIS, Santos has continued to refine aspects of the project as a result of further site investigations, construction planning and consultation with landholders and stakeholders. The proposed project refinements are being documented in a separate Amendment Report, to be submitted to DPHI for assessment in Q4 2026.

The proposed refinements to the project are minor and localised and will not change the overall scope of the project described in the EIS. They include changes to:

• site access by refining works on roads and tracks, proposing new tracks and removing some tracks that are no longer required;
• the pipeline alignment and construction right of way at two locations;
• the disturbance footprint, including for construction workspaces, site access and pipeline alignment changes and to incorporate habitat connectivity design features. The overall size of the disturbance footprint is expected to be reduced.

These refinements will not affect any new landholders or stakeholders compared with the exhibited project. Santos also recently submitted an application to vary the NLP EPBC Act Referral (2024/10050) under section 156A of the EPBC Act. The variation requests small changes to the proposed action area to appropriately accommodate the Project. A decision on the proposed variation to the EPBC Act Referral is pending with the Australian Government. 

Community Consultation

Community Consultative Committee and Advisory Groups

The latest Narrabri Gas Project Community Consultative Committee (CCC) meeting was held on Tuesday 29 September 2026. Minutes from previous CCC meetings are available here. 

The first Hunter Gas Pipeline Community Reference Group meeting was held on Thursday 18 June 2026.

The latest Advisory Group meetings for Aboriginal and Cultural Heritage, Biodiversity, Greenhouse Gas and Water for 2026 were held on Tuesday 21 July 2026.  Previous minutes from the advisory group meetings can be accessed here. 

Community Events

Celebrating the Narrabri Blue Boars 

Image: Blue Boars President with Santos staff at the Sponsors Day event.

The Narrabri community gathered under sunny skies for the annual Blue Boars Sponsors Day in August, joining our team for an enjoyable day of footy, food and festivities.

Over 60 landholders, contractors and community members attended the event, providing an opportunity for Santos to engage with our local stakeholders and provide project updates in a relaxed setting.

Narrabri brought home a convincing win in front of the enthusiastic home crowd, defeating Tamworth Pirates 67-19. It was one of many highlights enjoyed by the club this season, with a grand final win for the First Grade reserve side against Moree and an almost undefeated season for the Women's 10s among their achievements.

Although Narrabri's First Grade were defeated by Moree in the preliminary final, they made a standout effort throughout the season and only narrowly missed taking home the top honours.

Santos is proud to support this great local club, and would like to congratulate the players, coaches and club volunteers on another fantastic season. 

NSW win at Santos Festival of Rugby 

Image: The Santos Festival of Rugby at Roma QLD.

The Roma community enjoyed a boom in visitor numbers and economic activity in September, with the annual Santos Festival of Rugby once again attracting strong crowds to the regional Queensland town.

Major highlights from the weekend included high-profile clashes between the men's and women's Queensland Reds and the New South Wales Waratahs. The Reds Women and Waratahs Men were ultimately triumphant, walking away with the Santos Cup and $25,000 each in prize money.

Now in its sixth year, the highly anticipated Festival has grown to become one of the biggest annual rugby and community events in regional Australia - with the program delivering approximately $2 million in direct economic impact to the community.

Community Partnerships

Gardeners dig into National Tree Day giveaway 

Image: Santos' National Tree Day giveaway attracted more than a hundred local residents.

The Santos community team welcomed enthusiastic locals to the Narrabri shopfront recently, with over one hundred free gardening packs handed out as part of National Tree Day celebrations.  

Each pack contained two native plants plus gardening essentials such as gloves and hats to help locals kickstart their own planting projects.

The initiative sparked some great discussions about the importance of biodiversity, the value of native plants in supporting local wildlife and pollinators, and the role everyone can play in caring for the environment.

At Santos, caring for the environment and supporting biodiversity in the communities where we operate is central to how we work. Initiatives like this are one small way we put that commitment into action.

To learn more about our commitment to responsible environmental management in New South Wales please visit our websites:

New study pod for local students

Image: Local students will now have a dedicated quiet space to study in Narrabri.

A quiet place can make all the difference, which is why Santos has partnered with the Country Universities Centre in Narrabri to provide students with a new study pod - ensuring they have a dedicated space for focused learning, online classes and exam preparation.

As a sponsorship partner of this great local organisation since 2019, Santos is proud to continue investing in opportunities that help regional students access higher education closer to home.