Pangaea (NT) has advised that a geological assessment has confirmed that the northern part of its exploration permit EP-167 is not commercially prospective for oil or gas.

Because of this, it proposed an early relinquishment of 69 exploration blocks, including blocks covering the rehabilitated Manbulloo well and seismic lines, which the Northern Territory government has accepted.

The Department of Mines and Energy said its own geological analysis supported Pangaea’s assessment.

According to the Member for Katherine, Willem Westra van Holthe, the relinquishment showed the Country Liberals were delivering on community expectations of onshore gas exploration.

“We make decisions on science and fact, not misinformation and emotion,” he said. “But that doesn’t mean a science-based system cannot deliver on community expectations.”

Katherine mayor Fay Miller said she was feeling relieved by the announcement.

“Community members approaching council were expressing concerns, which we passed on.

“We always felt there was nothing of value for them, but this is an extra bonus,” she said.

However, the Don’t Frack Katherine group, headed up by chair Charmaine Roth, said an application for exploration by Arafura Oil and Gas encroaching on the town of Katherine meant there was still room for plenty of concern.

“Pangaea’s northern boundary is 50km south of the post office,” Ms Roth said. “It’s great they’ve said they’re not coming close but we’ve still got to worry about Arafura.”

Ms Roth said the Mines Minister could, “with a stroke of his pen”, remove Arafura’s authority but instead was leaving it to the exploration companies to decide where they were going to explore.

“We need a government who will show leadership,” she said.

In the last 12 months, the NT government has implemented a number of strategies which it says will ensure environmental safety and address cultural ecological sensitivities amidst growing gas exploration, including excluding exploration within areas that are urban residential and rural residential; of cultural significance; of intensive agriculture; of high ecological value; or that include assets of strategic importance to nearby residential areas.

Ms Roth said there were loopholes in the legislation that wouldn’t cover Florestina, Fox and Napier Roads, or Edith Farms.

“They’re not zoned rural residential, and they’re not heavy agricultural blocks.

“If the government was serious, the whole Arafura claim should be squashed.

“No study has been done on the effect of this activity to recharge areas or aquifers.”

Mr Westra van Holthe said if he thought there was a significant risk to the Tindal or any other aquifer in the Northern Territory, he would be against it, but there was nothing to suggest that was the case.

“The council called on the government to completely exclude the Katherine area from fracking, but we didn’t think it was the right methodology to exclude by municipal boundaries.

“This announcement has been fortuitous for sure.”

He said he didn’t understand why people were so anti-gas, when it meant brown coal wasn’t being burnt.

“All of the Territory’s baseload is powered by gas, with diesel in remote places.

“Without gas, we’d have to burn diesel to keep the lights on.”

He also said that Mereenie, south west of Alice Springs, had fracked gas for some 40 years.

“The Northern Territory has, we believe, 200 trillion cubic feet of gas. There’s probably 200 years of gas here.”