S.Korean Court Dismisses Plea to Block Loans to Fund Deep-Sea Gas Pipeline in Australia
(Reuters) — A South Korean court has dismissed an application from a group of Indigenous Australians to block South Korean export credit agencies from funding a deep-sea gas pipeline for the $3.6 billion Barossa gas project off northern Australia.
People from the Tiwi Islands and Larrakia Traditional Owners in March sought an injunction from the Seoul Central District Court to block Export-Import Bank of Korea (KEXIM) and Korea Trade Insurance Corp. (K-Sure) from providing loans for the Barossa pipeline.
The Seoul Central District Court on Friday dismissed the application to block loans to the project, the court's record showed.
"We are disappointed in yet another timid decision by the South Korean court around environmental cases. The South Korean court has historically been very timid about environmental cases and cross-border issues. The ball is now in the court of Australian regulatory bodies," said Ha Jiyeon, a Seoul-based lawyer with a climate group familiar with the case.
"We plan to review various factors such as necessity of LNG imports as well as environmental factors to support the project," KEXIM told Reuters.
K-Sure was not immediately available for comment.
The indigenous groups had said they were not properly consulted on the Barossa project and the planned 260-km (162-mile) pipeline that will connect offshore gas facilities to an existing pipeline that runs to Darwin.
KEXIM and K-Sure are considering loans and loan guarantees that could be worth around $700 million.
Australia's Santos Ltd., operator of the Barossa development, due to produce first gas in 2025, declined to comment on the case. Partners in the project include private South Korean energy company SK E&S.
Related News
Related News
- Keystone Oil Pipeline Resumes Operations After Temporary Shutdown
- Biden Administration Buys Oil for Emergency Reserve Above Target Price
- Freeport LNG Plant Runs Near Zero Consumption for Fifth Day
- Enbridge to Invest $500 Million in Pipeline Assets, Including Expansion of 850-Mile Gray Oak Pipeline
- Williams Delays Louisiana Pipeline Project Amid Dispute with Competitor Energy Transfer
- Evacuation Technologies to Reduce Methane Releases During Pigging
- Editor’s Notebook: Nord Stream’s $20 Billion Question
- Enbridge Receives Approval to Begin Service on Louisiana Venice Gas Pipeline Project
- Russian LNG Unfazed By U.S. Sanctions
- Biden Administration Buys Oil for Emergency Reserve Above Target Price
Comments