Monday 1 September 2025
Explosive new documents obtained by the Environment Centre NT under Freedom of Information have revealed that Santos’s Darwin LNG export hub has been leaking methane since it opened in 2006 – a harmful source of climate pollution that has gone unaddressed for nearly two decades.
The revelation raises concerns about regulatory oversight, the Federal Government’s climate commitments, and the future of Santos’s $30Bn takeover bid by an Abu Dhabi consortium.
The ABC has revealed evidence that both Santos and former operator ConocoPhillips knew about the massive methane leak but failed to act, with regulators including the NT EPA, NT WorkSafe, Clean Energy Regulator, NOPSEMA, and CSIRO all aware of the problem yet allowing the leak to continue unabated.
Drone monitoring conducted during 2019-2020 due diligence for the sale of Darwin LNG assets from ConocoPhillips to Santos estimated methane is leaking at up to 184kg per hour.
NT EPA extended Darwin LNG’s operating life to 2050 without an environmental impact assessment – ConocoPhillips then disclosed the new monitoring results at the last minute, sharing details late in the afternoon on the same day that their license was extended.
*Images, audio grabs, and video files AVAILABLE HERE (*Credit Environment Centre NT)
To arrange interviews with below experts, please contact:
Climate Media Centre - Senior Media Advisor: Sean Kennedy, 0447 121 378, [email protected]
FINANCIAL IMPACT
Market Forces CEO, Will van de Pol, said the leak poses major risks for Santos and its investors:
“This dirty secret of rogue methane emissions is at the heart of the Santos Darwin gas for export operation. It's an environmental and financial disaster."
“Financial backers of Santos, including nearly every major Australian bank and super fund, cannot afford to ignore the company's escalating environmental and climate damage.
"The Abu Dhabi-backed takeover of Santos faces an additional threat of being weighed down by serious reputational, regulatory and legal risks related to these decades-long gas leaks.”
EMISSIONS
Bill Hare, CEO and Senior Scientist, Climate Analytics said:
"This almost unbelievable revelation is, first, a climate scandal. Methane is a powerful greenhouse gas the government is failing to cut, despite pledging to do so. But along with being a health hazard for the people of Darwin, this leak has released up to 45,000 tonnes of methane a year - for decades - without the public's knowledge. That's close to 20% of the Santos Darwin LNG plant's reported emissions under the Safeguard Mechanism.
"Shockingly, instead of doing their job by acting to stop the leak, it appears that all the government agencies tasked with regulating the gas industry, both state and federal, conspired with these companies to hide it from the public. This episode is yet another revelation of the ongoing gas industry capture of government."
NT GAS INDUSTRY ANALYSIS
Josh Runciman, Lead Analyst, Australian Gas, IEEFA said:
“Unanticipated methane leaks are always a risk for oil, gas and LNG operations, as demonstrated by the experience at Darwin LNG. It highlights just how crucial it is that robust methane emission monitoring is implemented at all relevant facilities.
“Methane emissions represent lost value for oil, gas and LNG companies, as the methane that could otherwise be sold is lost into the atmosphere. That Darwin LNG has been leaking methane for nearly two decades signals the need for stronger regulations to ensure methane leaks are actually fixed. While addressing methane emissions is often financially beneficial due to the value of the methane itself, it may not be prioritised if the benefits are small relative to other investment opportunities.
“Santos's failure to address the ongoing methane leaks at its Darwin facility may reflect that Santos has not set a specific methane abatement target, which is a departure from industry best practice.
“Investors in oil, gas and LNG companies face increasing risks from company methane emissions, including due to the use of inaccurate emission measurement techniques, the impact of future planned expansions and a lack of effective methane emission abatement activity.”
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Contact details:
Climate Media Centre - Senior Media Advisor: Sean Kennedy, 0447 121 378, [email protected]