The date has been set for an energy company to take on former Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s decision to block PEP-11 in the Federal Court.
Asset Energy through it’s unlisted company Advent Energy are going to allege the former PM “was biased and failed to afford procedural fairness” when he decided against the gas exploration licence off the coast of Newcastle.
Scott Morrison used extraordinary ministerial powers to overrule the decision to approve the licence that was made by the then Resources Minister Keith Pitt.
Paperwork has been lodged for a one-day hearing on March 15 next year in Perth.
Asset Energy are proposing to have a drill rig 26-kilometres off the shore of Newcastle to explore drilling for natural gas and greenhouse gas storage at the Seablue-1 well site.
They say it won’t be visible from the shoreline and once drilling is complete, the mobile operated drilling unit will be demobilised from the well site and there will be no remaining infrastructure on the seabed or surface.
Image: Advent Energy