Blacktip is a gas field in the Australian offshore basin Bonaparte, where we own 100% of the production licence WA-33-L. Since 2006 it has been part of the "Caring for Country" project. And "Caring for Country" is exactly what we mean to do with this diversified project, set up by statutory body the Northern Land Council (NLC), which preserves local culture and manages the naturalenvironment. The plants at Blacktip, are connected by pipelines to an onshore gas treated, the Yelcherr Gas Plant (YGP), within the Aboriginal territory governed by the NLC. To get to and use the land, and start the Blacktip project, we negotiated a contract for occupying the land over the long term, which protects the rights and cultural heritage of the Aborigines.
The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is an action programme signed in September 2015 by 193 UN member states. It includes 17 goals for socio-economicdevelopment of communities and local areas. In line with goals 3, 7, 12, 14 and 15, we want to ensure access to health care for the Aborigines in the Northern Territory (Goal 3), produce clean, accessible energy for the community of Wadeye (Goal 7), but also protect local underwater biodiversity (Goal 14).
In 2016 we removed the module offload facility (MOF) on the beach at Yelcherr during the construction phase of the Blacktip project, to allow us to bring in prefabricated modules, material, goods and other equipment for the YGP. Loggerhead turtles make their nests on the beach in Yelcherr, and thanks to our Turtle Management Plan we have restored the beach to its original appearance.
A forest guard made up of representatives of various local tribes are taking care of the area on a daily basis, monitoring of animals and protecting its cultural heritage.
For us, workplace safety is a fundamental principle that we share with employees, contract workers and local communities. That is why we implement all the necessary measures to avoid accidents, including organisational models to assess and manage risks, training programmes, skills development and the promotion of a culture of safety.
The operation to remove the MOF called for innovative methods to reduce risks and ensure the lack of any damage to people or the environment. We have also used a special decommissioning strategy that does not harm nesting turtles. With the help of the forest rangers, we have monitored the turtles' behaviour to ensure demolishing the MOF will not cause any problems for the animals. Thanks to security problems and seasonal limitations, dismantling the facility took place in the dry season and only in the daytime. From the very moment in the dry season when the flatback turtles began nesting, our work was organised so as to avoid casting light at night time and affecting nesting and hatching. Once the MOF was removed, we recreated the sand dunes and carried out drainage and revegetatation of the area.
Environmental monitoring is managed full-time by a local Aboriginal group, the Thamarrurr Rangers, who represent more than 20 clans. These forest rangers, who are mostly descendants of the original inhabitants of the Thamarrurr region, patrol more than 17,900 km² of land and around 200 km of coastline, and do a range of work, including coastguard, pest control, monitoring wild animals, protecting cultural assets, education and managing the Marri-Jabin Indigenous Protected Area (IPA). In 2019, with the staff of the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS), we did a participatory workshop on mapping the marine habitat, in which the land's traditional owners and Aboriginal rangers were involved. Their contribution let us improve the map's precision.
Among our initiatives to help the local people, we have provided high-tech equipment to the “North Australian Centre for Oil and Gas”, a laboratory at Charles Darwin University. They will use it for education and research. We have also provided Aboriginal women with preventive health care programmes, particularly for breast cancer.
We also helped improve health and cohesion in the community of Wadeye, through a sustainable Australian football programme, by buying and installing a new site and lighting plants for Brown’s Mart Theatre in the city of Darwin, and through the Eni Schoolnet Project.
Finally, in 2006 we signed an agreement with the Northern Territory Power and Water Corporation to sell gas for domestic use in the Australian territory. In late 2015 the community of Wadeye saw their old diesel power station replaced with a gas one, to provide cleaner, cheaper electricity to one of the biggest communities in the area. The new station powers the taps for the gas pipeline from the Blacktip gas field and provides access to energy for the village's population of more than 3,000 people. It has the capacity to supply over 1,600 house and business.
Our results so far
Since 2006 we have carried out a series of initiatives to protect Aboriginal land:
3,000
people
have access to energy thanks to the new power station
1,600
houses and businesse
have access to energy thanks to the new power station
We have built solid relationships within the indigenous community and the whole region of Thamarrurr, where the YGP is located. We talked with the local Aboriginal community right from the planning and construction phases of the project, all the way up to the operative phase, which allowed us to understand their profound sense of belonging to their land. The Aboriginal people havee a very special relationship with their land; it is not an asset to be bought and sold. We are committed to establishing with them a relationship of trust, showing the utmost respect for their culture.
We continue to support the “Caring for Country” project, working in partnership and collaboration with various governmental and non-governmental organisations, including the Australian government, the Northern Land Council and Aboriginal organisations like Thamarrurr Development Corporation (TDC).
To carry out our Turtle Management Plan, we worked with the Australian Department of the Environment and Energy and the monitoring and assurance team from the Environmental Standards Division. The techniques for protecting the area were supported and developed by Australian government, and have been integrated into the management plans of operators in the natural resources sector.
To understand the importance of the relationship between Aboriginal communities and their land, the statutory Indigenous Advisory Committee was set up. It supports work done under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity (EPBC) Act of 1999.
This website uses cookies to show you adverts and offer you services customised according to the preferences you have shown while browsing online. For further information please refer to our cookie policy.
THIS WEBSITE (AND THE INFORMATION CONTAINED HEREIN) DOES NOT CONTAIN OR CONSTITUTE AN OFFER OF SECURITIES FOR SALE, OR SOLICITATION OF AN OFFER TO PURCHASE SECURITIES OR IS NOT FOR RELEASE, PUBLICATION OR DISTRIBUTION, DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, IN OR INTO THE UNITED STATES (INCLUDING ITS TERRITORIES AND POSSESSIONS, ANY STATE OF THE UNITED STATES AND THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA) OR FOR THE ACCOUNT OR BENEFIT OF ANY U.S. PERSON AS THAT TERM IS DEFINED IN THE SECURITIES ACT (A "U.S. PERSON"), AUSTRALIA, CANADA, JAPAN OR SOUTH AFRICA OR ANY OTHER JURISDICTION WHERE SUCH AN OFFER OR SOLICITATION WOULD REQUIRE THE APPROVAL OF LOCAL AUTHORITIES OR OTHERWISE BE UNLAWFUL (THE "OTHER COUNTRIES"). THE SECURITIES REFERRED TO HEREIN HAVE NOT BEEN AND WILL NOT BE REGISTERED UNDER THE U.S. SECURITIES ACT OF 1933, AS AMENDED (THE "SECURITIES ACT"), OR PURSUANT TO THE CORRESPONDING REGULATIONS IN FORCE IN AUSTRALIA, CANADA, JAPAN, SOUTH AFRICA OR THE “OTHER COUNTRIES” AND MAY NOT BE OFFERED OR SOLD IN THE UNITED STATES OR TO A U.S. PERSON UNLESS THE SECURITIES ARE REGISTERED UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT, OR AN EXEMPTION FROM THE REGISTRATION REQUIREMENTS OF THE SECURITIES ACT IS AVAILABLE. NO PUBLIC OFFERING OF SUCH SECURITIES IS INTENDED TO BE MADE IN THE UNITED STATES, AUSTRALIA, CANADA, JAPAN OR IN THE “OTHER COUNTRIES.”
In any Member State of the European Economic Area ("EEA"), the information contained in this website is only directed at and may only be communicated to persons who are "qualified investors" ("Qualified Investors") within the meaning of Article 2(e) of Regulation (EU) 2017/1129 (the "Prospectus Regulation").
The information to which this website gives access is directed only at persons (i) who are persons falling within Article 49(2)(a) to (d) ("high net worth companies, unincorporated associations etc.") of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Financial Promotion) Order 2005 (the "Order") or (ii) who have professional experience in matters relating to investments falling within Article 19(5) of the Order or (iii) to whom it may otherwise lawfully be communicated (all such persons together being referred to as "relevant persons"). Any investment or investment activity to which this communication relates is only available to relevant persons and will be engaged in only with relevant persons, or in the EEA, with Qualified Investors. Any person who is not a relevant person, a Qualified Investor or otherwise permitted under applicable law or regulation to access the information, should not act or rely on the information contained herein.
Confirmation of Understanding and Acceptance of Disclaimer
These materials are for informational purposes only and are not directed to, nor are they intended for, access by persons located or resident in the United States, Australia, Canada, Japan or South Africa or any of the Other Countries. I certify that:
I am not resident of, or located in, the United States, Australia, Canada, Japan or South Africa or any of the Other Countries or I am not a U.S. Person; or
If I am a resident of, or located in, the EEA, I am a Qualified Investor within the meaning of Article 2(e) of the Prospectus Regulation; or
If I am a resident of, or located in, the United Kingdom, I am a Qualified Investor and a relevant person.
I have read and understood the disclaimer set out above. I understand that it may affect my rights. I agree to be bound by its terms and I am permitted under applicable law and regulations to proceed to the following parts of this website.
WARNING: the above certification constitutes a "self-certification" pursuant to Decree of the President of the Italian Republic No. 445 of 28 December 2000. False certifications are punishable by law.