An oil rig in New Plymouth, where Beach Energy operates a gas field. An Australian oil and gas company has dropped plans to start exploratory drilling off the coast of Canterbury. Beach Energy had planned to drill about 120 kilometres off the coast of Oamaru looking for natural gas and won a crucial consent for the works earlier this month. “A new natural gas field would create thousands of jobs and earn the Government tens of billions in royalties and taxes,’’ he said. Beach Energy runs the Kupe gas field, which is 30km off the Taranaki coast, along with the accompanying processing plant.

Source: Stuff November 22, 2020 05:48 UTC