Who's in our backyard?

The development of the Canning Basin could mean millions of dollars for WA. The Superbasin extends under Broome, the Dampier Peninsula, Derby, Fitzroy Crossing and Yampi Sound training area and is estimated to hold up to 229 trillion cubic feet of gas and 10 billion barrels of oil. This means there’s a great opportunity for economic participation by our people—if you consider the jobs, apprenticeships and training opportunities it may provide—but at the same time, it also poses the biggest threat to our traditional lands.

We hope to support our members in making informed decisions about what happens on their Country and negotiate to ensure any development meets the highest possible cultural and environmental standards. For us, prosperity must be about three things: people and culture, country, and economy. KRED firmly believes companies should have a social license when involved in projects that affect people and Country. This means projects have the ongoing approval and acceptance of the community and Traditional Owners.

Some of the key companies involved in oil and gas exploration in the Canning Basin include:

Buru Energy/Mitsubishi are the biggest players. They’re a joint partnership and have exploration permits mainly in the northern part of the Canning Basin, covering Nyikina Mangala, Karajarri and Ngurrara Country. They own the Yulleroo gasfield, the Valhalla gasfield and the Ungani oilfield. They are supported by the WA government, howeverthe WA government has not sought KRED’s input into any agreement with Buru and Mitsubishi.

Rey Resources currently holds a coal exploration tenemant and has commercial interests in Buru’s tenemant. Their permits are on Nyikina Mangala Country.

New Standard Energy owns exploration permits mainly in the southern Canning Basin. They’re interested in oil, unconventional gas, and are partnered with ConocoPhillips and Chinese oil and gas giant PetroChina. Their permits cover Ngurrara, Yawinya and Karajarri Country.

Other companies with interests in the Canning include: Areva, a French multinational interested in uranium exploration on Nyikina Mangala Country; HESS, a US company which now has two permits in the Canning Basin; and Shell which has an acreage in the Offshore Canning basin in conjunction with Woodside.