The winners and losers of the NSW governments gas industry plan

Large swathes of north-western New South Wales will be off limits for gas exploration under a new state government plan, but a leading environment group says it is still a 'betrayal' of rural communities.  

Key points:

The Future of Gas Statement will reduce land available for gas exploration by 77 per cent

Narrabri and the Liverpool Plains will be considered for exploration

The number of petroleum exploration licences (PELs) will be reduced 

The long-awaited Future of Gas Statement outlines a blueprint for the state's gas industry â€" including a plan to cut the area of land designated for gas exploration by more than three quarters.

Twelve expired petroleum exploration licences, or PELS, cover 55,000 square kilometres of land from Moree in the north, through Narrabri and down to Coolah in the south.

“We have heard the concerns and questions from our regional communities around PELs and I can confirm today we are reducing the area of land available for gas exploration by 77 per cent," Deputy Premier and Minister for Resources John Barilaro said.

"The active PELs that remain will be to support the long-term future of the Narrabri Gas Project."

Areas available for gas exploration will be slashed by 77 per cent.(

Supplied: NSW Government

)

Land around the Liverpool Plains will be considered for gas development, prompting environmental group Lock the Gate's spokesperson, Georgina Woods, to describe the plan as a "betrayal of rural New South Wales".

"The deputy premier’s decision to expand coal seam gas is at odds with New South Wales’ commitment to carbon neutrality and makes the Liverpool Plains and Namoi Valley a sacrifice zone for the double whammy of Santos’s coal seam gas damage and the legacy of climate change," she said.

"Communities in Coonamble, Gilgandra, Moree and the Upper Hunter are spared from the spectre of coal seam gas, and the decision not to proceed with gas exploitation in the Far West is very welcome."

Find more local newsLocal MP defends plan

Peter Wills is a Breeza farmer and a longtime campaigner against mining on the Liverpool Plains.

Mr Wills said the inclusion of the area for mining development was disappointing.

“It’s pretty horrendous actually, to be honest. Vast swathes of the of the Liverpool Plains are still under petroleum exploration licence,” he said.

“Nothing has been saved as far as I’m concerned.

“The government’s just not listened to landholders. We’ve been talking and concerned about this for over a decade … they’ve just listened to Santos.”

Upper Hunter MP Dave Layzell said the plan gave the community certainty.

"The remaining active PELs, they will be a fixed term, so now that will actually be active for a period of time and we won't end up in this situation again where we've got so called zombie PELs just sitting there," he said.

"Admittedly, it probably doesn't go as far as some people wanted it to go, but it's a good step in the right direction."

Gas exploration has also been ruled out in the Far West of the state, near Wilcannia and Broken Hill.

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