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Formentera Partners and Daly Waters Energy Start Commissioning First Natural Gas Plant in the Beetaloo Basin

31 Aug 2026 9:47 AM | Anonymous

Sturt Plateau Compression Facility starts on time and on budget.

Opens the way to first natural gas sales in Australia’s Northern Territory.

AUSTIN, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE) --Formentera Partners and its Australian operating company, Daly Waters Energy (DWE), today announced the start of natural gas commissioning at the Sturt Plateau Compression Facility (SPCF). The SPCF is the final piece of infrastructure needed to start the flow of natural gas from the Beetaloo Basin to the people and businesses of the Northern Territory.

“This is a great day for the Northern Territory,” said Bryan Sheffield, Managing Partner of Formentera. “Four years ago, we said we would bring U.S. shale know-how to the Northern Territory, and today the plant is built, five wells are tied in, three additional wells are being drilled, and natural gas is flowing through the facility. Our partnership delivered on time and on budget. That’s rare in a frontier basin, and it demonstrates what companies, governments, and local communities can do when they work together. The Beetaloo is one step closer to moving beyond potential to a reliable, long-term supply source for the Territory.”

The plant is owned by the SPCF Trust, a 50/50 joint venture between Daly Waters Energy and Tamboran Resources Corporation (NYSE/ASX: TBN). DWE holds its share through Daly Waters Infrastructure, a wholly owned unit. Tamboran operates the project.

Highlights

  • The SPCF has a nameplate capacity of 48.5 MMcf/d (50 TJ/d) of natural gas.
  • 38.8 MMcf/d (40 TJ/d) is contracted to the NTG under a take-or-pay agreement that runs for up to 15 years.
  • All five wells on the Shenandoah South 2 pad are drilled, completed and tied back to the plant.
  • The plant was delivered on schedule and inside the gross budget of US$99 million.
  • Natural gas will be sold during the commissioning period.

Great Progress in Just Four Years

Formentera entered the play in 2022. It now holds 1.9 million net acres, one of the largest blocks of onshore shale acreage in the basin. The rock shares key traits with proven U.S. plays such as the Marcellus Shale in Pennsylvania. A string of successful appraisal wells points to multi-TCF potential, which means there is enough natural gas to meet the needs of the Northern Territory and eventually supply larger cities and industry on Australia’s East Coast and also help backfill and grow LNG export capacity.

In March 2026, Formentera and DWE joined together with INPEX, one of the world’s leading LNG providers, to accelerate work in the basin. In August, the group announced plans to add a Helmerich & Payne FlexRig®, which is expected to arrive in the second quarter of 2027.

Source: Business Wire


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