Gas deposits identified near Cobar

Potential gas deposits near Cobar have been identified during a Department of Regional NSW Geological Survey.
A potential gas source has been identified in the Yathong-Ivanhoe Trough, located 50km south of Cobar which covers an area of 170km by 210km.
Another area relatively close to Cobar, the Neckarboo Trough, lies 150km south west of Cobar, and covers an area of 30km by 125km.
This deposit is relatively close to the existing Moomba to Sydney gas pipeline.
As part of the NSW Government’s Strategic Release Framework, a competitive process determines who may undertake exploration activities.
The Framework also provides clarity and transparency in decisions about where resource exploration activities may take place.
While landholders in NSW own the surface land of their properties, the resources that exist below the surface, such as gas, belong to the State.
If these resources are extracted, royalties are paid to the State and are then used to benefit the local community and State.
Landholders are entitled to be compensated for resource exploration and production on their land. The company that holds the exploration licence is required to negotiate access and drilling arrangements with the landholder be-fore any work commences.
The NSW Department of Planning, Industry and Environment is currently seeking feedback from the community to help with their preliminary Regional Issues Assessment for the explo-ration of potential gas in the area.
Recommendations from this assessment will be made to the Minister for Regional NSW as to whether the areas should or should not be released for gas exploration.
Community consultation is a vital part of the process and the Department welcomes feed-back from the community.
Feedback can be provided online at: planning.nsw.gov.au/pria-consult