Energy News understands the property covers some of the leases under the Southern Amadeus Joint Venture with Central Petroleum, close to the Magee-1 gas shows, where the JV sees the potential for massive gas and hydrogen prospects.

 

The NT News reported yesterday that the billionaire sheikh, a member of one of the six royal families in the UAE who have made billions from oil and gas extraction over the decades, has allegeldy refused overtures by Santos to conduct seismic surveys south of Alice Springs.

 

The alleged actions have raised questions regarding the right of veto being sought by pastoralists when it comes to exploration, specifically the almost 50 stations that are foreign-owned in the Top End.

 

Al Nahyan, who the newspaper said was "twice as rich as mining magnate Gina Rinehart", someone who is a major pastoralist herself and is exploring for shale gas in the NT under the Jacaranda Alliance, reportedly has one of the world's largest car collectors with up to 400 cars and trucks.

 

Idracowra Station was highlighted by Santos vice president exploration Bill Overton during recent public hearings at the hydraulic fracturing inquiry, which is holding hearings this week in Darwin and Maningrida.

 

Overton said Santos had agreed to abide by the refusal and would not "bully" its way onto the land through the courts, something that has been a sore point for property owners in fertile regions such as the Darling Downs in Queensland.

 

The Australian Petroleum Production and Exploration Association said in the NT News that the refusal, if true, was yet another issue for explorers who are seeking to develop Australia's natural resources that belong to all Australians.

 

"It is appropriate that decisions about resource development are made by their elected governments, not just the individuals who own or lease the land where development may occur," APPEA NT director Matt Doman said, according to the NT News.

 

"In the case where those landholders are foreign interests, it is even less appropriate that they be empowered to block the development of Australian resources.

 

"However, it is important that landholders have the opportunity to agree the terms of access to their land. In the NT, government approvals for the start of any oil and gas-related activity will not be granted in the absence of an access agreement."

 

Idracowra Station is close to the Mount Kitty-1 and Magee-1 wells.

 

Mt Kitty-1, which was drilled in 2014, returned one of the highest helium concentrations in the world and flowed up to 500,000 cubic feet per day in EP 125 before being suspended.

 

Another helium show in the 1992 Magee-1 well, within EP 82 returned promising helium values at around 6%.

 

Helium is very difficult to trap in natural reservoirs, often seeping to the surface, and so it commands a premium to the gas price when it is found. 

 

Mt Kitty-1 and Magee-1 both proved the salt layer in the Amadeus Basin is a perfect seal, and the long-term hope is that the basin could become the largest supplier of helium worldwide. 

 

Santos wants to collect some 1300km of 2D seismic in the remote southern Amadeus Basin with the aim of examining the potentially massive Rossini, Dukas and Mahler leads gas-helium leads. 

 

The primary targets for exploration are the sub-salt and intra-salt plays of the Neoproterozoic lower Gillen-Heavitree petroleum system.

 

Some estimates suggest the Amadeus Basin contains up to 10 trillion cubic feet of gas, of which up to 8% could be helium, or 800Bcf, enough for a decade's worth of global helium consumption. 

 

There are more than 50 land access agreements between pastoralists and the gas industry with Santos having 29 in the NT and more than 1450 in Queensland.