Proponent Methanol Australia said under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999, the project requires an EIS with the relevant matters being the Commonwealth marine environment, listed threatened species and communities as well as listed migratory species.
Methanol Australia is proposing to construct and operate two 5,000 tonne per day methanol plants on Tassie Shoal, an area of shallow water in the Timor Sea about 275 km northwest of Darwin, adjacent to the Evans Shoal gasfield.
While the ownership of the Laminaria oilfield and the Greater Sunrise gasfield has now become uncertain after East Timorese officials said they wanted maritime boundaries with Australia redrawn, Methanol Australia reassured investors that Tassie Shoal and the Evans Shoal gasfield are entirely in Australian waters and not in any area of dispute with East Timor.
