BP abandons Great Australian Bight plans

Sydney

BRITISH oil giant BP on Tuesday abandoned plans to drill in the Great Australian Bight after reviewing its global upstream strategy, a decision that environmentalists hailed as a victory.

The company had wanted to drill four deep exploration wells off the South Australian coast to see whether commercial quantities of oil or natural gas are present. But its application has repeatedly hit hurdles at the National Offshore Petroleum Safety and Environmental Management Authority (NOPSEMA) for failing to meet strict environmental criteria.