Cooper nws

Santos gets ARENA funding for solar pumping in Cooper Basin

Santos has secured funding from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency to support what is being billed as the country's first off-grid, 100 per cent renewable energy project in the oil and gas sector. The $16.3 million pilot project will convert the fuel for pumps in Santos' petroleum operations in the Cooper Basin from crude oil to solar, with the solar PV panels to be backed up by storage. The project will cut consumption of fossil fuels as well as emissions and could point to broader applications in oil and gas operations around the country. Some $4.2 million of funds will be supplied by ARENA for the project, which will involve 3.2 megawatts of solar PV to power 56 so-called "beam pumps". If successful, Santos will look to convert all 208 such pumps across the Cooper Basin to solar and batteries, according to a statement from federal Energy Minister Angus Taylor's office.Santos will trial the use of solar and batteries to power pumps in the Cooper Basin. The news comes as Mr Taylor is due to meet Santos chief executive Kevin Gallagher in Adelaide on Tuesday, ahead of the Council of Australian Governments energy meeting on Wednesday.Mr Gallagher first flagged the project in a tweet in August when he said Santos was integrating solar power to drive beam pumps on Cooper Basin wells, replacing crude oil motors.Related QuotesSTOSantos$5.550.00 (0.00%)1 year1 dayDec 17Jul 18Dec 184.0005.0006.0007.0008.000Updated: 18 Dec 2018 — 8:09 AMView STO related articles AdvertisementHe said on Tuesday that the project could lead to a significant part of the operations in the Cooper Basin being run entirely on renewables and could see solar and batteries deployed at thousands of other oil and gas sites in Australia."Our own consumption of fuel in the Cooper Basin is equivalent to about 5 per cent of east coast domestic gas demand, so if we can extend our use of renewables to our gas operations, we can also free up more natural gas for sale, which is a good way to put downward pressure on gas prices," Mr Gallagher said.Converting all 208 pumping sites to solar and batteries would save 140 barrels of oil a day and eliminate the cost of transporting fuel by road. Meanwhile, east coast gas supply and the regulatory framework for coal seam gas are among topics to be discussed at the inaugural COAG resources meeting to be led by federal Resources Minister Matthew Canavan in Adelaide on Tuesday in the lead-up to the COAG energy council.Most Viewed In business

AFR today Paywalled