From a long article in today's Australian.It would be good news...

From a long article in today's Australian.It would be good news for OXX once our interest in the Canning is finalised.

:BHP Billiton is set to join the $1.5 billion rush by international oil companies to gain a foothold in the nation's burgeoning shale gas industry, flagging it would start taking land positions in Australia in the wake of its $US20bn of US shale acquisitions in 2011.

Speaking on the sidelines of a conference in BHP's oil and gas headquarters of Houston, BHP petroleum chief Michael Yeager said that while it would move cautiously as it focused on the US, the big miner was looking to broaden its footprint.

"We're going to be very studious in Australia and we're going to be very studious in Europe," Mr Yeager said.

"You'll see us start to take land positions and you'll see us possibly do some things," he was reported as saying on the Bloomberg news service.

Mr Yeager has spoken recently of the potential of Australian shale, singling out the Canning Basin in Western Australia as having good prospects
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http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/mining-energy/very-studious-bhp-billiton-prepares-to-join-international-15bn-rush-into-shale-gas/story-e6frg9df-1226591952940