APA Begins Construction on Australia’s Sturt Plateau Pipeline to Move Beetaloo Gas
APA has started construction on Australia’s Sturt Plateau Pipeline, a 23-mile link that will move Beetaloo Basin gas into the Northern Territory’s power grid beginning in 2026.
(P&GJ) — APA Group has started construction on the Sturt Plateau Pipeline, a key project in Australia designed to move Beetaloo Basin natural gas into the Northern Territory’s power network.
The estimated $66.5 million project will support about 150 jobs at peak construction and strengthen local supply chains. The 40-terajoule-per-day pipeline functions as the first segment needed to link Beetaloo production to APA’s existing Amadeus Gas Pipeline, which delivers gas to power plants serving Darwin and surrounding communities.
APA received its pipeline license from the Northern Territory Government in September and registered an Indigenous Land Use Agreement with Traditional Owners through the Northern Land Council.
Northern Territory Deputy Chief Minister Gerard Maley and Treasurer Bill Yan joined APA CEO and Managing Director Adam Watson, along with representatives from Tamboran and the Northern Land Council, for a site visit to review early construction progress.
“The SPP will help ensure Beetaloo gas is available to power the Territory, a critical first step in the basin’s development. Households and businesses in Darwin will be the first beneficiaries of this new infrastructure,” Watson said.
Maley described the project as the start of a new phase in the region’s energy development, calling the Sturt Plateau Pipeline “the first direct pipeline out of the Beetaloo.”
Tamboran Chair and Interim CEO Richard Stoneburner added that Beetaloo production will have benefits beyond the Territory. “Tamboran’s work in the Beetaloo Basin will not only benefit the Northern Territory, but can also help address gas supply issues in Australia’s East Coast market,” he said. The company recently completed a record drilling program and is targeting first gas by mid-2026.
Over the coming months, crews will weld and assemble the 37-kilometer (23-mile) pipeline, with first flows expected in 2026.