National

'Asleep at the wheel': gas emissions spark criticism

Mar 2, 2026

INPEX's Ichthys LNG plant near Darwin. — INPEX's Ichthys LNG plant near Darwin is under fire for underestimating toxic emissions. -AAP Image

Claims toxic emissions from two gas plants pose a low risk to human health cannot be trusted and a public inquiry is needed, an environmental watchdog says.

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The Northern Territory's Environment Protection Authority (EPA) has been accused of being "asleep at the wheel" after releasing an independent human health risk assessment on the under-reporting of emissions by gas giant INPEX at its Darwin plant.

The assessment, commissioned by the NT's chief health officer, found levels of benzene and toluene - volatile organic compounds linked with health risks - emitted from the Ichthys LNG plant were below acceptable guidelines.

"This means the risk to human health is very low," the authority said in a statement.

But the Environment Centre NT has urged the authority to hold a public inquiry into the operations of two gas giants on Darwin Harbour.

The centre's executive director Kirsty Howey told AAP the report followed community concern about under-reporting of cancer-causing chemicals by INPEX and two decades of methane leaks by Santos.

Dr Howey urged the authority to hold a public inquiry into the operations of INPEX and Santos, saying claims there was a low risk to human health could not be trusted.

She noted the report criticised INPEX's documentation and quality checks, finding "serious non-compliance" and systematic under-reporting of emissions.

"This is a major breach of trust by INPEX and the NT EPA has been asleep at the wheel yet again," she said.

"This is now such a serious and systemic problem that quick and dirty reviews behind closed doors with narrow terms of reference that manufacture the appearance of safety just do not cut it with the community."

A rigorous independent inquiry into the worsening problem of air pollution was needed to re-establish trust in gas industry regulation, she said.

The Australian Medical Association NT president John Zorbas said the report supported the widespread view independent monitoring was needed to ensure the air in Darwin was safe and prevent future under-reporting of emissions.

"Public trust has been eroded and we can't expect individual companies to act in our best interests," he told ABC News.

The authority said more work was needed to assess the cumulative impact of all emission sources and strengthen air quality monitoring.

The NT government was reviewing licence conditions for hydrocarbon facilities in the Darwin area to ensure health risks from air emissions were adequately addressed, it said.

INPEX said in October it had identified errors in the way emissions from its Ichthys LNG plant were calculated.

"INPEX takes full accountability for these unintentional errors which have been reported to the NT EPA," it said.