Dart Energy

Dart Energy is an exploration and production company in the unconventional gas industry - natural gas extracted from coal beds and shale. One of its flagship projects is a coalbed methane seam field at Airth in Scotland.

Its head office is based in Singapore. It also has offices in the UK, Germany, Belgium, Australia, Indonesia and China.

Activities

Australia

In Australia, Dart Energy has a portfolio of 8 Petroleum Exploration Licences all located in the state of New South Wales (NSW). Following the decision of the NSW government to ban all coalbed methane activity within 2km of residential areas, Dart suspended its field operations in NSW on 2 April 2013 and slashed its workforce by 70 per cent, pending further 'clarity and certainty around State and Federal policies to support the industry'. It said:

The company intends to preserve its high quality licence areas in Australia until Government policies are reformulated and an initiative is underway to identify consolidation and farm-out opportunities for the Australian assets.

Nick Davies, Dart's Chairman, said:

“The Board of Dart is extremely disappointed with the uncertainty created by recent NSW and Federal government decisions in relation to CSG development in Australia. The consequence is that investment is leaving the country, field operations are being suspended, Australian jobs are being lost, and the impending energy crisis in New South Wales is not being addressed, and indeed, will only get worse. This is in direct contrast to the United Kingdom, where the Government is actively seeking to support the responsible development of unconventional gas resources.”

Several months later in August 2013 the Australian Securities Exchange halted trading on Dart, shortly after HSBC froze Dart's substantial loan facility, 'citing delays with their coalbed methane project at Airth near Falkirk in Scotland' and a plummeting share price. Shares were suspended at 10 Australian cents.

UK

Dart's flagship project at Airth in Scotland faces strong community opposition and has been beset by delays. The Scottish press reported in August 2013 that:

The company has appealed their application for 22 new wells, a gas and water treatment facility and a network of new pipelines, to the Scottish Government on the grounds of non-determination. A public enquiry is expected to begin in the second half of October (2013).

Dart Energy's website sets out its 'strategic themes' for the UK:

• Commercialise significant volumes of already identified CBM resources and supply gas into the National Gas Transmission System ("NTS") and Local Transmission System (“LTS”) pipelines (or other monetisation solutions)
• Identify prospective shale gas basins across the UK and develop and execute a shale exploration and appraisal program

Sites

Coal bed methane at Airth - Midland Valley, Scotland, Midland Valley Basin The Airth project (PEDL 133) covers 330 km2 in the Midland Valley in Scotland, approximately 50 kilometres northwest of Edinburgh near Stirling. It covers a large part of the Clackmannan coal field that was extensively mined in the 19th and 20th centuries.

Extensive exploration and appraisal work has been done to-date and Dart Energy has moved into early development via a small-scale pilot-to-power project during 2012, using gas produced from the Airth-12 well. This well has now been shut in, pending full field development. Full field development is currently underway, with gas supply targeted from late 2014.

Dart says it 'currently' has 'no plan to frack the coals at Airth'.

Project phase: Early development

Area: 330 km2

Contract award: 1 July 2004

Participants: CBM - Dart Energy 100%

Contract expiry: 30 June 2015

Contract type: Concession

Participants

CBM - Dart Energy 100%

Black Metal Shale – Dart 100%

Lothian (Broxburn) Shale – Dart 49%, BG 51%

Affiliations

• Vitol

Contact

Website: http://www.dartgas.com/