SANTOS NEEDS A NEW SITE

With the latest Environment Protection Authority (EPA) report showing the Santos oil leak is now three times the size originally reported, the Save Point Lowly group has called on the State Government to move the ageing Santos facility to a new location, well away from fractured rock in the middle of a vital fish nursery.

Group spokesperson, Dr Andrew Melville-Smith, said, “Santos made $1.6 billion net income in 2008 and has continually paid good dividends to shareholders.”

“Now it is time to invest in a new state-of-the-art facility; one that doesn’t leak and is built in a better location.”

The Port Bonython facility was built to last only 20 years and it is now 7 years past its use-by date Andrew said, “Patching up old tanks is a recipe disaster, not for another 15 years operation.”

“These leaks show it is time for Santos to make a major investment in a new facility, one that is not on fractured rock in the middle of the most important Cuttlefish breeding ground in the world.”

“Here we are meant to be in a mining boom, growing jobs and developing infrastructure, but what is the Premier doing about this leaky and dangerous petrochemical plant? Its time the Premier stopped the spin, stopped the junkets to Puglia in Italy and stopped the secondary football stadiums and got serious about safe regional infrastructure.”

Andrew said, “Whyalla has the potential to be the economic powerhouse of the region, but we need state-of-the art facilities in the right place, not ones well past their used-by date in the middle of a fish nursery.”

He said a new port south of Whyalla and out of the Upper Spencer Gulf would be a more suitable location for the Santos plant.

Andrew said the Premier, Mike Rann is risking catastrophic failure of a huge petrochemical facility because of ineffective maintenance, lack of re-investment and a lack of vision. “Mr. Rann would rather trash the Point Lowly Peninsula and the Upper Spencer Gulf to save a few dollars rather than plan a future for SA.”