A plan to drill for oil in the Great Australian Bight is too risky and shouldn't go ahead in its current form, a petroleum law expert says.
In a report provided to Greenpeace Australia, Aberdeen University petroleum law professor Tina Soliman Hunter raises issues with the remote location of the proposed well and the harsh physical environment.
Prof Soliman Hunter has also questioned the ability of Norwegian energy company Equinor and Australian industry regulators to respond to and deal with a well blowout.
"The proposal to drill for oil in the Great Australian Bight is exceptional in terms of the risk of a drilling accident occurring and the difficulties in responding to an incident," Prof Soliman Hunter said in a statement.
"The Great Australian Bight is also a very remote and extreme physical environment for drilling."
Equinor wants to drill a well more than 370km off the South Australian coast.
If the proposed Stromlo-1 well receives all necessary regulatory approvals, drilling is expected to start in the summer of 2020/21.
In February, the company released its draft environment plan which said it could operate safely in the Bight.
The company said the risks associated with drilling exploration wells far offshore were lower because any spilled oil would be weathered by sea for weeks or months, greatly reducing its toxicity before it reached sensitive coastal areas.
Equinor said it would use preventative barriers to minimise the risk of an oil spill. In the event of a spill, the company said it would use multiple layers of well intervention to stop the flow.
"Equinor has implemented strict barriers to prevent a spill, prepare intervention and mitigation measures as back-up and is confident that the risk has been reduced," the company said.
But Greenpeace Australia senior campaigner Nathaniel Pelle said Prof Soliman Hunter's report confirmed the serious concerns raised by numerous groups about the risks involved by drilling in the Bight.
"When a leading international industry expert sounds the alarm on the project based purely on risk and response factors and our sub-standard regulatory system then politicians should pay close attention," he said.
