澳大利亚北领地环保局发布审查报告，建议对在达尔文运营的天然气处理企业Santos和Inpex实施更严格的环保规定[1]。此次审查由Inpex自2018年生产开始以来就严重低报有毒排放物（包括致癌物苯）的问题引发[1]。独立顾问在3月发现Inpex在排放计算和报告中存在广泛失职[1]。
环保局的报告包含23项建议，核心内容涵盖扩大可执行污染限制、要求企业维持"高水平"污染控制设备、定期审计，以及加强热排放限制和持续排放监测[1]。北领地环保局主席Paul Vogel表示，该地区与达尔文市仅距6公里，需要"世界一流的监管制度"[1]。对于酸气焚烧炉，报告建议其每年保持99.5%的时间运作[1]。
此外，Santos的达尔文液化天然气设施存在漏油释放大量甲烷和频繁火焰燃烧问题[1]。若两家公司认可这些建议，完整实施最多需要12个月[1]。
Northern Territory's environmental regulator has issued a review recommending tighter pollution controls for two major natural gas processing companies operating in Darwin. [1] The review was prompted by Inpex's significant underreporting of toxic emissions, including the carcinogen benzene, since the company began production in 2018. [1] Independent consultants discovered in March that Inpex had engaged in widespread failures in calculating and reporting emissions. [1]
The EPA's report contains 23 recommendations aimed at strengthening environmental oversight of both operators. [1] These include expanding enforceable pollution limits, requiring maintenance of "high-level" pollution control equipment, and implementing regular audits. [1] The recommendations also specify that acid gas incinerators should operate at a 99.5 percent effectiveness rate annually. [1] Santos' Darwin LNG facility has faced issues including oil spills that released significant quantities of methane and frequent flame flaring incidents. [1] The regulator's chair, Paul Vogel, emphasized that the region lies only 6 kilometers from Darwin's city center, necessitating "world-class regulatory systems" to protect the community. [1] Should both companies accept the 23 recommendations, full implementation could take up to 12 months. [1]