Greenpeace wants to see the environmental impact assessment report for a planned new exploratory gas well off the Otago-Southland coast.
Shell announced yesterday that it and partners OMV and Mitsui E&P will go ahead with a $200 million test well for natural gas in the Great South Basin. The well is to be drilled about 150km offshore from Dunedin in 1350 metres of water in about two years' time.
Modelling done on another exploratory well due to be drilled off the Otago coast by Anadarko in February shows an oil spill would affect valuable fisheries and Greenpeace says a spill at the Shell site could be just as damaging.
Greenpeace campaigner Steve Abel says even though the company is looking for gas, oil usually accompanies such finds and people have a right to know what sort of threat it poses.
Shell New Zealand chairman Rob Jager said the company has nothing to hide when it comes to the well, but would not be drawn on whether the environmental assessment would be made available.
