Donald Trump’s nomination for energy secretary has connections to fracking operations for gas in the Beetaloo basin in the Northern Territory.
Chris Wright is the chief executive of Liberty Energy, a company that provides services to the oil and gas industry across North America.
US gas company Tamboran Resources announced in 2023 it had struck a partnership with Liberty Energy for the delivery of fracking equipment to drill wells in the Beetaloo basin between Katherine and Tennant Creek.
Under the deal, Liberty Energy made a $15.2m equity investment for a “frac fleet” to support the largest fracking operations in the Beetaloo basin to date at Tamboran’s Shenandoah South pilot project.
If confirmed by the US Senate, Wright is expected to support Trump’s plan to maximise production of oil and gas in the US.
“Beetaloo development perfectly aligns with our broader mission to better human lives,” he said.