Browse Basin development 'at forefront' of LNG future, says Santos executive A senior Santos figure says demand for LNG is expected to sor in the coming years. THE Browse Basin is pivotal to the nation's future gas production amid expectations that global demand will double within 17 years, a senior energy figure says. Woodside's $45 billion joint venture onshore Browse project at James Price Point was shelved recently due to rising costs. But the basin, off the West Australian coast, is still a key area for Australia's LNG industry, Santos Vice President of Western Australia and Northern Territory John Anderson said. "I know there's a lot of conjecture at the moment around James Price Point but this particular basin will probably stand at the forefront of hopefully picking up a lot of that new prize LNG," Mr Anderson told the Australian Gas and Technology Conference in Perth. Watch this space because I think it's going to be quite telling for Australia. The Woodside-led joint venture is now leaning towards "floating" LNG (FLNG), where Browse Basin gas would be processed on a large purpose-built vessel stationed far off the coast. Between 2013 and 2030, global LNG demand is forecast to double, with 75 per cent coming from the Asia Pacific region including China, India, Malaysia, Japan, Korea, Philippines, Singapore and Thailand, Mr Anderson said. As demand picks up towards the end of this decade, the global LNG market would most likely open up to create more room for new LNG developments, Mr Anderson said. But he warned that 2030 forecasts should be treated with caution, and conceded that the next wave of gas production might be more challenging due to high costs and the remoteness of projects. The exploitation of shale gas and FLNG projects also need the support of Australian communities, Mr Anderson said. "It feels like we're challenging ourselves when we're on the threshold of seeing something quite exciting," he said. I'm a bit worried about that. Mr Anderson also said there would be an opportunity for Australian players in China, even as the development of the largest shale gas reserves in the world progresses. China's shale reserves were yet to be tested in terms of the quality and feasibility, he said. Australia was well positioned to capitalise on exporting gas to China, which was unlikely to rely purely on shale gas, he said. Santos' is focused on shale gas in the Cooper Basin in central Australia and the McArthur Basin in the Northern Territory.