Oil spilled from a well blowout in the Great Australian Bight could reach a wide stretch of the southern Australian coastline, new modelling has revealed.  BP has proposed drilling two exploration wells in the Bight and has released modelling on a worst case discharge from its Stromlo-1 well with no clean-up response.  It shows oil on the sea surface could travel up to 2650 kilometres from the well site and would almost certainly reach large sections of the South Australian coastline.  It also reveals up to a 64 per cent chance of it reaching Esperance in Western Australia and a 41 per cent chance of it stretching as far as the NSW south coast, depending on the time of year.  The company says it's confident a loss of control would be contained within 35 days, but says drilling a relief well to completely kill the blowout would take 149 days.  The modelling has angered environmental groups, which have called on the regulator to immediately reject BP's application to drill in the Bight.  "The risks posed by this project to the environment and to the coastal communities of southern Australia are simply too great," Wilderness Society national director Lyndon Schneiders said.  "The time has come for the regulator to terminate this project once and for all."  The National Offshore Petroleum Safety and Environmental Management Authority (NOPSEMA) is expected to rule on BP's plans on September 29.  It has twice previously asked the company to rework its proposals because of environmental concerns.  Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said NOPSEMA could not, in good conscience, allow the project to go ahead.  ""The environmental and economic impact of a spill on the marine life, fisheries and tourism industry of South Australia would be absolutely devastating," Senator Hanson-Young said.
Oil giant BP has released modelling which reveals the impact of a major oil spill from the exploration wells it wants to drill in the Great Australian Bight.