ENERGY company Santos has bought the controversial Hunter Gas Pipeline project from its backers including Hunter businessman Hilton Grugeon, saying it wants to get gas to the domestic market "as soon as possible".
Santos has also positioned the pipeline as hydrogen compatible infrastructure but in the years before hydrogen becomes a commercially feasible mainstream fuel source the pipeline would also be able to provide a reliable supply of gas to the equally controversial Kurri Kurri gas generator proposed by the federally owned Snowy Hydro.
