Love it or hate it, a decision on fracking in the Northern Territory appears imminent.

After 15 months of research and community consultation, the Scientific Inquiry into Hydraulic Fracturing concluded the challenges and risks associated with any onshore shale gas industry in the NT could be "appropriately managed".

So what do we know about the region that experts believe will become ground-zero for onshore gas?

The Beetaloo Sub-Basin, around 500 kilometres south-east of Darwin, sits in the Sturt Plateau region, between Mataranka to the north and Elliott to the south.

Farmers, businesses and the industry alike remain at odds over its place in the fracking debate — but one thing they can all agree on is that it is a bounty for gas.

What is the Beetaloo Basin and why should I care?

For some time, the Beetaloo Basin — and the people that live there — have had a pull-and-push relationship with the gas industry.

Map The Beetaloo Sub-basin

Its exploration history dates back more than a decade, but in recent years, Origin (among others) has its sights set on the region and its gas reserves — around 6.6 trillion cubic feet, according to industry predictions.

Around 70 per cent of the Territory's prospective shale gas resources are estimated to occur in the Beetaloo Sub-basin, and according to the NT fracking inquiry, recent shale gas discoveries in the region could increase Australia's global ranking of gas resources from seventh to sixth.

It's considered so promising that it's pulled in around 50 per cent of the total $505 million of exploration investment in the NT since 2010.

To put it simply, it's a pretty big deal in the gas world.

But it's not without division.

What are the arguments against?

Though rich in shale gas, the basin takes in pastoral land and Indigenous communities.

Modern mining methods, known as hydraulic fracturing or "fracking" for short, allow companies to "untrap" these reserves from rocks kilometres underground; and that has some concerned.

By injecting a fluid underground, mostly comprised of sand and water, companies are able to break open the rocks and tap into any gas reserves that may be there.

But a mix of chemicals must also be injected through water aquifers and into the land for the process to work.

Pastoralists and landowners alike fear it is this fluid that could pollute rivers and bores across the region.

Anti-fracking grafitti on the Stuart Highway in the Northern Territory. ( ABC Rural: Daniel Fitzgerald )

Last year, Origin's own environmental report for 10,000 square-kilometres on the Beetaloo Basin warned that drilling could pose a risk of causing aquifers under some properties to leak into each other, and potential exists for the deterioration in groundwater quality, which could impact existing groundwater users.

The company said once those issues were identified, it developed solutions to mitigate them.

But it has done little to allay concerns. There is no guarantee abandoned wells will never leak, farmers fear.

Others point to the potential negative economic consequences, including a "rapid increase" in the cost of living for Territorians not involved in the industry, exacerbation of existing issues of inequality and disadvantage, and reductions in the financial viability and sustainability of existing businesses.

Though the arguments differ, the message is the same: as far as they're concerned, fracking and the Beetaloo Basin are incompatible.

What are the arguments for?

On the flipside, proponents argue the risks associated with fracking can be mitigated.

They point to the Scientific Inquiry into Hydraulic Fracturing final report, which found the industry could be "appropriately managed" in the Northern Territory.

For those in favour of the proposal, the sticking point is jobs and economic growth.

The fracking industry has promised up to $1 billion worth of investment in the NT, including remote roads, and up to 6,000 jobs.

Likewise, there is already a 622-kilometre-long pipeline in the works from Tennant Creek to Mount Isa promising to connect the Northern Territory to the national gas grid — touted as a possible solution to the supposed east coast gas shortage.

Origin chief geologist David Close at a well head in the Beetaloo Basin. ( supplied: Peter Eve )

Though it currently only contributes 90 terajoules of gas per day, industry leaders say that figure could increase to as much as 700 terajoules if the moratorium is lifted and the Beetaloo Basin puts its hand up for further exploration.

Some small businesses and contractors say proposed developments could benefit remote communities.

Again, though the arguments may differ, advocates believe opening up the industry is imperative to the Territory's growth.

How much money would we make from the basin?

This one is a bit more complex, but the simple answer is, nobody knows for sure.

Falcon Oil and Gas Australia, which holds a 30 per cent interest in exploration permits, summed up the state of play in its submission to the NT fracking inquiry:

"Economic benefits cannot be quantified due to the infancy of the discovery and the need for further appraisal."

In its final report, the Scientific Inquiry into Hydraulic Fracturing developed a series of trajectories for the NT over 25 years from 2018 to 2043, based on five different development scenarios.

They range from a baseline scenario, where the moratorium remains in place, through to a 'gale' scenario, where the moratorium is lifted and large-scale development occurs (1,000 terajoules per day).

Farmers on the Beetaloo Basin are worried that fracking could damage the area's network of aquifers and rivers. ( ABC News: Jane Bardon )

Though the scenarios are based on exploration sites across all of the Northern Territory, given almost three-quarters of prospective shale gas resources are estimated to occur in the Beetaloo Basin, it does offer a ballpark figure.

Under all scenarios, the modelling indicates that key economic indicators for the NT — such as real output, real income, jobs and population — will grow in the period to 2043 with or without the moratorium being lifted.

As expected, the 'gale' scenario delivers the greatest economic benefits for the NT, with real output estimated to be $17.5 billion greater than if the moratorium was to remain in place.

According to the model, the NT Government would collect an additional $3.72 billion in taxation revenue over the 25-year period, including $1.79 billion in additional royalties, while the Commonwealth would take home an extra $1.75 billion in tax receipts.

However, the report also noted that there was public scepticism over how much of that money would go back into communities who "bore the risks of the development", and submissions were overwhelmingly in favour of a Royalties for Regions scheme or the implementation of a Territory gas reservation policy.

As part of its final recommendations, the inquiry concluded that in developing its budget, the Government must have regard to the source of royalty revenue and ensure that regions that are the source of taxation revenue benefit from any onshore shale gas extraction activity that occurs in their region.

Who are the major players?

A group including Origin and Falcon Oil and Gas, who joint-own the Amungee NW-1H well near Daly Waters, is one of the major players in the Beetaloo Basin.

Gas from the fracked Amungee NW-1H well is flared during the testing phase. ( ABC News: Dan Fitzgerald )

The moratorium on fracking came into effect just days after they were given final approval to test frack the site, but initial indications have proven positive with the discovery of shale gas.

Santos, which retains sites in the Greater Beetaloo Basin of the McArthur Basin, commenced drilling in 2014, and according to the company, "significant quantities" of shale gas were present in the Velkerri shales.

Pangaea, another major stakeholder, owns wells in the western McArthur and central Beetaloo Basins, adjacent to the towns of Elliot and Katherine.

It said the sites "contained thick sequences of organic-rich source rocks capable of generating significant quantities of oil and natural gas".

So how big would the industry be?

As the NT fracking inquiry itself noted, the scale of development "is difficult to establish at the current time".

But estimates provided by the three companies suggest that the combined development over 25 years could result in 1,000 to 1,200 wells across the Beetaloo Sub-basin and surrounds.

Origin Energy's capped Amungee NW-1 well near Daly Waters in the Northern Territory. ( ABC Rural: Daniel Fitzgerald )

Over a 10-year period, Origin estimates it could have anywhere between 50–500 wells around Amungee, near Daly Waters, while Santos — which operates around the McArthur Basin and Beetaloo Sub-Basin — said it could have up to 350.

Pangaea, focused on the Beetaloo Sub-basin west of the Stuart Highway, predicts it could have up to 300 wells.

However, the inquiry noted the scenarios were "presently uncertain".

If fracking is approved, will work start straight away?

Not exactly.

According to Origin, the potential of the Beetaloo Sub-basin is as a "contingent resource", not currently commercial and requiring further work.

The NT fracking inquiry's report noted that if the moratorium was removed, there would need to be additional drilling and reservoir modelling to understand the extent and nature of the resources.

This would require "at least another 12 months' work, possibly more," and it was "unlikely" that any shale gas production in the Beetaloo Sub-basin would occur in fewer than three years.