A strong police presence featuring mounted officers is set to feature at a major resources conference that anti-fracking protesters plan to target.
Police will monitor the two-day event in Darwin from Wednesday after environmental groups voiced opposition over a controversial project.
The conference will be held after first gas from Beetaloo Basin fracking projects in Australia's north started to flow to homes and businesses in the territory on Tuesday.
Environmental groups have slammed the Beetaloo gas project, saying it signals the start of an "environmental disaster".
Anti-fracking protesters are set to focus on the conference - held as part of NT Resources Week - after disrupting delegates last year.
A significant police presence, including officers on horseback, is expected outside Darwin Convention Centre to keep an eye on planned protests.
"A designated protest area will be established outside the Darwin Convention Centre to facilitate lawful protest activity while maintaining safe access for conference delegates and others," police said in statement on Tuesday.
The conference starts a day after first gas from fracking projects at Beetaloo Basin, a major onshore shale resource in the NT's Sturt Plateau, about 500km southeast of Darwin.
On Tuesday, first gas was set to flow from US company Tamboran's Shenandoah South development, with NT Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro on hand to cut the ribbon.
The Country Liberal Party government has been an enthusiastic promoter of resource and energy projects in the territory to boost the economy and create jobs.
"This project means territory gas powering territory homes, businesses and industry," Ms Finocchiaro said in a statement.
"We have secured Beetaloo gas at a fixed price the government is extremely satisfied with, locked in for the next decade."
NT Energy Minister Gerard Maley said onshore gas reserves in the NT containing an estimated 430 trillion cubic feet of gas were enough to meet Australian gas demand for 200 years.
Beetaloo fracking, construction of pipelines to get the gas to market, and using the gas to power AI data centres have been vigorously opposed by environmental groups.
The Australian Conservation Foundation said the first Beetaloo gas signalled the start of "an environmental disaster that can and should be banned".
It wants federal Environment Minister Murray Watt to review fracking-related projects for their water impacts.
"Fracking is dirty and dangerous business and threatens contamination of precious underground and surface water resources," spokesperson Gavan McFadzean said in a statement.
Morgan Pickett, policy analyst with Market Forces, a group opposing investment in fossil fuels by banks, super funds and governments, said the economics of Beetaloo don't stack up.
The Beetaloo developments depended on the world burning huge volumes of gas for decades, a model requiring the Paris Agreement to fail and catastrophic levels of climate change, he said in a statement.
"Banks like Macquarie, ANZ and Westpac are exposed to severe risks by backing fracking that could be Australia's biggest ever gas development when science confirms we must rapidly scale back fossil fuels."
