Woodside North West Shelf Gas Project Given Green Light Until 2070
Global energy company Woodside has finally received the green light for its proposed extension to operate the North West Shelf gas processing plant in Western Australia beyond 2030.
The 50-year extension of the Karratha project, approved by Environment Minister Murray Watt on May 28, will be subject to strict conditions concerning air emission levels but will effectively grant permission for the project to run from 2030 to 2070.
'Following the consideration of rigorous scientific and other advice including submissions from a wide cross-section of the community, I have today made a proposed decision to approve this development, subject to strict conditions, particularly relating to the impact of air emissions levels from the operation of an expanded onshore Karratha gas plant,' Senator Watt said in a statement.
The current North West Shelf project on the Burrup Peninsula is one of Australia's biggest resource development enterprises and is one of the world's biggest liquified natural gas projects.
Woodside's proposal has been under assessment for six years, beleaguered by concerns from environmentalists and Indigenous parties concerned over the potential impact on Aboriginal rock art, some of which is dated at around 50,000 years old.
Indigenous groups launched legal action against the proposed energy project, while environmental groups, including Greenpeace and the Conservation Council of Western Australia, argue the project extension could generate around six billion tonnes of greenhouse gases annually.
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The photo shows North Rankin Complex of the North West Shelf Project owned by Woodside Energy in Western Australia on Feb. 21, 2023.
Courtesy of Woodside Energy
In the wake of the approval, New South Wales Greens Senator David Shoebridge accused the oil and gas industries of 'boiling the world.'
Former Opposition Leader Peter Dutton had previously pledged to approve the extension within 30 days if elected to government, while Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, in the lead-up to the federal election, said environmental considerations would be paramount.
Dutton had accused the previous federal cabinet of delaying decisions on the expansion.
'Timely approval of the North West Shelf Extension is critical to ensure this nationally significant asset continues to provide a reliable energy supply to Western Australian businesses and homes,' a Woodside spokesperson said in a statement.
The expansion has had ongoing support from Western Australian Premier Roger Cook, who earlier this year urged the Albanese government to get moving on the approval.
'Gas is critical to meeting the energy needs of Western Australia, which has both the strongest economy in the nation and the fastest growing population in the nation,' Cook told media in March.
'Gas is crucial to supporting renewables in our clean energy transition, which includes exiting coal ahead of any other Australian state.'
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