Woodside Energy has welcomed a decision by the Western Australian government to designate the proposed Browse to North West Shelf Project as a State Significant Project, a move the company says reflects the development’s strategic importance to the state and strengthens the framework for whole-of-government support as it advances through the approvals process.
The designation is the highest level of prioritisation available under the Western Australian government’s Lead Agency Framework, a system designed to guide major project proponents through regulatory and approvals pathways.
Woodside said the status would support more coordinated engagement across government agencies as the project moves toward key approvals and development milestones.
As Operator of the Browse Joint Venture, Woodside said the project is expected to underpin reliable domestic gas supply for Western Australia while generating substantial economic benefits across the state and the nation. An independent economic impact assessment cited by the company found the project’s benefits extend well beyond the oil and gas sector.
According to that assessment, the development could deliver a long-term uplift of around $141 billion to national gross domestic product, along with approximately $56 billion in taxes and royalties.
That figure includes an estimated $19.8 billion in petroleum resource rent tax.
Browse is regarded as Australia’s largest undeveloped offshore gas resource.
Woodside said its development represents an opportunity to secure decades of energy security through domestic gas supply, while supporting thousands of jobs and delivering flow-on benefits to regional communities across the Pilbara and Kimberley regions.
The company also pointed to potential growth in local business participation, with opportunities for Western Australian industry to expand through procurement and local content arrangements tied to the project.
A key element of the proposal involves processing gas through the existing Karratha Gas Plant.
Woodside said this approach would help secure the long-term operating future of that infrastructure and sustain the highly skilled Pilbara workforce built up over more than four decades of operations at the site.
Woodside emphasised that achieving the full benefits of the project will depend on continued coordination across government, and said it intends to keep working closely with state and federal authorities, industry partners, Indigenous stakeholders, unions and local communities as the proposal proceeds through further approvals and reaches subsequent project milestones.
The Browse to North West Shelf Project remains subject to a range of regulatory approvals and final investment decisions before development could proceed.
Woodside has not provided a specific timeline for when those milestones might be reached, though the company indicated that the newly granted project status is expected to help streamline engagement with the various government bodies involved in the approvals process.
The announcement adds to ongoing discussion in Western Australia about the future of the state’s gas industry, including the role of existing infrastructure such as the North West Shelf venture in supporting new offshore developments in the years ahead.