Construction has commenced on the Pluto Train 2 Project near Karratha, in Western Australia. It will be the second liquefied natural gas (LNG) train at Woodside Energy’s existing Pluto LNG onshore facility and will process gas from the $16 billion Scarborough development. The construction site for Pluto Train 2 is within the existing Pluto LNG boundary.
Bechtel will execute the engineering, procurement, and construction of Pluto Train 2, which will have an LNG capacity of ~5 million tonnes per annum. To continue to support Australia’s domestic market, additional domestic gas infrastructure will be installed with capacity of ~225 Terajoules per day, equivalent to keeping the lights on for a year in about 10,000 households.
Woodside CEO Meg O’Neill said the start of construction on Pluto Train 2 was a key milestone towards the delivery of the Scarborough Project, which would provide significant long-term economic growth and local employment opportunities for Western Australia and supply domestic and export markets for decades to come.
“Scarborough gas processed through an expanded and efficient Pluto facility will support the decarbonisation goals of our customers in Asia,” she said.
The Pluto Train 2 Project will employ about 2000 people at peak in 2024, with a large contingent of employees expected to be drawn from within Western Australia. Bechtel has already engaged a number of local and Indigenous businesses to support delivery, with more awards anticipated as the project progresses.
Bechtel has commenced site preparation, including office, crib hut and other facility installation. Initial earthworks and activities in the laydown and storage areas will start up before the end of 2022.
While Woodside has broken ground on the project, the company is facing two legal challenges and still lacking crucial environmental approvals.
Greenpeace Australia Pacific Head of Clean Transitions, Jess Panegyres said Woodside is currently facing two separate legal challenges to its Scarborough-Pluto 2 project and still needs four environmental approvals.
“There is nothing to indicate that Woodside’s outstanding approvals are forthcoming, and there is growing domestic and international environmental and investor pressure on Woodside around its aggressive gas expansion plans, which are incompatible with global climate goals.”
“The Burrup Hub is the most polluting fossil fuel project proposed in Australia, and will contribute to a more dangerous climate, undermine federal plans to decarbonise the economy and become a stranded asset as demand for gas wanes as the world transitions away from fossil fuels to clean energy.”
The Australian Conservation Foundation (ACF), represented by the Environmental Defenders Office (EDO) is challenging Woodside’s Scarborough project in the Federal Court, alleging that carbon emissions from the gas project will damage the already vulnerable Great Barrier Reef.
In a separate legal challenge, the Conservation Council of WA (CCWA) is arguing that the Western Australian Department of Water and Environmental Regulation (DWER) decision to approve construction of Pluto Train 2 was unlawful because pollution and environmental harm from greenhouse gas emissions were not given proper consideration.
Woodside has not received the four essential Environment Plan approvals required for Scarborough to proceed from the federal offshore oil and gas regulator NOPSEMA. These relate to (1) seismic testing (2) drilling and completions (3) trunkline installation and (4) production.
