AUSTRALIA — Woodside Energy’s multibillion-dollar Browse gas project has encountered significant obstacles as environmental regulators raise concerns about its potential impact on marine ecosystems.
The Western Australian Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) has deemed the project “unacceptable” due to multiple serious environmental risks.
In a recent development, Woodside’s attempt to amend an existing application to include offshore carbon capture and storage (CCS) was rejected by the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water in August 2023.
The department stated that the new proposal was “fundamentally different” from the original application.
The Browse gas field, located off the coast of Western Australia’s Kimberley region, is Australia’s largest untapped conventional gas resource.
Woodside’s proposal involves drilling more than 50 wells around the Scott Reef system and piping gas over 900 kilometres to the North West Shelf facility for processing and export.
Environmental concerns raised by the EPA include:
- Threats to migrating whale populations
- Potential submersion of nesting areas for endangered turtles
- Risk of oil spills damaging the pristine Scott Reef environment
The rejection of Woodside’s CCS amendment came just one year after the company described offshore carbon dumping at Browse as “high risk, high cost” and “unproven” in a 2022 application to federal regulators.
Jess Beckerling, Executive Director of the Conservation Council of Western Australia, criticised Woodside’s approach, stating: “Carbon dumping is fantasy technology that doesn’t work, as we’ve seen with Chevron’s Gorgon facility, and it introduces a raft of new risks to the Browse gas proposal.”
The project’s future remains uncertain as Woodside continues discussions with the EPA to address environmental concerns.
Western Australia Premier Roger Cook expressed hope that the project could still proceed, emphasising its importance for domestic gas supply and LNG exports to Asia.
As Woodside faces these regulatory challenges, the company is set to appear before a Senate Environment and Communications Legislation Committee inquiry to address concerns about the Browse project and its environmental impact.
The outcome of these regulatory processes will likely have significant implications for Australia’s energy sector and environmental protection efforts in the region.
