$50 billion Burrup Hub liquefied natural gas development.
Camera Icon$50 billion Burrup Hub liquefied natural gas development. Credit: Supplied/Woodside/Jarrad Seng

Climate warning on proposed WA gas hub

AAPNorth Coast Times

CLIMATE activists have launched a fresh campaign against Woodside’s massive proposed gas hub in Western Australia, warning it will be the nation’s biggest polluter.

The Conversation Council of WA (CCWA) says if the $50 billion Burrup Hub liquefied natural gas development goes ahead, it will produce billions of tonnes of carbon emissions over its lifetime and undermine Australia’s global commitments.

Plans for the mega-project about 400km north of Broome centre on the development of the Browse offshore gas field via the existing North West Shelf and Pluto gas plants.

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BHP, Chevron, BP and Shell are among the joint venture partners in the various components of the ambitious development.

The long-planned Browse project is currently before WA’s Environmental Protection Authority, as is a proposal to extend a state agreement enabling Woodside to continue processing gas through its North West Shelf plant until about 2070.

An eight-week public comment period finished on Wednesday.

A Woodside LNG carrier. Supplied
Camera IconA Woodside LNG carrier. Supplied Credit: Supplied/Supplied

The CCWA has released a new report claiming that if the Burrup Hub development goes ahead, it will produce four times as many annual carbon emissions as Adani’s proposed Carmichael coal mine.

“This report raises the alarm that the Burrup Hub is an extremely risky venture that will do enormous damage to our climate and environment with very few benefits for West Australians,” CCWA director Piers Verstegen said on Thursday.

Woodside argues that some level of emissions is necessary to provide natural gas to domestic and international markets that can displace more carbon-intensive methods of power generation such as burning coal.

Australia’s largest listed oil and gas producer has also indicated it will offset emissions in line with state and Commonwealth requirements.

Woodside is onto its third concept for processing the Browse gas field, having abandoned plans for an onshore plant at James Price Point and a floating processing vessel.

The company on Thursday said it was now targeting a final investment decision on the Browse project in “late 2021”, past the previously expected time frame of first half of 2021.

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