WA Conservation Council executive director Maggie Wood said approving the extension of the project’s lifespan could undermine state and federal efforts to achieve zero net emissions. “The EPA has said the North West Shelf facility should be zero net emissions by 2050, but it’s not clear how Woodside will be able to achieve that,” he said.
“If Woodside is unwilling to cut production, it will rely on compensation.
“Offset projects simply don’t provide what we need: a large-scale reduction in carbon emissions entering the atmosphere.
“This is one of the oldest and least efficient gas processing plants in Australia and Woodside is dangerously close to receiving a license to continue producing highly polluting fossil fuels until the 2070s.”
The agency has also recommended that nitrogen oxides, which can damage rock art declared a World Heritage Site that shares the same rocky peninsula as the Karratha gas plant, be reduced by 40% by the end of 2030.
EPA President Professor Matthew Tonts has also increased pressure on the state government to stop considering new projects on the Burrup Peninsula, also known as the Murujuga, to protect the sea, land and cultural values of the important place worldwide.
The Burrup is home to the world’s largest concentration of ancient rock art with some images believed to be over 30,000 years old, depicting when Tasmanian tigers were still living on the mainland, as well as the arrival of European ships. .
The EPA report said the government should consider establishing a management framework for the possible cumulative effects on the Murujuga sea, country and air.
The Murujuga National Park Rock Art Gallery includes thousands of representations of animals and people. Credit: Emma Young
“When the opportunity arises to review the ministerial conditions of other existing industrial facilities in Murujuga, the review should consider whether the conditions should include additional requirements to reduce the cumulative risk of rock art impacts by air emissions, ”he said.
“The EPA considers the values of the marine and terrestrial environments of Murujuga and its environs to be unique environmental assets of global importance that require a prudent approach.
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“Future activities and developments should assess compatibility with securities protection in and around Murujuga.”
According to the EPA, alternative locations for related industrial infrastructure should be considered for future developments, such as the nearby Maitland industrial estate in the south of the peninsula.
The EPA’s position follows a set of previous recommendations for a urea plant proposal in Murujuga that stipulated that the developer, Perdaman, had to prove that it was not damaging rock art.
The International Energy Agency has warned that no new coal, oil and gas projects should be started beyond those committed in 2021 if the planet is to avoid warming above 1.5 degrees.
The EPA’s decision is open to appeal until July 21. WA Environment Minister Reece Whitby will make the final decision on whether the extension can continue and under what conditions.
The EPA’s five annual goals for Woodside to reach zero net in North West Shelf Venture
26.95 million tons of CO2-e during the period between January 1, 2030 and December 31, 2034
20.4 million tons of CO2-e during the period between January 1, 2035 and December 31, 2039
13.5 million tons of CO2-e during the period between January 1, 2040 and December 31, 2044
6.75 million tons of CO2-e during the period between January 1, 2045 and December 31, 2049
0 tons of CO2-e for each five-year period from January 1, 2050 to December 31, 2070
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