Western Australia's environmental regulator has given the nod to extending the life of the North West Shelf gas project by almost 50 years, as long as it achieves net zero emissions by 2050, to help preserve Indigenous rock art in the area.
The Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) has recommended ministerial approval for the extension of the Karratha Gas Plant to 2070, but has insisted on measures for the mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions, which the authority says are in addition to those proposed by Woodside and its partners.
The area is home to a 50,000-year-old natural rock art gallery of more than 1 million petroglyphs spread across 37,000 hectares at Murujuga, also known as Burrup Peninsula.
It has been on the Australian National Heritage List since 2007 and while there's some debate among experts, there's strong evidence suggesting that industrial emissions are affecting the ancient Aboriginal art, to the point it may be lost within 100 years.
Emissions reduction aimed at preserving rock art
EPA chair Matthew Tonts said the report required Woodside to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the existing facility to net zero by 2050.
"If unabated, the extension proposal would have emitted a total of 385 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent over its life," Professor Tonts said, "but, through this assessment, we have been able to insist on a reduction of more than 250 million tonnes."
He said this would help to protect the Murujuga rock art.
"Requiring the proponent to reduce emissions such as nitrogen oxides and volatile organic compounds — by at least 40 per cent by 2030, through improvements to technology — has formed a significant part of our recommended conditions," Professor Tonts said.
"The EPA also requires the proponent to meet the objectives and standards derived from the results of the Murujuga Rock Art Monitoring Program."
Environmental groups not convinced
Natural gas is by far the largest emitter of C02 in Western Australia and the North West Shelf Venture is currently the second-largest industrial emitter in the state.
Conservation Council of WA executive director Maggie Wood said Western Australia was the only state that had increased its greenhouse gas emissions since 2005.
"Extending the life of this giant fossil fuel facility is not going to reverse the trend that has made Western Australia the worst-performing state — on climate action — in the country," she said.
"We not only can do better, we must do better.
"This is the second time the EPA has recognised that emissions on the Burrup are having an impact on the globally significant, World Heritage shortlisted Murujuga rock art.
"It is imperative that Woodside is made to take full responsibility for any destruction to the world's oldest, largest art gallery.
"Once Murujuga is gone, it is gone and no amount of profit that Woodside makes selling fossil fuels overseas, is going to bring it back."
Greenpeace is warning a life extension to the project will "blow Australia's emissions budget".
Head of Greenpeace's clean energy transitions, Jess Panegyres, said the approval was an example of how fossil fuel companies could exploit watered-down environmental policy.
Ms Panegyres was referring to the EPA's scrapping of carbon emission guidelines amid pressure from the resources industry in 2019.
"The North West Shelf proposal would see Woodside pump out climate-wrecking gas through to the 2070s," she said.
"Massive gas expansion is inconsistent with the trajectory of [the] gas phase-down recommended by the International Energy Agency and [the] UN to safeguard our climate.
"While the North West Shelf is a climate disaster in its own right — which, without mitigation, will produce around 4.3 billion tonnes of climate pollution — the EPA's recommended approval also paves the way for an even more dangerous planned project, Woodside's Browse gas field."
Woodside welcomes decision
Woodside's executive vice president of Australian operations, Fiona Hick, said the EPA report and its environmental recommendations would be carefully considered.
"After extended engagement with the EPA and relevant stakeholders over more than three years, the release of the EPA report and recommended conditions marks an important step towards securing the future of the NWS Project and ongoing benefits for our community," she said.
"At a time of heightened concern around energy security, the NWS Project has an important role to play in delivering natural gas to local and international customers, providing energy that can support their decarbonisation commitments," she said.
Ms Hick said the continuation of the project aligned with Woodside's climate strategy, which aimed to reach net zero across its operations by 2050.
The Environment Minister will make a final decision following the public appeals process, which will be open for three weeks.
