Woodside given longer to consider North West Shelf extension conditions
Make us a preferred source
Make us a preferred source on Google
The news: The federal government has given oil and gas major Woodside more time to consider proposed conditions attached to preliminary environmental approval of its plan to extend the life of its North West Shelf gas processing plant.
The context: Preliminary approval was granted by Environment minister Murray Watt in late May to extend the operational life of Woodside’s North West Shelf gas processing plant in Karratha, Western Australia from 2030 to 2070.
Woodside initially had 10 business days to respond to the conditions, which relate to the impact of air emissions on the nearby Murujuga rock art. The conditions have not been made public.
A draft UNESCO decision is against adding the rock art to the World Heritage list in part due to concerns about the impact of industrial emissions.
When the preliminary approval was announced, Environment minister Murray Watt said the “proposed decision is subject to strict conditions” and that “adequate protection for the rock art is central to my proposed decision”.
The Western Australian state government granted environmental approval to the extension in December 2024 after a six year assessment and appeals process.
What they said: "Woodside and the North West Shelf Joint Venture are continuing constructive consultation with the Federal Government," the company said in a statement.
"The parties have agreed to an extension of the consultation period regarding the Government’s proposed conditions as part of the North West Shelf Project Extension environmental approval process."
The source: Woodside media release
