Western Australia EPA warns of irreversible damage from Woodside gas project

Internal documents from Western Australia’s Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) have revealed warnings regarding Woodside Energy’s proposed Browse gas project. A draft letter from December 2023, written by then-EPA chairman Matthew Tonts, cautioned that the project poses a risk of “significant, serious and irreversible” consequences to the marine environment, specifically targeting Scott Reef and Rowley Shoals.

The proposal involves drilling up to 50 new gas wells in the Browse Basin and constructing a 900-kilometer underwater pipeline to the North West Shelf facility near Karratha. The EPA expressed concerns regarding the lack of scientific certainty regarding the scope of potential damage and noted that Woodside’s proposed mitigation measures for protecting species such as green turtles and pygmy blue whales were inadequate.

While the likelihood of an unplanned hydrocarbon release was modeled as low, the EPA noted that the consequences of such an event could range up to “catastrophic.” The project is currently undergoing assessment under Australia’s national nature laws, with conservationists calling on Federal Environment Minister Murray Watt to consider these environmental risks before making a decision.