WA’s EPA proposes Woodside’s Scarborough project approval

Western Australia’s Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) has recommended approval for the state component of a liquid natural gas (LNG) pipeline, part of the Scarborough gas field project.

EPA chair Tom Hatton said the proposal would see the installation of a gas trunkline 32.7 km long, located adjacent to the existing Pluto LNG facility 8 km northeast of Dampier in the Pilbara, Western Australia.

“The EPA has completed its assessment of Woodside Energy’s State waters component of a 434 km long pipeline which will link the Scarborough gas field project with the Pluto LNG facility on the Burrup Peninsula,” Hatton said.

“As a precautionary measure, the EPA has recommended management plans to avoid and minimize the direct and indirect environmental impacts.”

The portion of the Scarborough project within State waters – and therefore the proposal under assessment by the EPA – is expected to have minimal greenhouse gas emissions as it is a short-term trunkline construction project.

The remaining portion of the Scarborough project that is within Commonwealth waters will be assessed by the Australian Government, under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999, which includes the consideration of greenhouse gas emissions.

The proposal is one of a number of proposals in the Burrup Peninsula referred to the EPA for assessment in recent years.

In December 2019, the EPA released Woodside Energy’s Browse to North West Shelf Development and North West Shelf Project Extension environmental review documents for eight weeks’ public comment, closing on February 12, 2020.

The proposals are operated by Woodside Energy Ltd on behalf of their joint venture partners.

Woodside is targeting a final investment decision for the development of the Scarborough gas resource in the first half of 2020.

Scarborough gas would be initially processed on a deep-water floating production unit and transported through an approximately 430 km pipeline to a proposed second LNG production train at the existing Woodside-operated Pluto LNG facility on Western Australia’s Burrup Peninsula.