North West Shelf: Next 20 days ‘critical’ for project as peak business group calls for approvals overhaul

Australia’s peak business lobby says it is “critical” the Federal Government decides on Woodside’s North West Shelf gas project in the next few weeks. After the WA Government approved the project’s extension late last year, leading energy producers were left frustrated by the Albanese Government’s decision to postpone its assessment until March 31. And now, with the announcement of a Federal election delayed due to cyclone Alfred, the Business Council of Australia is calling on the Prime Minister to approve the 50-year extension before the nation heads to the polls. With polling showing Labor is likely to be returned to power in a minority government, which would make getting approvals for the plan even harder, the group’s chief executive, Bran Black, said Anthony Albanese had a chance to correct a “setback for Australia”. “Ironically, it’s also a setback for the environment because it may force Australia to keep burning coal for longer. Indeed, the Government’s Future Gas Strategy has made it abundantly clear that gas is a key transitional energy source as we move towards net zero,” he writes in Wednesday’s The West Australian. Mr Black said the project was of national importance, and provided energy, jobs and revenue to the WA economy — as well as helping deal with looming gas shortages — and emphasised that “our reliability as an energy partner is a cornerstone of our international relationships”. “We cannot risk creating uncertainty in the minds of our friends and in so doing allow other energy producers to fill the void. If we wish to be an energy superpower in the future, we must be dependable today,” he writes. WA Environment Minister Reece Whitby gave Woodside’s project a 50-year extension in December, ending a long approval process that began in 2018. The extension to 2070 is a major step in Woodside’s plans to develop the Browse LNG project off WA’s north coast. The $30 billion proposal would see Woodside and its partners tap gas from three new fields 900km away and connect it to the longstanding natural gas project’s existing infrastructure. But opponents have raised concerns about its contribution to climate change and impact on the cultural landscape, with hundreds of objections lodged over several years. Mr Black also congratulated Roger Cook on his re-election, saying the Premier understood the importance of “backing successful industries that drive prosperity for WA and the nation”. “We look forward to continuing to work with the Cook Government to unlock more economic activity, boost productivity and deliver real wages growth,” he said.