PERTH, 20 MARCH 2025 – Greenpeace Australia Pacific has asked Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek to reconsider the criteria used to assess Woodside’s North West Shelf Extension because significant new impacts have emerged since the original 2019 decision.
“We’re calling on the Environment Minister to assess Woodside’s North West Shelf Extension with all of the facts in front of her—including new evidence showing this project could devastate our environment, particularly Scott Reef,” said Joe Rafalowicz, Head of Climate and Energy, Greenpeace Australia Pacific.
“Like thousands of other individuals and community groups, Greenpeace has been participating in this assessment since at least 2022.
“While the 2019 decision to assess the North West Shelf Extension only focused on the project’s potential impact on national heritage values, new evidence has since emerged about the consequences of Woodside’s plans to drill for gas beside, and dump carbon near, the irreplaceable Scott Reef.
“Australians expect their elected representatives to make decisions following due process, independent of pressure from vested interests, and based on the best evidence.
“To properly assess the serious risk of extending the life of Woodside’s gas processing facility, it is essential that the Environment Minister gives due regard to all available evidence.
“Woodside plans to fuel its North West Shelf gas facility out to 2070 by drilling up to 50 gas wells near Scott Reef as part of its proposed Browse project. Recent statements from Woodside confirm that Browse and the North West Shelf Extension are directly linked—making Browse dependent on the North West Shelf Extension approval to be viable.
“Woodside also plans to take the carbon pollution from drilling for gas and inject it deep under the ocean into massive underground aquifers. The carbon is supposed to stay there for over 1000 years. However, carbon capture storage is an unproven technology at scale, with a track record of overpromising and underdelivering.
“Woodside’s reckless plans risk threatened species like Green Sea Turtles and Pygmy Blue Whales, while also jeopardising fragile coral reef habitats with noise, light pollution, and the potential for oil spills.”
“Given the clear possibility of adverse impacts on threatened species, migratory species and the Commonwealth marine environment, we are requesting the Minister to expand the assessment criteria to accurately consider the full picture of real-world impacts that approving the North West Shelf Extension will have.
“The assessment criteria originally set in 2019 are too narrow for an informed assessment of the project’s impacts.
—ENDS—
Note to editors:
Greenpeace’s full reconsideration request can be found here.
Images for media use can be found here.
For more information or to arrange an interview please contact Vai Shah on 0452 290 082 or vaidehi.shah@greenpeace.org.
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