Australia gives North West Shelf gas plant final approval to run until 2070
Australia gave final approval on Friday for Woodside to operate the country's oldest and second-largest liquefied natural gas plant until 2070, while imposing 48 "strict" new rules in a bid to limit its environmental impact.
The decision to extend the life of the North West Shelf plant in Western Australia caps a seven-year approvals process
Environment Minister Murray Watt said on Friday Woodside had agreed to 48 conditions that were "technically feasible" but would protect the Indigenous Murujuga rock art in the area by limiting emissions.
"Some of the gases that are emitted at this facility, which if not controlled properly, could have a significant impact on the rock art," he told reporters. "We are confident that the conditions that we’ve set are the right ones to protect the jobs in and the economic opportunities arising from the plant but also importantly to protect the rock art."
The rock art is estimated to be up to 50,000 years old and is of cultural and spiritual significance to Indigenous Australians. It was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in July.
Watt also set additional legal protections for parts of the site under federal heritage law, while ensuring "this decision does not stop industry from operating".
The North West Shelf plant's existing license had been set to expire in 2030. The four-decade extension was given preliminary approval in May, but Woodside then battled with the government over the conditions for nearly four months.
Watt said Woodside had agreed to specific limits on pollutants, including cutting levels of nitrogen oxide emissions by 60% in five years and 90% by 2061.
"This final approval provides certainty for the ongoing operation of the North West Shelf Project, so it can continue to provide reliable energy supplies as it has for more than 40 years," said Liz Westcott, Woodside's chief operating officer for Australia.
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