Key facts
- Woodside's Browse gasfield development proposal faces significant environmental concerns.
- The WA EPA's preliminary view was to reject the project due to risks to coral reefs and marine life.
- Potential oil spills could cause irreversible harm to Scott Reef, according to EPA advice.
- Concerns were raised about impacts on endangered green turtles and pygmy blue whales.
- Woodside proposed adding shear rams to mitigate oil spill risks, a technology questioned by Chevron.
- The company also adjusted well drilling locations and gas flaring plans.
Woodside Energy's plans for gas drilling off Western Australia's coast face significant environmental opposition, with the state's environmental watchdog raising concerns about potential harm to "exceptional" coral reefs and endangered marine life. A draft letter from the WA Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) in 2023 criticized Woodside's Browse gasfield development proposal, stating that its measures to protect turtles and whales would be ineffective and that reducing the risk of an oil spill to an acceptable level might be impossible.
The EPA's preliminary view, communicated in February 2024, was to reject the development, a major setback for Woodside's ambition to feed its North West Shelf gas export plant. The watchdog's staff advised that there was a threat of serious or irreversible harm to turtles and whales, and generally due to oil spills, recommending the precautionary principle be invoked.
In response, Woodside proposed adding explosive-driven shear rams to its drilling plans to seal a leaking well within 12 hours, a technology that fellow gas exporter Chevron has described as unproven. Woodside also stated it could deploy a capping stack within 16 days if the shear rams failed. However, EPA advice from 2023 indicated that a 13-day leak could have irreversible consequences for Scott Reef. Woodside has since adjusted its plans to avoid drilling within 20km of Sandy Islet, a critical area for green turtles, and to restrict gas flaring that can confuse turtle navigation. The EPA board was also informed of potential impacts on pygmy blue whales from noise, traffic, and vessel strikes.