Woodside granted federal approval for North West Shelf project extension

Woodside Energy and its North West Shelf joint venture partners received a final decision from the Australian government granting environmental approval for the North West Shelf project extension (NWS extension).

The federal approval—the process for which started anew following state approval late last year after 6 years of assessment and appeals—includes conditions that require additional monitoring and management of air emissions to protect the Dampier Archipelago (including Burrup Peninsula) National Heritage Place, the operator said in a release Sept. 12.

Woodside said it "remains committed to protecting the Murujuga Cultural Landscape...one of Australia’s most culturally significant landscapes," recognized on the National Heritage List and nominated for World Heritage listing. 

North West Shelf project and extension

The North West Shelf project, in north-western Australia, includes a network of offshore oil and gas infrastructure and an onshore processing plant in Karratha, Western Australia, and has been supplying natural gas to the Western Australia domestic market for more than 40 years.

The NWS extension relates to environmental approval for ongoing operations for Karratha Gas Plant beyond 2030, transforming the North West Shelf project into a third-party gas processing plant, enabling the ongoing supply of gas and fluids to domestic and international markets for decades to come, Woodside notes on its website.

The NWS extension is intended to support the development of additional gas fields in Western Australia, allowing an increase in gas supply, the site further notes.

The Western Australian Domestic Gas Policy requires exporters of LNG from Western Australia to withhold from their total export volume a minimum of 15% for domestic supply.