Proposed Ningaloo pipeline facility delayed by environmental studies

The Western Australian government has asked the state’s Environmental Protection Authority to suspend further assessments of Subsea 7’s proposed oil and gas pipeline fabrication facility and towing operation in the Exmouth Gulf until June 2021.

The EPA will use this time to carry out a cumulative impact study of current and proposed activity and developments in the region.

The move follows a decision by the Australian federal government to exclude a number of areas off the Ningaloo coast south of Exmouth from the new 2020 exploration permit licensing round.

More than 30,000 people have signed a petition to halt oil and gas activity in the region. Of concern is potential harm to the 300 km of coastline which contains the Ningaloo reef—one of the world’s longest near-shore coral reefs. It was added to UNESCO’s world heritage list in 2011.

Subsea 7 has proposed construction and operation of an onshore pipeline fabrication facility at Learmonth about 35 km south of Exmouth township.

The plan includes two bundle tracks of about 10 km in length where pipeline bundles would be constructed and launched along a slipway across the beach and extending into the subtidal zone.

When launched, the bundles would then be towed along a predetermined route between two tugs at a controlled depth to a bundle park area where tow reconfiguration would take place before continuing the tow offshore.

Subsea 7 planned to tow the bundles at the surface through the Ningaloo Marine Park and Ningaloo World Heritage Area.

The company anticipated each launch activity would result in 2 days’ offshore activity with a maximum of three launches per year.

WA Environment Minister Stephen Dawson said the Exmouth Gulf had come under increasing pressure from a range of activities.

“Understanding any potential impacts that future developments may have will enable me to make an informed decision about these future proposals,” he said.