Since the recently announced Woodside-BHP merger, we have been working on the next steps of the No Need for Scarborough Gas campaign. Now that we have a plan, we are going to quickly scale the movement to build pressure against this awful project. 

We now know that Woodside faces a final investment target date of December 15th. We also know that it currently does not have everything it needs to make that investment decision, so if the status quo is maintained, the project will not be able to go ahead.

What does Woodside need to make that decision?
At present, Woodside has agreements with three different companies buying Scarborough gas: RWE (Germany), Uniper (Germany) and Perdaman (WA). 

Who is Perdaman?
Perdaman Chemicals and Fertilisers is a Perth-based company which is aiming to construct a brand new urea fertiliser plant on the Burrup Peninsula, directly next to a pre-existing chemical fertiliser plant. Perdaman has signed a contract to use Scarborough gas and Woodside would try to use this to justify part of its final investment decision, despite the fact that Perdaman has not yet gained all its approvals or reached its own final investment decision.

It is far from guaranteed that Perdadaman’s urea plant will go ahead. It would be an incredibly risky move for Woodside to use an uncertain facility to justify a final decision on Scarborough.

What options does the proposed urea plant have?
Urea can be produced using fossil gas or with renewable feedstocks, including waste biomass and hydrogen from solar PV-electrolysis. Choosing fossil fuels over renewable sources shows short sightedness and no commitment to emissions reduction in this time of climate crisis. 

Moreover, it is proven that the fertiliser product itself is destructive and bad for the climate. Effects of chemical fertilisers on soils are significant and irreversible. The long-term use of these chemical fertilisers can upset beneficial microbial ecosystems, change the soil pH, increase pests, and even contribute to the release of greenhouse gases. The alternative to destructive synthetic fertilisers are organic fertilisers, of which there are many options.

What does this mean for us? 

During the next stage of the campaign we will demand that Perdaman pulls out of its deal to buy Scarborough gas. In doing this we have two objectives:

1. Perdaman cancels its deal, resulting in Woodside requiring yet more buyers for Scarborough in order to make a final decision.
2. Building a large movement of opposition to Scarborough gas will increase the reputational risk for the project, making it less attractive to potential new buyers and project partners.

 

Calls to action

This week we will have our first physical action targeting Perdaman and we want you there. This is part of an ongoing presence we have outside Woodside every fortnight (Woodside Wednesdays), which we are now extending to Perdaman. 

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Click here to get updates on the event and share via social media! https://fb.me/e/1HSZSQMUi

There will be more actions to take in the coming days, so check your emails and your social media to stay up to date with what you can do to keep the pressure up and stop Scarborough gas.

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