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Australia’s largest liquefied natural gas producer, Woodside, plans a regional hub on the Burrup Peninsula in Western Australia, which would enable it to develop trillions of cubic feet of gas over the next decades. Two new gas fields are proposed to be developed, Browse and Scarborough).
Clean State reports that when measured in absolute terms, Woodside’s Burrup Hub project would be Australia’s most polluting fossil fuel project ever to be developed, with a total lifetime carbon footprint of over 6 billion tonnes of CO2 (6.218 gigatons).
Due to the very high emissions intensity of the gas produced, and the long lifespan of the proposal, the Burrup Hub proposal is inconsistent with maintaining a safe climate and meeting international commitments on climate change.
The project would cause both direct or ‘Scope 1’ emissions released in Australia from energy use venting CO2, fugitive emissions, flaring and other sources, as well as indirect or ‘Scope 3’ emissions from burning the gas after it is sold, either in Australia or overseas.
Climate Analytics is a multidisciplinary and culturally diverse team composed of experts in climate science and impacts, including authors of the IPCC, experts in climate finance, adaptation, climate negotiation, mitigation policies and climate policy analysis.
The fast ramping up of LNG processing has made the biggest contribution to the increase of greenhouse gas emissions in Western Australia in the last ten to fifteen years. In 2005, the LNG sector emitted about 6% of WA’s 2005 GHG emissions (excluding LULUCF). Emissions have tripled and have risen, we estimate, to about 23% of the State’s 2017 GHG emissions.
350 Borloo Perth’s report “Captured State: the influence of the gas lobby on WA” demonstrates that Woodside’s Pluto LNG project met the requirements for offsetting its gas emissions, but the conditions set on this project are exceptionally weak. They only require offsets which are actually seven times less than the emissions created by the project. And by choosing to buy cheaper offsets globally, Woodside have taken potential clean jobs and industries away from West Australians. See page 15 of the report.
The Climate Reality Project explains why gas is not good for the environment or the economy – click HERE
The WA gas industry is our smallest employer, the corporations involved pay little or no tax or royalties, and the Burrup Hub will leave us with a multi-billion-dollar pollution bill.
If $50 billion were invested in renewable energy instead it would create around 27,000 new direct jobs – nearly six times more than the short-term construction jobs created by the Burrup Hub.
On April 15th Woodside will be holding its Annual General Meeting.
In January 2021 the W.A. McGowan Government quietly gave approval to the first stage of the Burrup Hub Proposal by granting Woodside permission to pump gas from the Pluto LNG facility five kilometres to the Karratha Gas Plant on the Burrup Peninsula through an interconnector pipeline.
See: Woodside gets state backing to pump gas from Pluto to Karratha Gas Plant (smh.com.au)
Climate Analytics explains that the Burrup Hub project is being proposed at a time when governments are moving to meet their Paris Agreement 2030 targets. Annual emissions from the Burrup Hub by 2030 are projected to be about 21% of WA’s 2005 emissions. If these are not reduced then other sectors would need to reduce emissions by about 44% from 2005 levels to meet an overall state-wide 26% reduction target.
Together we can send a strong message to Woodside calling for no more gas expansion. Please share 10 reasons with the State government and people you know, about why the Burrup Hub proposal should not go ahead. You can download a Summary Sheet as a discussion point and to share.
https://www.cleanstate.org.au/10_reasons_to_reject_burrup_hub