Browse LNG hub location decided

The exact location for the proposed Kimberley gas hub, the potential processing facility for Woodside's $20 billion Browse project, has been selected.

Premier Colin Barnett today said an area immediately south of James Price Point has been chosen, following consultation with traditional owners.

He said final selection had centred on two potential locations for LNG processing and related port facilities - one just north and one just to the south of James Price Point.

The southern site was chosen due to deeper water near the coastline, which would reduce the amount and costs of dredging and blasting, environmental impacts would be managed better and impacts on registered Aboriginal heritage sites could be managed.

"The State Government, the Kimberley Land Council, representing Traditional Owners, and Woodside Energy Ltd have entered into a Heritage Protection Agreement for the precinct," Mr Barnett said.

"This establishes a process for identifying, protecting and managing Aboriginal sites within the precinct area.

"It also enables us to continue working together on developing a master plan for the layout of the precinct and determining the location of worker accommodation and a light industrial area to support the LNG processes."

The hub location comes days after the federal and state governments imposed a deadline for the development of the $20 billion Browse gas project, which is being led by Woodside Petroleum. Other partners in the project are Shell, Chevron, BHP and BP.

Woodside is in favour of using the site to process gas for the project however the partners prefer that the gas be piped to existing infrastructure at the North West Shelf.

The Browse partners have 30 days to accept the federal government's lease renewals, and then have 120 days to decide which site will process the gas. The partners then have 30 months to make a final investment decision on Browse.

The announcement is below:

An area just south of James Price Point has been identified as the exact location for the proposed Browse LNG precinct.

Premier Colin Barnett said the site was selected following extensive consultation with Traditional Owners and consideration of heritage, technical and environmental data.

He said final selection had centred on two potential locations for LNG processing and related port facilities - one just north and one just to the south of James Price Point.

The southern site had been chosen because:

- deeper water near the coast would substantially reduce the amount and costs of dredging and blasting required
- impacts on seagrass and other marine habitats would be able to be better managed
- the land was flatter than the alternative site in the north, reducing the visual impact of the site from the ocean
- impacts on registered Aboriginal heritage sites could be managed.

"This is another important step forward for a project that will bring major benefits for Aboriginal people, the Kimberley and Western Australia," Mr Barnett said.

"The State Government, the Kimberley Land Council, representing Traditional Owners, and Woodside Energy Ltd have entered into a Heritage Protection Agreement for the precinct

"This establishes a process for identifying, protecting and managing Aboriginal sites within the precinct area.

"It also enables us to continue working together on developing a master plan for the layout of the precinct and determining the location of worker accommodation and a light industrial area to support the LNG processes."

The Premier said the proposed design for the precinct would ensure its economic efficiency while reducing impacts on registered Aboriginal heritage sites and monsoonal vine thickets and make the site less visible from the ocean.

When operating at full capacity, with two processors, the total land area of the precinct, to which public access would be restricted, would be about 2,000 to 2,500 hectares - just 0.2 per cent of the 1,400,000 hectare Dampier Peninsula.

Some precinct features included:

- LNG storage tanks set back approximately 750 metres from the shore line
- LNG processing trains a further kilometre inland from the tanks
- the precinct fenced area to include only 1.3-1.5 kilometres of coast line.

Public access would be maintained in buffer zones - which include James Price Point - around the precinct, for activities such as harvesting and gathering of food, traditional ceremonies, driving, walking and fishing.

Access along Manari Road would be maintained to the southern precinct boundary.

Access to James Price Point and further north would be enabled via a new road from the existing Broome-Cape Leveque Road.

Mr Barnett paid tribute to the Traditional Owners, particularly the members of the negotiation committee established to select the site.

"The Traditional Owners have made it very clear they want to protect their heritage, culture and the environment and are rightly worried about the impact of an LNG precinct on their traditional land," he said.

"They are also very focused on using the opportunities generated by the development to provide real economic opportunities for their people.

"The State Government is strongly committed to working to make this happen."

The Premier said negotiations were on track to finalise an Indigenous Land Use Agreement by early 2010 and for finalisation of the Strategic Assessment Report documentation for presentation to State and Federal environmental regulatory authorities.