Premier Roger Cook has urged recently re-elected prime minister to address Woodside Energy’s North West Shelf extension request quickly, following a series of delays.
Premier Roger Cook has urged recently re-elected prime minister Anthony Albanese to address Woodside Energy’s North West Shelf extension request quickly, following a series of delays.
Woodside submitted requests to state and federal regulators in 2019, to run the Karratha gas plant for another 50 years beyond its current 2030 permit.
The state gave the request the tick of approval late last year, but federal approvals have been dragged out amid the election cycle and became an issue on the campaign trail.
The proposal would extend the life of the existing gas plant at Karratha through to 2070.
Its delay has led to public commentary from Woodside on the challenging regulatory conditions it faces domestically, especially as it presses ahead with significant investments in the United States.
Mr Cook revealed today that he had approached Mr Albanese in the wake of the election to press the case for a resolution to the ongoing uncertainty surrounding the gas plant.
“I wrote to him just last week to say that the consideration of the issues around the North West Shelf and the Karratha gas plant are front and centre for Western Australia, and we want him to respond to that urgency… with us,” Mr Cook said.
“I know that the [state] Minister for Environment [Matthew Swinbourn] reached out to the new Minister for Environment in the Albanese government, and I expect that they will treat that as a matter of urgency.”
Mr Albanese stripped former Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek of the key portfolio following his election win, with Murray Watt now in the role and facing environmentalist pressure to block the request.
On a flying visit to Perth yesterday as he made his way to Indonesia, Mr Albanese suggested there was plenty of time to make a call.
“I’d like to see it done in accordance with the law, is what I would like to see occur,” he said when asked on timing around a ruling.
“…The state government considered it over a long period of time.
“This is an issue that's relevant for the 2030s, which is when it's due to commence.”
Mr Cook said the government was taking the right approach in considering the legality of a decision but that he hoped a call in favour of the project would be made soon.
“We want them to make a decision – clearly we want a positive decision,” he said.
“But we want them to make a decision which is beyond legal challenge.
“We want it to be a safe decision.
“From that perspective we want them to step through this carefully, but we want them to step through it deliberately and to reach a decision as soon as possible.”
A separate proposal to connect the undeveloped Browse field to the Karratha gas plant is also before regulators.
Woodside sought to amend that plan earlier this week, opening a four-week public review period.
Progress on the Browse to North West Shelf plan is contingent on the North West Shelf extension going ahead.
