Win for Karratha carbon capture plan

A Woodside-led cohort of oil and gas majors has been granted a permit to evaluate the potential of turning a depleted gas field off the coast of Dampier into a carbon capture and storage project . 

The joint venture comprising Woodside Energy, BP Developments Australia, Japan Australia LNG - owned by Mitsui Corporation and Mitsui Co - Shell Australia, and Chevron was awarded a greenhouse gas assessment permit covering a 1,775 square kilometre area 125 kilometres north-west of Dampier. 

The area hosts the depleted Angel Gas Field, which the JV has proposed could be used as a multi-user carbon capture and storage project to provide a local emissions solution for projects near Karratha. 

The parties are all equity holders in the North West Shelf Venture, which operates the Karratha LNG plant.

The Environmental Protection Authority recently approved a life extension for that project to 2070, including a net zero by 2050 emissions target.

Assessments into the technical, regulatory and commerical feasiblity of the CCS project are still in the formative stages, but Woodside said the project could have a processing capacity of up to 5 million tonnes of carbon dioxide per annum. 

Woodside chief executive Meg O'Neill said the permit was a key step towards developing the project and was an important addition to its portfolio of carbon management options. 

“The successful deployment of CCS in Western Australia has the potential to create new jobs, protect current jobs and contribute to achieving greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reduction targets," she said. 

Woodside is operator of the joint venture and will hold a 20 per cent stake in the permit, as will bp, MIMI, Shell and Chevron.