We only discovered this consultation on Woodside Energy Browse Carbon Capture and Storage project on 15 January. It was announced on the EPBC portal on 2 January, open for comment for a fortnight until 16 January Update: Due to public pressure, extended to 31 January 2025..

We called into question the limited time for public engagement given the time of year when many people take holidays and requested in our submission that the consultation time be extended to mid February.

The Woodside Energy Browse Carbon Capture and Storage project is an adjunct to the Browse Gas Development project in the North West Shelf of Western Australia. The Browse Gas Development Project is still awaiting approval from Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek.

Woodside Energy Browse Gas Project

Gas from Browse development would be pumped along a 900km pipeline to the Karratha Gas Plant. The CO2 extracted at the floating platforms would be pumped about 130km pipeline to near Scott Reef to be injected in the Calliance field about 4km under the seabed.

Executive Summary

Climate Action Merribek objects to the Browse to North West Shelf Development, Indian Ocean, WA as it is not in line with climate science that clearly says no new fossil gas projects are needed to meet the Paris Climate Targets. 

Pursuant to this, the Browse Carbon capture and storage project is not required if the Browse Gas project is not approved.

Secondly, the Browse Carbon capture and storage project is flawed. We have concerns regarding:

• The risk of leaking CO2 from geological containment, making the water more acidic, 
• Noise from regular seismic testing to measure the spread of CO2 under the seabed, for the 35 year estimated life of the project and beyond (100+ years?), affecting marine life, particularly marine mammals including endangered whales and turtles.
• Strong Risks that the carbon sequestration will not meet its targets, thus failing to justify the Browse to North West Shelf Development, and requiring purchase of  carbon credits based on offset regimes with questionable integrity.

We think the Minister should exercise her powers under the EPBC Act and not approve this project.

References:

Peter Milne, Boiling Cold, (9 January 2025) Woodside plan to bury CO2 a step to Browse gas go-ahead. Carbon storage has gone from “high-risk” to the preferred option at the controversial gas export mega-project. https://www.boilingcold.com.au/woodside-plan-to-bury-co2-a-step-to-browse-gas-go-ahead/

See also: Go Beyond Gas, Stop Woodside’s Pollution Dumping
A Quick and Easy Guide: Make Your Submission in Minutes https://www.gobeyondgas.com.au/stop_woodside_s_pollution_dumping

See also: Climate Action Merribek, September 3, 2023, The scam of Carbon Capture and Storage: 5 video explainers https://climateactionmerribek.org/2023/09/03/the-scam-of-carbon-capture-and-storage/