Home›Questions on Notice›QoN 1831

❓ Question on Notice regarding the climate change implications of Woodside's Burrup Hub developments, particularly concerning the North West Shelf extension and Pluto LNG facility, and their alignment with national emissions targets and the Safeguard Mechanism. Many questions were unanswered due to future decision-making role.

AnsweredQoN 1831Legislative Council

Asked

30 November 2023

Member

Hon Dr Brad Pettitt

Portfolio

Energy; Environment; Climate Action

QuestionView source ↗

(1) Will the Commonwealth consider or assess the climate change implications of Woodside’s proposed Burrup hub developments, including the North West Shelf extension? (2) If so, how will this consideration or assessment occur, by what agency, at what stage, under which legislation, and what criteria will be applied? (3) Will the proposed North West Shelf extension be assessed in relation to its impacts on Australia’s national emissions reduction targets and budget, or in relation to the hard cap on emissions under the Safeguard Mechanism? (4) Has Woodside applied for a variation to its current baseline under the Safeguard Mechanism for its Pluto LNG facility, to accommodate the doubling in size of the facility? (5) Will the Commonwealth grant a higher baseline for the Pluto LNG production facility under the Safeguard Mechanism when Train 2 is built to process Scarborough gas, or will it operate under its existing baseline? (6) Will the Government assess the impacts of the Pluto Train 2 extension on Australia’s national carbon pollution reduction targets or the hard cap under the Safeguard Mechanism? (7) If so, how will this assessment occur and what criteria will be applied? (8) Has Woodside applied for a variation to its current baseline under the Safeguard Mechanism for its North West Shelf LNG facility, to accommodate the doubling in size of the facility? (9) What is the current operating output in LNG of the North West Shelf LNG production facility and what is the proposed operating capacity of the facility in Woodside’s North West Shelf extension proposal? (10) Will the Commonwealth grant a higher baseline for the North West Shelf LNG production facility under the Safeguard Mechanism, or will the facility operate under its existing baseline? (11) Will the Government assess the impacts of the North West Shelf extension on Australia’s national carbon pollution reduction targets or the hard cap under the Safeguard Mechanism? (12) If so, how will this assessment occur and what criteria will be applied? (13) Has the Commonwealth Government reviewed the State-imposed Greenhouse Gas Abatement Plans (GGAP) for the Pluto LNG facility and the proposed Greenhouse gas Abatement Plan for the North West Shelf extension, to assess if they are consistent with the Commonwealth requirements under the Safeguard Mechanism? (14) If no to (13), why not? (15) If yes to (13), will the Minister provide a summary of this assessment and its findings, and table any relevant documents? (16) If no to (15), why not? (17) Does the Commonwealth consider that the approved and proposed GGAP’s for the Burrup hub facilities meet the standards set out in the ISO guidelines for Net Zero and the UN High Level Expert Group on net zero commitments from non-state entities? (18) What proportion of the abatement required to meet the Safeguard Mechanism requirements is expected to be delivered through offsets or SGM credits for: (a) the Pluto LNG Facility between now and 2030; (b) the Pluto LNG Facility between now and 2050; (c) the North West Shelf Facility between now and 2030; and (d) the North West Shelf Facility between now and 2050? (19) What proportion of the overall amount of offsets that will be available under the Safeguard Mechanism to 2030, given the hard cap requirement, will be used by the Burrup Hub LNG facilities? (20) What proportion of the overall amount of offsets that will be available under the Safeguard Mechanism to 2030, given the hard cap requirement, is expected to be used by the Australian LNG facilities in total?

AnswerView source ↗

Answered

27 February 2024

Responded by

Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Energy; Environment; Climate Action

Response time

2 days

(1)-(8), (10)-(20) It is not appropriate that I answer questions about the Commonwealth Government’s consideration of the North West Shelf Project Extension proposal and the Pluto LNG facility including how it will apply its own policies, processes and regulations. This includes questions about how the Commonwealth Clean Energy Regulator will assess and consider applications in respect of Safeguard Mechanism baselines.
In relation to the North West Shelf Project Extension proposal, appeals were received against the Environmental Protection Authority’s Report on this proposal. As I have a future decision-making role on these appeals, it is not appropriate that I provide any further comment on this project at this time.
In relation to the Pluto LNG facility, the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation is regulating the greenhouse gas emissions in accordance with the Environmental Protection Act 1986 . The environmental conditions that apply to the Pluto LNG facility include requirements on the proponent to comply with net greenhouse gas emission limits, revise and implement the greenhouse gas abatement program and public reporting. The emission limits specified in the conditions sets out five-yearly limits along a trajectory to net zero by 2050. The conditions also require the greenhouse gas emissions from Pluto LNG train 2 development to be addressed in a revised greenhouse gas abatement program.
(9) I am advised that the annual production of LNG between 1 July 2022 and 30 June 2023 was 16,378,496 tonnes per annum, according to the Annual Environmental Report submitted by Woodside Energy Ltd in accordance with its Environmental Protection Act 1986 Part V licence. The North West Shelf Project Extension proposal that was assessed by the Environmental Protection Authority is for the LNG production capacity to be maintained at a limit of 18.5 million tonnes per annum.

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