❓ Question regarding gas supply agreements between Waitsia project, NWS, and WA domestic market, focusing on transparency and net impact on domestic gas reserves. The Minister's answer confirms Waitsia is producing, using swaps, and reports volumes confidentially.
AnsweredQoN 18Legislative Council
QuestionView source ↗
I refer to the commercial agreement to provide 250 terajoules (TJ) per day of gas from Western Australia's (WA) onshore reserves to Woodside for export via the North West Shelf (NWS) project from the first half of 2023, and the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) projection for the NWS facility to provide a total of 90TJ per day to the State's domestic market from Pluto and NWS fields, and I ask: (a) is the Waitsia project currently producing gas for supply to the NWS export facility; (b) if no to (a), how are the contracting parties, Mitsui and Beach Energy, providing the agreed gas volume to the NWS facility; (c) has there been any purchases from the WA domestic gas market to supply the NWS facility for export, including to meet the volume contracted to be supplied by the Waitsia project; (d) if yes to (c), what volumes of gas have been, or are currently being, supplied to the NWS facility from the WA domestic market; (e) are these trades identified on the WA Gas bulletin board; (f) if no to (e), why not; (g) when the contracted 250TJ per day is eventually supplied to the NWS facility by the Waitsia project, will this be identified on the WA Gas bulletin board; (h) if no to (g), why not; and (i) given the North West Shelf project is contracted to purchase 250TJ per day from the WA onshore reserves, but will only supply 90TJ per day to the domestic market according to AEMO, does the Minister accept that the North West Shelf facility is already a very large net taker from WA's domestic gas reserves, and is in fact the largest single consumer of gas from the WA domestic market?
AnswerView source ↗
Answered
20 May 2025
Responded by
Leader of the House representing the Minister for State Development
Response time
6 days
(a) Yes.
(b) Not applicable.
(c) The Waitsia Joint Venturers have sourced third-party gas via swap arrangements in addition to production from the Xryis Gas Plant to enable supply to the North West Shelf facility for export. This volume of gas forms part of the commercial arrangement for the North West Shelf Joint Venturers to process 250 TJ per day of gas for export for the Waitsia Joint Venturers and is accounted for against the 7.5 million tonne cap on exports from the Waitsia project.
(d) These volumes of gas are reported confidentially by the Waitsia Joint Venturers to the Department of Jobs, Tourism and Science and Innovation as part of its annual domestic gas policy compliance program.
(e – h) No. The Australian Energy Market Operator is responsible for managing the WA Gas Bulletin Board.
(i) The North West Shelf facility has supplied over 6,000 petajoules of gas for the domestic market since production commenced in 1984, and will continue to support the WA gas market balance.
(b) Not applicable.
(c) The Waitsia Joint Venturers have sourced third-party gas via swap arrangements in addition to production from the Xryis Gas Plant to enable supply to the North West Shelf facility for export. This volume of gas forms part of the commercial arrangement for the North West Shelf Joint Venturers to process 250 TJ per day of gas for export for the Waitsia Joint Venturers and is accounted for against the 7.5 million tonne cap on exports from the Waitsia project.
(d) These volumes of gas are reported confidentially by the Waitsia Joint Venturers to the Department of Jobs, Tourism and Science and Innovation as part of its annual domestic gas policy compliance program.
(e – h) No. The Australian Energy Market Operator is responsible for managing the WA Gas Bulletin Board.
(i) The North West Shelf facility has supplied over 6,000 petajoules of gas for the domestic market since production commenced in 1984, and will continue to support the WA gas market balance.
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