Opportunity to voice your concern with Woodside’s gas hub extension

Woodside wants to extend the life of the gas processing facility, the Karratha Gas Plant, in the Pilbara in WA, until 2070. Woodside currently has permission to operate the plant until 2030.

The Western Australian Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) has recommended the WA and Australian Environment Ministers approve the extension.

Shareholders who are part of the ACCR community have a short window of opportunity to file an appeal by Thursday 21 July 2022.

If you wish to submit your appeal as a Woodside shareholder, here are some grounds you could note in your short submission:

• Lack of proper consideration of Greenhouse Gas Emissions

  • The project will lead to a staggering additional 3.2 billion tonnes of greenhouse gases being emitted

• Lack of consideration of climate science

  • Latest research shows we can’t afford these additional emissions or to open up new fossil fuel projects and stay within a safe climate

• Lack of proper consideration of air quality concerns and impact on cultural heritage

  • The site is already a large contributor to toxic nitrous oxide air emissions
  • The high levels of air pollution could put the UNESCO World Heritage nominated petroglyphs of the Murajuga Cultural Landscape at risk

You are able to suggest ways the decision can be improved, recommending proper consideration be given to the climate science and the environmental and cultural heritage impacts of the proposed extension. You can also note you are a Woodside shareholder with a longstanding interest in the climate change actions of the company and its forward emissions pathway.

ACCR has been engaging with Woodside for a number of years. This has included:

• A shareholder resolution (fifty-percent support) about Woodside setting Paris aligned targets in 2020.
• 49% of shareholders voting against Woodside's climate strategy in 2022, for many reasons including its over reliance on offsets and its lack of scope 3 targets.

You could note in your submission that Woodside’s attempts to extend this project flies in the face of the strong and ongoing shareholder concerns. The EPA’s recommendation fails to consider the real and devastating impact of approving the extension.

How to lodge an appeal step-by-step:

1. To lodge an appeal go here.
2. It will ask you “What do you want to appeal?” In the “type of appeal” box click the down arrow and select ‘Report of Environmental Protection Authority (EPA)’
3. In the “Report number” box that will appear enter the number - 1727
4. In the “Proposal” box type in ‘North West Shelf Project Extension’
5. Press “Next”
6. Write your concerns as appeal grounds in the box provided. Alternatively, write your appeal in a document and attach the document. If attaching a document be sure to write ‘See supporting documents’ in the box provided.
7. Press “Next”
8. Enter your details in the boxes provided.
9. Press “Next”
10. Review your lodgment details, making sure all of your details are correct.
11. There is a $10.00 fee to lodge an appeal. You can pay for your appeal using the online portal. The EPA site will take you to its BPay portal where you can pay using credit/debit card.
12. On successful payment the portal will produce a receipt number. Make a note of this receipt number as you immediately need to enter it into the form.
13. Once you have submitted your form you will receive confirmation and an email.
14. You will receive correspondence from the Appeals Convenor as they process the appeals. This may take several weeks.

You can read the EPA’s report here.

ACCR’s recent history with Woodside is here.