PERTH (miningweekly.com) – The Western Australian Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) has approved the state government’s component of a liquid natural gas (LNG) pipeline, which will form part of the Scarborough gasfield project, being developed by energy major Woodside.

EPA chairperson Dr Tom Hatton said the proposal would see the installation of a gas trunkline 32.7 km long, located adjacent to the existing Pluto LNG Facility 8 km north east of Dampier in the Pilbara, Western Australia.

“The EPA has completed its assessment of Woodside Energy’s State waters component of a 434-km-long pipeline which will link the Scarborough gasfield project with the Pluto LNG Facility on the Burrup Peninsula,” Hatton said.

“During our consideration, the EPA looked carefully at environmental impacts particularly around coral communities; water quality; social and cultural values; and marine species within the development envelope.

“As a precautionary measure, the EPA has recommended management plans to avoid and minimise the direct and indirect environmental impacts.”

The portion of the Scarborough project within state waters is expected to have minimal greenhouse gas emissions as it is a short-term trunkline construction project.

The remaining portion of the Scarborough project that is within Commonwealth waters will be assessed by the Australian government, under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act, which includes the consideration of greenhouse gas emissions.

The Scarborough gasfield project forms part of Woodside’s A$40-billion Burrup Hub development, which involves the development of some 20-trillion to 25-trillion cubic feet of gross dry gas resources from the Browse, Pluto and Scarborough gasfields, based on current reserves, processed through proven existing LNG facilities, such as Pluto LNG, and the North West Shelf project.

In December last year, the EPA released Woodside’s Browse to North West Shelf development and North West Shelf project extension environmental review documents for eight weeks of public comment, closing on 12 February 2020.

Woodside proposes to develop the Browse resource, which will consist of up to 24 wells in state waters and 54 across both state and Commonwealth waters, using two floating production storage and offloading facilities, which will transport gas to the existing North West Shelf Karratha gas plant through a proposed 85 km spur line and a 900 km Browse trunkline, using the existing North Rankin Complex.

The North West Shelf project extension proposal is for the long-term processing of third-party gas and fluids at the existing North West Shelf Facility until around 2070.

“These are complex and individual proposals that will require detailed assessment to determine the extent of the proposals’ impacts and how the environmental issues could be managed, and I encourage the community to review the proposals and provide feedback,” Hatton said.

The EPA’s report on the Scarborough project nearshore component to the Minister for Environment is now open for a two week public appeal period, closing 20 January 2020.