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Parliamentary Questions


Question On Notice No. 472 asked in the Legislative Council on 16 December 2021 by Hon Dr Brad Pettitt

Question Directed to the: Minister representing the Minister for Environment
Parliament: 41 Session: 1


Question

In May 2021, the International Energy Agency said that no new oil and gas fields can be developed if the world is to meet the goal of net zero emissions by 2050 and keep global warming to 1.5 degrees. In November 2021, following Western Australian government approvals, the $16 billion plan by Woodside described as Australia’s biggest new fossil fuel investment in nearly a decade was given the go ahead, I ask the Minister:
(a) what is the expected total scope 1, scope 2, and scope 3 greenhouse gas emissions respectively of the entire Scarborough–Pluto project, including its associated and interlinked projects;
(b) is the Scarborough–Pluto project expected to result in increases in Western Australia’s domestic emissions:
(i) if yes to (b), by how much is Western Australia’s domestic emissions expected to increase:
(A) by 2030; and
(B) over the lifetime of the project; and
(c) is the Scarborough–Pluto project expected to result in increases in other emissions:
(i) if yes to (c), by how much are other emissions expected to increase:
(A) by 2030?
(B) over the lifetime of the project?

Answered on 15 February 2022

(a)   The Department of Water and Environmental Regulation has provided the sources below where information on greenhouse gas emissions from the Scarborough and Pluto projects may be accessed.

Information on the greenhouse gas emissions associated with the Scarborough proposal in both Commonwealth and State waters is available on the National Offshore Petroleum Safety and Environmental Management Authority website and includes estimates for scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions.   

The Pluto LNG Facility Greenhouse Gas Abatement Program which details greenhouse gas emissions for train 1 and train 2 is also available on Woodside Energy Limited’s website.

Woodside has set interim and long-term emissions reduction targets for the Pluto LNG facility to reduce net emissions by:

       (A) 30% by 2030

       (B) 35% by 2035

            40% by 2040

            65% by 2045

            100% by 2050

There is no single source document providing the requested information.

(b)   The State is currently looking into a number of measures to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions.  While the changing greenhouse gas profile of the State means that it is not possible to determine any changes with perfect accuracy, it is acknowledged that the project may result in a temporary low percentage increase of scope 1 greenhouse gas emissions to the domestic emission profile from the Pluto LNG plant.  As noted above, Woodside has set emission reduction targets for the Pluto LNG plant to net zero by 2050 which would result in a steady reduction compared to the baseline without abatement.

(c)   In answering this question (c), the Minister for Environment advises that there is no single source document providing the requested information.

The Department of Water and Environmental Regulation has provided the sources below where information on other air emissions from the Pluto LNG Facility may be accessed.

The Pluto LNG facility (train 1) air emissions are reported publicly in the National Pollutant Inventory, available on the Commonwealth Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment’s website, which identifies annually reported kilograms of substances emitted.

The National Pollutant Inventory may be accessed to identify a range of emissions historically from 2010-11 through to the most recently reported year of 2018-19.

The anticipated Pluto LNG facility expansion air emissions from train 1 and 2 are publicly available in Appendix A of the Pluto LNG Air Quality Management Plan, available on Woodside Energy Ltd’s website.

Data from these sources may be accessed to determine a range of emissions under a range of assumptions.