10 reasons why the Burrup Hub should not go ahead

What is Woodside’s Burrup Hub project?

The Burrup Hub project is a mega fossil fuel project proposed by Woodside Energy involving the development of two giant new gas fields (Browse and Scarborough) and other oil and gas resources off the Northwest of WA, to be processed for export as Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) on the Burrup Peninsula. If it proceeds, it will be most polluting project ever developed in Australia, offering little benefit to Western Australians and putting our climate and communities directly at risk. Australian oil and gas company Woodside Energy is the lead proponent of the Burrup Hub. The mega project involves several different joint ventures including with Shell, BP, BHP, Chevron and other partners.

Woodside's Burrup Hub:

1.

Will be the most polluting project to be developed in Australia, ever

Over its 50-year lifetime, the Burrup Hub will generate over 6 billion tonnes (gigatons) of carbon pollution from gas production, export and combustion overseas. That is equal to 11x the total annual emissions for the entire of Australia.

2.

Will be 4x the size of the Adani coal mine

Every year the Burrup Hub will produce 139 million tonnes of carbon pollution – over 4 times more than the proposed Adani coal mine, and the equivalent of 35 new coal fired power stations.

3.

Will produce some of the dirtiest gas in the world – a fact Woodside are trying to hide

The ‘carbon intensity’ of gas extracted from the Browse Basin will be nearly double the Australian average and the Burrup Hub will produce some of the dirtiest, most carbon-intensive LNG anywhere in in the world.

4.

Makes WA’s commitment to reaching net zero by 2050 impossible and is in direct breach of Australia’s commitments on climate change

This project undermines international action towards the Paris Agreement and directly breaks public promises made by Woodside, Shell, BP and BHP to take climate change seriously.

5.

Requires over 50 wells drilled to extract oil and gas from beneath the pristine Scott Reef off the Kimberley coast, impacting endangered marine life in a globally significant biodiversity hotspot.

Subsea drilling, seismic testing, industrial noise, light pollution, and heavy shipping operations will have devastating consequences for the reef and almost 60 endangered marine species including Humpback whales and giant Green turtles.

6.

Will cause permanent damage to the world’s most extensive collection of Aboriginal rock art, nominated for World Heritage listing on the Burrup Peninsula (Murujuga).

Acid gas emissions from industry are already destroying the rock art and the Burrup hub would make the damage
far worse.

7.

Will risk health impacts for local communities and workers from exposure to industrial air pollution, which Woodside have failed to monitor and report on to date.

8.

Opens up Western Australia to a large-scale fracking and onshore gas industry

Woodside plans to source additional gas for the Burrup Hub from onshore gas fracking from companies including Seven West Media-owned Beach Energy.

9.

Delivers few benefits to Western Australians

WA’s gas industry is our smallest employer, the corporations involved pay little or no tax or royalties, and the Burrup Hub will leave us with a multi-billion-dollar pollution bill.

If $50 billion were invested in renewable energy instead it would create around 27,000 new direct jobs1 - nearly six times more than the short-term construction jobs created by the Burrup Hub.

10.

Has little social license and is out of step with the majority of Western Australians who want climate action and reject the Burrup Hub project

A recent survey shows that 86% of Western Australians support phasing out gas and replacing it with renewable energy in WA. A clear majority oppose the Burrup Hub project (65%) and support a ban on new gas developments (nearly 60%).