EDITORIAL: Woodside approval a victory for commonsense

Friday’s decision by the Albanese Government to approve Woodside’s bid to extend the life of its North West Shelf gas project in the Pilbara until 2070 was one close to seven years in the making.

You can’t say it hasn’t been a project which has been closely vetted and scrutinised — though eco-activists intent on prematurely shutting down Australia’s fossil fuel industry will inevitably try.

It’s a credit to Labor — and in particular Environment Minister Murray Watt, who got the project over the line after months of dithering by his predecessor in the portfolio, Tanya Plibersek — that they have shut out the white noise and listened to commonsense.

This is a project of national and international significance.

The decision to keep it operational for another four decades will keep the lights on, both in Australia and in its customers overseas, including Japan and South Korea.

And crucially, it will provide firming capacity here at home, providing reliable energy when the sun isn’t shining and the wind isn’t blowing.

Climate fantasists would have you believe that we can afford to shut off gas and other fossil fuels and renewables will fill the void. It’s simply not true: think back to the 2024 cold snap in the Eastern States. A fall in wind and rainfall reduced power output from wind and hydro generators, resulting in a 23 per cent spike in the wholesale price of electricity.

The inconvenient truth ignored by the anti-gas lobby is that our transition to renewable energy relies on gas, and will continue to do so for decades to come.

We know renewable energy is the future. But for now, it has some serious limitations. Until the technology is able to catch up, we are going to need gas so that when you turn on a switch, electricity flows.

It’s important to note that the approval of this extension to the North West Shelf project comes with dozens of conditions aimed at preserving cultural heritage.

Those 48 conditions include a requirement to drastically cut the emissions of certain noxious gases by as much as 60 per cent below current levels.

Woodside will also need to continually monitor the emission of gases, in an effort to protect 40,000 year old rock art along the nearby Burrup Peninsula. The Murujuga rock art was granted world heritage listing in July.

Those conditions are in addition to the conditions put on the project by the WA Government last year, after the State’s environmental regulator concluded a six-year approvals process.

“This final approval provides certainty for the ongoing operation of the North West Shelf project so it can continue to provide reliable energy supplies as it has for more than 40 years,” chief operating officer Liz Westcott said said.

Rigorous approvals processes are necessary, not only to protect the environment and our precious cultural heritage, but also to give these crucial projects social licence. However, “rigorous” and “time-consuming” needn’t be synonymous. Governments must do better at speeding up approvals time frames, while maintaining standards.

Responsibility for the editorial comment is taken by Editor-in-Chief Christopher Dore.