Overview

• On May 28, Environment Minister Murray Watt granted Woodside Energy a 40-year extension for its North West Shelf gas project under strict conditions
• The project is projected to emit 4.3 billion tonnes of greenhouse gases by 2070, equivalent to running 12 coal-fired power stations over the same period
• Approval imposes legally binding limits on air pollutants and mandates protections for the Murujuga rock art site on the Burrup Peninsula
• Prime Minister Anthony Albanese defended the extension as necessary to secure domestic gas supplies as ageing coal plants retire
• Traditional owners and environmental groups have vowed legal challenges and Woodside is eyeing a further Browse Basin expansion