Browse gas project receives priority status in Western Australia

Western Australia has designated Woodside Energy’s proposed Browse to North West Shelf development as a State Significant Project, giving the offshore gas proposal the highest level of prioritization available under the state government’s Lead Agency Framework.

The designation does not constitute project approval but establishes a framework for coordinated engagement across government agencies as the development advances through environmental reviews and other regulatory processes.

Woodside is operator of the Browse Joint Venture, which proposes to develop the Calliance, Brecknock and Torosa conventional natural gas fields in the Browse Basin. The fields are approximately 425 km north of Broome, Western Australia, and represent the country’s largest undeveloped offshore gas resource, according to Woodside.

The development is currently in the concept definition phase. Its forecast production capacity is 11.4 million tonnes per annum of LNG, liquefied petroleum gas and domestic gas, with peak condensate production estimated at 50,000 barrels per day.

Gas would move to existing plant

The proposed development concept includes two floating production, storage and offloading facilities and an approximately 900-km pipeline connecting the fields with existing North West Shelf infrastructure in Karratha.

Gas would be processed at the Karratha Gas Plant rather than at a new-build onshore LNG facility. Woodside said the arrangement could extend the operating life of the plant and help sustain the established operations and workforce supporting it.

The Karratha facility has five LNG processing trains and associated domestic gas, storage and export infrastructure. As production from the North West Shelf’s original fields declines, Browse represents a potential source of replacement feed gas for the plant.

Although Woodside has not disclosed the detailed compression and rotating-equipment configuration for the current concept, the development’s distance from shore and proposed production rate would require extensive offshore gas gathering, treatment and export infrastructure. The two floating facilities would prepare the gas for transportation through the subsea pipeline to Karratha.

A carbon capture and storage system has also been incorporated into the offshore design. Woodside did not provide details about the proposed capture volumes, injection location or associated compression equipment.

Domestic and export supply

Woodside said Browse could contribute to domestic gas supply in Western Australia while supporting LNG exports to customers in the Asia-Pacific region.

An independent assessment commissioned for the project estimated it could produce a long-term increase of approximately A$141 billion in Australian gross domestic product. The study also projected approximately A$56 billion in taxes and royalties, including about A$19.8 billion in petroleum resource rent tax.

The company said the development could support thousands of jobs and create contracting, procurement and local-content opportunities in the Pilbara and Kimberley regions.

State Significant Project status is intended to improve coordination among the government departments involved in evaluating major developments. Woodside said it will continue working with government agencies, Indigenous stakeholders, industry organizations, unions and regional communities as the proposal moves through the approvals process.

A final investment decision, construction schedule and expected startup date have not been announced.