Environmental Group Backs Out of Scarborough Litigation

Woodside and the Australian Conservation Foundation (ACF) have agreed to dismiss the ACF’s challenge to a primary environmental approval for Woodside’s Scarborough Energy Project.

The Scarborough Energy Project has all primary environmental approvals in place and offshore work is progressing well. However, the Federal Court proceedings sought an injunction to stop offshore activities for the project.

Woodside CEO Meg O’Neill welcomed the agreement to dismiss the case.

“Litigation against energy projects like Scarborough is an ineffective way to pursue solutions to global climate and energy challenges. Such approaches create needless uncertainty for businesses, communities and the people who depend on the energy these projects produce.

“The Scarborough reservoir contains less than 0.1% carbon dioxide and combined with processing design efficiencies will be one of the lowest carbon intensity sources of LNG delivered into north Asian markets.”

The ACF issued a statement saying it has made the difficult decision not to proceed with our upcoming legal case against Woodside’s Scarborough project. “Late last week it became apparent that the case was unlikely to succeed.  

“The reality is that Australia’s laws work in favor of fossil fuel interests. There is still no explicit requirement for climate damage to be considered under our key national nature law, the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act. This means that, even today, major fossil fuel projects are being approved that will lock in huge volumes of carbon pollution well beyond 2050.

“While the science is crystal clear that coal and gas warm our planet, the weak nature protection laws do not reflect this reality.”

The ACF, represented by the Environmental Defenders Office, commenced the Federal Court of Australia proceedings in relation to the offshore environmental assessment of the Scarborough Energy Project in June 2022.

The Scarborough Energy Project comprises the Scarborough Joint Venture, the Pluto Train 2 Joint Venture and modifications to Pluto Train 1 to process Scarborough gas. The Scarborough field is located in the Carnarvon Basin, approximately 375km off the Pilbara coast of Western Australia. It will be developed through new offshore facilities connected by an approximately 430km pipeline to Pluto Train 2 at the existing Pluto LNG onshore facility.

It will include the installation of a floating production unit (FPU) with eight wells drilled in the initial phase and 13 wells drilled over the life of the Scarborough gas field. All wells will be tied back to a semi-submersible FPU moored in 950m of water. Approximately five million tonnes per annum (Mtpa) of Scarborough gas will be processed through Pluto Train 2, with up to 3Mtpa processed through the existing Pluto Train 1.

The Scarborough Energy Project was 67% complete at the end of June 2024 and is on track to deliver the first LNG cargo in 2026.