Federal government approves to extend the country’s largest gas plant

ABC NEWS (Australia)

Industry groups have welcomed the federal government's approval to extend the life of Australia's biggest gas plant. But environmentalists say pushing out the life of Woodside's Northwest Shelf project to 2070 will impact the country's international climate reputation.

Transcript

00:00It was seven years ago that Woodside first applied to extend the life of its Pilbricht

00:07Gas Export Facility until 2070. On Friday, Australia's largest gas project got the green

00:15light. I have today given final environmental approval for the North West Shelf Project

00:20extension. It comes with almost 50 conditions, including a 60% reduction of nitrogen oxide

00:27gases by 2030 and a target to reach net zero emissions by 2050. But environmentalists aren't

00:36convinced. This is an enormous gas approval. It pushes emissions out to 2070. So the math just

00:44doesn't add up when it comes to a net zero commitment by 2050 and then approving these

00:48enormous gas projects out to 2070. I'm quite shocked that the government has approved this.

00:55It's a rejection of climate science. It's completely the wrong thing to do. It's gaslighting

01:03the Australian public because we don't need this gas. Industry and government say natural

01:08gas has a crucial role to play in the world's energy transition, including by powering Australia's

01:15efforts to become a critical minerals processor. And it says the project can proceed while meeting

01:21high environmental standards. But opponents say Australia should be showing the world climate

01:28leadership while protecting the local environment. The impact on Australian communities, on the

01:35communities of Taree and Lismore that have just been through floods, on the communities in Adelaide

01:40withstanding an algal bloom. These emissions from these projects will just make that situation

01:45worse. Fears the project leaves Australia's climate reputation at stake. The climate movement

01:51will look at all its legal options now to try to prevent this climate wrecking project. A battle

01:57only just heating up.

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