Australian oil and gas company Woodside on Thursday published the final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the proposed Browse to
North West Shelf (NWS) Project in Australia, as directed by the Australian Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW).
The offshore area comprising the Brecknock, Calliance, and Torosa fields - the Browse resource - sits in the offshore Browse Basin, around 425 kilometers north of Broome in Western Australia.
The final EIS includes responses to comments received during the public consultation process held over an eight-week period from December 2019 to February 2020.
"As operator of the proposed Browse to NWS Project, Woodside welcomes the publication of the final EIS as a key milestone for the project. The DCCEEW will now prepare its recommendation report and provide it to the Minister," Woodside said.
The proposed Browse to NWS Project would send feed gas from fields in the offshore Browse Basin to be processed at the NWS Project’s Karratha Gas Plant. Browse and the NWS Project Extension are expected to contribute to our communities for decades to come.
According to Woodside, the proposed Browse to NWS Project could contribute to energy security in Western Australia and in the Asia Pacific region, with production capacity of 11.4 million tonnes per year (LNG, LPG and Domestic Gas).
Woodside CEO Meg O'Neill said moving into the assessment phase for the proposed project was a significant and positive step in the regulatory approval process. “The final EIS provides comprehensive detail of potential environmental impacts, proposed mitigations and management measures.
"The processing of Browse gas through the Karratha Gas Plant could provide energy needed in Western Australia and overseas, while providing jobs and taxation revenue that support our host communities,” she said.
Key work activities continue in support of progress towards front-end engineering design entry, Woodside said.
The corresponding State Environmental Review Document Response to Submissions will also be published once accepted by the Western Australian Environmental Protection Authority, the company added.