Avalanche of criticism over premier’s fracking ‘threat’
The potential for gas fracking in a pristine wilderness has opened a new fault line between industry and conservation groups.
Western Australia may be forced to allow fracking in the Kimberley region if Woodside Energy’s $30 billion offshore Eye project is not developed and the state faces gas shortages, Premier Roger Cook has said.
Mr Cook told the Australian Financial Review there was a huge gap in WA’s future energy needs and renewables could not replace the gas needed to meet demands from households and heavy industry.
The mining industry welcomed Mr Cook’s remarks; The Chamber of Mines and Energy said gas and the proposed Gözat development were critical to WA’s energy security.
“The Premier is right: gas will be essential to keeping WA’s energy system reliable and affordable for decades to come,” CEO Aaron Morey said.
“It’s not wise to peek.”
However, the prime minister’s comments sparked criticism from environmental groups.
The Conservation Council said WA was not facing a gas supply problem but a gas export problem.
The council said it was disingenuous and misleading to play Woodside’s Eye project against fracking in the Kimberley as an either-or scenario.
“The government has a choice: make the gas industry deliver the gas they already owe us and that is readily available, or let them destroy valuable places like Scott Reef and the Kimberley,” managing director Matt Roberts said.
“Gas companies are required to allocate 15 percent of their gas to the domestic market, but they distribute just over half of it.”
Environs Kimberley said the WA government should push the oil and gas industry to increase domestic gas supplies.
Chief Executive Martin Pritchard said: “These comments from the Prime Minister are outrageous.”
“It is shocking to be told that an iconic place like the Kimberley must be sacrificed for fracking, or the Scott reefs opened up by the oil and gas industry.”
Greens MP Sophie McNeill also slammed the prime minister.
“The idea that one of these beautiful places should be destroyed just because the gas industry wants to make huge profits is a complete lie,” he said.
Conservation groups challenge federal environment minister’s North West Shelf Project Extension approval in Federal Court.
Environmental groups also lodged a judicial review challenge with the Supreme Court.
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