Morrison announces $40m for Burrup gas project

Silhouette of gas plant and worker (strike hancock)
Gas plant (Image: Shutterstock)

Greenpeace has responded angrily to news the Morrison Government will give $40 million in funding for carbon capture and storage to Woodside’s Burrup Hub gas project.

Morrison announced the $40 million for oil and gas giant Woodside—part of a nationwide $250 million to be spent on carbon capture measures—at a press conference in Perth.

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Greenpeace Australia Pacific head of Clean Transitions Jess Panegyres said the Morrison Government was effectively granting Woodside an expensive, tax-payer funded licence to pollute.

“The Morrison Government is essentially giving Woodside a license to pollute, handing taxpayer’s money to a company with billions of dollars of revenue to waste on ineffective, unproven and costly carbon capture technology,” she said.

“Carbon capture has never worked anywhere in the world at scale, with the most salient example of its failure being found right here in Western Australia. Chevron’s colossal Gorgon gas plant, Australia’s only commercial-scale carbon capture and storage project, has comprehensively failed—and now the Morrison Government wants to hand over more public money to waste on this dangerous fantasy technology.”

“Woodside’s Burrup Hub, if it goes ahead, is set to be the most climate-polluting project in Australia. Tacking a useless carbon capture facility to the Burrup Hub is applying the world’s smallest fig leaf to this fossil fuel monstrosity, leaving Woodside free to destroy our climate.”

“With renewable solutions like wind, solar and batteries offering boundless opportunities for Western Australia, the Federal Government should be investing in long term energy and employment solutions for our state, rather than funding technology designed to prolong the life of polluting fossil fuel projects.”

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The government subsidies were, however, welcomed by industry, with APPEA deputy chief Damian Dwyer saying the announcement recognised the importance of gas in Australia’s energy transition.

“This greater certainty for industry will be critical for Australia’s economic recovery and commitment to decarbonise as part of a cleaner energy future,” Dwyer told AAP.

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