The Browse LNG is a $30 billion liquefied natural gas plant project proposed for construction at James Price Point, 60 kilometres (37 mi) North of Broome on the Dampier Peninsula, Western Australia. The plant is being built by a joint partnership including Woodside Petroleum, Chevron Corporation, Royal Dutch Shell, BP, and BHP Billiton. It would process natural gas extracted from the Browse Basin. Liquefied natural gas would then be shipped from a port facility also located in the Browse LNG Precinct.
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The plant will include three LNG trains able to process an expected 15 million tonnes of LNG per year. LNG would be pumped via 8 pipelines to a 2-kilometre (1.2 mi) jetty. In the construction phase the Precinct would also include a camp to house 8000 workers and would entail the clearing of 2,500 hectares (6,200 acres) of coastal bushland.[1]
The Browse Basin contains proven gas reserves of 30.4 billion cubic feet (860 million cubic metres) of gas and 600 million barrels (95×106 m3) of condensate. Estimations of the reserves range up to 60 billion cubic feet (1.7 billion cubic metres), making the basin comparable in size to the North West Shelf region.
The Kimberley Land Council, as the representatives of the local Goolarabooloo Jabirr Jabirr Aboriginal people under the 1993 Native Title Act, supported construction by 60% of votes. However, a number of traditional owners are currently in a legal challenge against this decision. In a press statement they say "…many local Indigenous people are disgusted by the apparent abandonment of the established process put in place by the previous State government. Concerns include the threats made earlier in the year by the Premier regarding compulsory acquisition of land and the pre-empting of the Joint State and Commonwealth environmental and cultural assessment process via announcements by Woodside and the Premier."[2]
According to Australian Greens, construction of the port facilities, including the dredging and blasting of reefs and seabed, is expected to result in a 50 square kilometres (19 sq mi) 'marine deadzone'.[3] Construction is also expected to irreparably damage a large amount of fossils unique to the area, including the only example of dinosaur footprint extant in Western Australia.[4]
Once operating the condensation plant is expected to discharge some 30 million cubic metres (1.1×109 cu ft) of waste water into the ocean each year.[5] A coalition of 25 international conservation groups has raised questions as to how it may impact the area's wildlife, especially as the area is "an important habitat for marine turtles, whales and seabirds."[6] Broome's coast is home to the world's largest Humpback whale nursery, five species of turtle, dugong, coral reefs and snubfin dolphin.[1]
Since construction began on site there have been a large number of protests. The Federal Environment Minister Tony Burke still has the power to halt development at the site, as he has yet to grant Federal environmental approval to the project.