Western Australia’s leading conservation and climate change organisation is calling for Woodside Petroleum to be prosecuted, as new documents reveal systemic compliance breaches on carbon pollution across both of its WA LNG facilities.
Conservation Council of WA (CCWA) Director, Piers Verstegen said that data released by the Australian Government’s Clean Energy Regulator reveal that Woodside has breached its already overly generous Safeguard Limit for the country’s oldest and most inefficient LNG facility – the North West Shelf facility.
"An Annual Compliance report for Woodside’s Pluto LNG facility released this week also suggests the company is failing to comply with state government requirements to offset pollution from this facility," said Mr Verstegen.
"These two revelations demonstrate that Woodside’s claims the company is taking action on climate change are nothing more than a cynical marketing exercise."
The revelations come as Woodside faces investor resolutions on climate change and carbon disclosure at its 30th April Annual General Meeting. The resolutions reflect serious shareholder concerns over the company’s lack of transparency about its carbon pollution and lobbying efforts against action on climate change.
"If Woodside cannot even comply with its basic regulatory requirements on carbon pollution from its existing facilities, the company certainly cannot be trusted to manage emissions from its proposed Burrup Hub expansion which would be the most polluting project in Australia’s history.
The company has no credibility when it comes to managing or measuring its carbon pollution, yet it wants shareholders and the community to believe it is a responsible corporate citizen.
Australian Government figures reveal that Woodside’s WA LNG operations released 9 million tons of carbon pollution across its two WA LNG facilities, making it WA’s second most polluting company after fellow gas producer Chevron.
"This pollution translates into a direct cost to Australian taxpayers of $130 million for offsetting these emissions,” he said. "This is a disgraceful shift of production costs onto the public. It is unconscionable and the Government must act."
"Woodside must be investigated independently and prosecuted for its breaches on carbon pollution and climate change," said Mr Verstegen.