Resources Minister Madeleine King has flagged imminent changes to provide clarity around consultation requirements for offshore gas projects after major court rulings shook investor confidence.
But she said it cannot be a “one-way street”, telling industry that it must also improve.
Ms King will use her speech to CEDA’s WA Energy Transition Summit in Perth on Friday to acknowledge industry concerns about the speed of approvals and lack of certainty around consultation rules.
Recent Federal Court rulings have rocked Woodside’s $16.5 billion Scarborough gas project and Santos’ $5.8 billion Barossa venture, putting production timeframes at risk and fuelling doubts about future investment in Australia.
In her speech to the conference, seen by The West Australian, Ms King said the Government understood industry concern and work was “under way” to ensure clarity around consultation requirements.
“I understand that investors and communities need certainty,” Ms King will say.
“The Government accepts the situation we are in right now does not always provide that certainty.”
And she will put the onus on industry to lift its game, saying “no one needs to wait for government to tell them to do the right thing”.
“Industry must do better in its consultations and engagement,” she said.
“They must be of the highest order, particularly when it comes to engagement with traditional owners.”
Ms King acknowledged industry frustration about the long delays in getting projects off the ground.
But she said it would be “unfair” and “untrue” to pin all the blame on governments, pointing out that in the case of the Scarborough and Browse gas fields companies had decided to delay capital investment at various stages.
Meanwhile, Climate Change and Energy Minister Chris Bowen will use his speech to the summit to announce a $70 million Federal Government boost for BP’s renewable hydrogen project at Kwinana.
The announcement comes as the H2Kwinana project reaches the detailed front-end design phase — a key milestone in its development.
The energy giant wants to install 100MW of electrolyser capacity at the industrial hub, with the potential to expand to a massive 1.5GW production capacity in the future.
The project — which will create about 150 jobs — is expected to be completed in mid-2027.
“We are all-in in Australia, with major investment plans in WA and specifically in the Kwinana area,” BP executive Frederic Baudry said.
The Morrison government first promised the $70 million investment before Labor matched the committed ahead of the last election.
Mr Bowen said the investment was the next step towards using locally produced green hydrogen to reduce industrial emissions and develop Australia’s “renewable export future”.
“Investing in an Australian hydrogen industry is investing in Australia’s future,” he said.
“Kwinana has been an industrial and economic powerhouse for decades, making it an ideal location for a hydrogen hub that can support decarbonisation of heavy industry and connect our renewable resources to the world.”
