The Western Australian Environmental Protection Authority has started the approval process for stage two of Mitsui E&P Australia and Beach Energy’s Waitsia gas project.
The EPA highlighted that following it assessing the key environmental factors, it concluded that the proposal may be implemented.
The Waitsia gas project stage two is a conventional gas proposal located 16km East-South-East of the Dongara-Port Denison town sites, Western Australia.
The proposal includes clearing of up to 17 hectares of native vegetation to support construction and operation of a new gas processing plant, with a maximum export capacity of 250 terajoules per day; and the drilling of up to six new production wells to supplement the existing two wells.
The proposal also outlines the installation of a gas gathering system comprising of flowlines and hubs; and the installation of a flowline from the proposed gas plant for water reinjection via a disused petroleum production well.
The key environmental factors identified by the EPA in its assessment were flora and vegetation, inland waters, greenhouse gas emissions, air quality, and social surroundings.
“The EPA has concluded that the proposal may be implemented, provided the implementation of the proposal is carried out in accordance with the recommended conditions and procedures set out,” the EPA stated.
These conditions include: implementation of a flora and vegetation management plan to minimise impacts; implementation of the water management plan to minimise impacts to groundwater and surface water; implementation of the greenhouse gas management plan to minimise greenhouse gas emissions; implementation of the management of flaring plan to minimise impacts to visual amenity from flaring; and implementation of set out conditions to minimise impacts to Aboriginal heritage.
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