Woodside has set new targets to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 at the Pluto liquefied natural gas (LNG) project, Western Australia.
The targets, which have been approved by Western Australian Minister for Environment Amber-Jade Sanderson under Woodside’s contemporised Pluto Greenhouse Gas Abatement Program (GGAP), include an interim target to abate 30 per cent of emissions by 2030 and long-term targets to abate 100 per cent of emissions by 2050.
The targets are based on the proposed expansion of Pluto LNG and account for emissions associated with a two-train facility.
The company has advised that it will integrate a number of measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions at Pluto LNG by adopting technology considered to be best practice for LNG developments in Australia, implementing operational improvements and offsetting all reservoir carbon dioxide.
Acting chief executive officer Meg O’Neill said Woodside the Western Australian Government’s aspiration to reduce and offset carbon emissions to net zero by 2050.
“We are pleased to have agreed these new contemporary greenhouse gas emission reduction targets with the State for Pluto LNG. The targets, which are based on the proposed expansion of the facility to enable the processing of gas from the offshore Scarborough field, demonstrate how we have applied our corporate decarbonisation targets at Pluto LNG,” she said.
“These efforts are complemented by our investment in generating high-quality offsets and potential opportunities in renewable power and hydrogen.”
In addition, Woodside is currently investigating the supply of 50 MW of solar energy to Pluto LNG from its proposed Woodside Power Project, which would result in a direct reduction in scope one greenhouse gas emissions from Pluto LNG.
Woodside is the operator of Pluto LNG on behalf of the Pluto joint venture participants Woodside Burrup (90 per cent), Kansai Electric Power Australia (5 per cent) and Tokyo Gas Pluto (5 per cent).
Woodside is proposing to develop the Scarborough gas resource through new offshore facilities connected by an 430 km pipeline to a proposed expansion of the existing Pluto LNG onshore facility.
Expansion includes modifications to the existing Train 1 and construction of a second gas processing train (Train 2) and additional domestic gas infrastructure.
Scarborough gas would be processed through Train 2 and contains negligible reservoir carbon dioxide.
Woodside is targeting a final investment decision for Scarborough and Pluto Train 2 in the second half of 2021.