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Regardless of the North West Shelf decision, Woodside must deliver for Western Australians

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The DomGas Alliance is paying attention to the Federal Government’s considerations of a 50-year extension for the North West Shelf and remains hopeful the Government’s ultimate decision will secure a critical energy asset and unlock shared infrastructure for future projects. Regardless of the outcome of the Government’s considerations, Woodside must meet its domestic gas policy obligations.

Currently, the Pluto project, operated by Woodside, is not compliant with the Western Australian Government’s domestic gas policy, supplying just 2.6% of its LNG volumes to the State’s domestic market, far short of the 15% requirement.

“The era of Woodside doing the bare minimum is over,” Alliance spokesperson Richard Harris said. “Gas producers have a responsibility to earn and maintain a social licence to operate. Woodside must honour its obligations and ensure the benefits of WA’s gas reserves stay in WA, not just flow offshore.”

Importantly, the domestic gas policy does not require the gas to come from Pluto itself, only that the equivalent of 15% of gas from LNG export projects be supplied domestically by the proponent.

“If Woodside cannot deliver from Pluto, it must source gas from its other projects to meet this obligation. That’s the intent of the policy, to ensure Western Australians benefit from the resources developed in their own backyard,” Harris said.

This position was strongly reinforced in the recent WA Parliamentary Inquiry into the WA Domestic Gas Policy as the number one priority, recommending alignment between policy obligations and actual supply, especially with national market regulator AEMO forecasting a gas shortfall by 2028 and steep declines from 2030.

A CCIWA report has warned that up to 40,000 Western Australian jobs are at risk without reliable and affordable gas, particularly in sectors like manufacturing, minerals processing and chemicals.

“The Federal Government’s decision on the North West Shelf extension will be a line-in-the-sand moment,” Harris said. “The infrastructure is in place and the path is clear. It’s time for Woodside to step up and ensure Pluto operates in line with community expectations and domestic supply obligations.”

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