• Home
• Projects
• Methods
• Staff
• Contact

BACKGROUND

The proposed Browse LNG Development is a joint venture by Woodside, BHP Billiton, BP, Chevron and Shell. As operator, Woodside is responsible for the planning and day-to-day operations relating to the Browse LNG Development.

The proposed Development seeks to process gas and condensate from three gas fields located in the Browse Basin, approximately 400km north of Broome off the West Australian coast. This will involve transporting the offshore gas and condensate resources to the shore for processing and export at a multi-user Precinct proposed by the Western Australian Government. The State-owned Precinct will be located at James Price Point, 60km north of Broome. The Precinct seeks to provide integrated facilities to enable multiple operators to process the Browse gas reserves from a common site.

The State Government has entered into an agreement with the Commonwealth Government to undertake a Strategic Assessment of the LNG Precinct in order to understand the potential social and environmental impacts, and to obtain environment approvals for the Precinct under the State Environmental Protection Act and the Commonwealth Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act. Approval for the construction of the Precinct will depend on the outcomes of the Strategic Assessment.

The State Government has also undertaken a social impact assessment of the proposed LNG Precinct and much of this information is included in the Strategic Assessment.

Initial design work for the Woodside-operated Development, which will process gas within the Precinct, was completed in early 2011 (this was known as the Basis of Design phase).  More detailed design and engineering work has begun as part of the Front-End Engineering and Design (FEED) phase.

The FEED phase will enable Woodside to make a Final Investment Decision (FID) on how to proceed with the Development.  Subject to the FID and relevant approvals, construction would then begin at the Precinct site and is expected to take 5-6 years to complete.  The Browse LNG Development would remain in operation for over 30 years.

BSIA PROCESS

The BSIA will specifically address the social impacts associated with the proposed Woodside operated Browse LNG Development within the State-owned Precinct.  The BSIA commenced in October 2010 and is expected to be completed in early 2012.

Who will undertake the BSIA?

The BSIA is an independent assessment being undertaken by Environment Behaviour Consultants (EBC).  EBC will be assisted by a team of independent specialists with expertise in the areas of economic analysis and modelling, demographics, community infrastructure and planning and recreational and tourism analysis.

The key steps in the BSIA process are outlined below.  Click on the images for a larger view.  Hover your mouse to the top left and right for navigation.

The BSIA is a participatory process and each step will be informed by consultation with the local community including individuals and organisations in Broome, Derby and the Dampier Peninsula.

Why is the BSIA important?

The Browse LNG Development will likely bring changes to the community of Broome and other surrounding communities. The BSIA will help Woodside and the communities in the region to understand and anticipate potential social impacts associated with the Woodside operated Browse LNG Development.   This will ensure that potential social and economic changes associated with the Development are considered in the design and planning process.

COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION

The community engagement process for the BSIA seeks to inform the community about Woodside’s proposed LNG Development so they can provide informed feedback on potential social impacts and ways to mitigate risks and enhance positive change. The consultation process will also gather information about existing social and economic conditions within the local community.

The community engagement process consists of three main components:

1. Community Advisory Committee (CAC)

The CAC includes representatives from a broad cross section of local individuals and stakeholders who have an interest in the BSIA process and the potential impacts of the Browse LNG Development on Broome and the surrounding region.  The role of the CAC is to provide advice to EBC on the BSIA and community engagement process.  It will also review the BSIA process and outcomes.  CAC agendas and meeting minutes will be published on this webpage (see Resources).

2. Stakeholder and interest group consultations

Face to face consultations will be undertaken with individual stakeholders, stakeholder groups and interest groups to obtain feedback and inform the BSIA process.  These will include, for example, local businesses and industry, community groups, Indigenous organisations, health care providers, education and training providers, sport and recreational clubs, marine users, government agencies and others.

3. Resident and business survey

Face to face interviews will be undertaken with a random sample of residences in Broome and the Dampier Peninsula to provide structured information on a range of topics to inform the BSIA.  This will also provide an opportunity for members of the community to learn more about the proposed Development and provide input on specific issues associated with the Development.

An online survey of Broome businesses will also be undertaken to help inform existing information about economic and social conditions.  A summary of the findings from the business survey is now available (see Resources).

There are also a number of other ways to get involved and provide feedback to the BSIA (see the Contact Information).  A feedback form is also provided so you can provide comments directly to EBC (Have Your Say).

BSIA OUTCOMES

What happens after the BSIA is complete?

A community engagement strategy will be developed to ensure stakeholders and the local community are involved in the ongoing implementation and monitoring of management strategies. The BSIA report and SIMP will be reviewed and updated throughout the lifecycle of the proposed LNG Development.

BROWSE LNG DEVELOPMENT

Woodside is seeking approval to produce 12 million tonnes of LNG per annum, with the potential to expand to 25 million tonnes per annum in the future.

The Development consists of an upstream and downstream component.  The downstream component is located within the State Precinct and includes processing and shipping infrastructure and facilities.

The Precinct is capable of accommodating LNG processing and shipping for at least two proponents (operators such as Woodside).  It will occupy approximately 2500 hectares of land which will be fenced.  There will be two onshore buffer zones surrounding this area including an unfenced 2000 metre Industrial Land Use Buffer and 3000 metre Sensitive Land Use Buffer (see downstream figure below).

The Precinct area also includes approximately 1040 hectares of sea adjacent to onshore processing area, which will be closed to public access.  These port waters will encompass the common user port facilities and enable independent shipping operations by Woodside and other future proponents.

The main features of Woodside's downstream component, within the Precinct, include:

• Onshore processing facilities including LNG processing trains;
• LNG and condensate storage;
• Pipeline corridor;
• Port facilities including a jetty to offload LNG and condensate for export;
• Workers Accommodation Facility.

Woodside has plans to build an accommodation facility near the Browse LNG Precinct to house the majority of onshore workers.  The Browse LNG Development is expected to have a peak construction workforce of about 6000 workers onshore and 1500-2000 workers offshore (including workers at the accommodation camp).

The majority of the workers will be fly in-fly out (FIFO) with the exception of those workers who already live in Broome and surrounding communities.  A comprehensive range of recreational facilities and other amenities will be provided at the accommodation facility and access to and from the facility will be managed.

The operational workforce will be approximately 400-600 onshore and offshore workers, with additional numbers required for scheduled maintenance (i.e. shutdowns of facilities).   These workforce projections are the best estimates at this point in time and may be subject to change as the design of the Browse Development progresses.

The upstream component of the Browse LNG Development refers to any offshore activities, facilities and infrastructure beyond 3 nautical miles from shore (the outer limit of State waters).  This includes the three offshore recovery platforms and subsea wells which will collect the natural gas and associated products from the offshore gas fields for processing within the Precinct (downstream component).

Factsheets with more information about the Browse LNG Development are provided under Resources.

Downstream component	Upstream component

Due to the early stages of the design some of the information about the Browse LNG Development may be subject to change after the BSIA report is complete.  The BSIA report and SIMP will be re-evaluated, in consultation with stakeholders and the local community, to take into account any significant changes in project activities.

RESOURCES

Factsheets

Community Advisory Committee documents

Other documents

Links

Woodside

Department of State Development

Resources and documents relating to the State-owned Precinct can be found at the following website.
http://www.dsd.wa.gov.au/7901.aspx