Greenpeace activists at the German port of Brake have blocked a ship carrying pipelines slated to be delivered to Western Australia for use in Woodside Energy’s Scarborough offshore gas project and painted the words “no new gas” on the side of the vessel.
Around 20 activists blocked the freighter Emma Oldendorff, which was carrying pipes to be used to construct the 430km pipeline for Woodside’s Scarborough project off the Western Australian coast.
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Greenpeace Australia Pacific Head of Clean Transitions, Jess Panegyres, said the action taken by the German activists demonstrated the global opposition to Woodside’s climate-wrecking plans.
“Woodside is learning the hard way that the world is increasingly united in its desire to shift from dangerous and expensive fossil fuels to clean energy sources like wind and solar. The International Energy Agency and the United Nations have been clear that there is no room for new gas developments if the world is to limit warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, and gas demand is set to shrink as the world shifts to renewables,” she said.
“Woodside’s Burrup Hub project – which includes opening up the Scarborough and Browse gas fields – is dangerous for our climate and our marine ecosystems. It not only threatens to undermine Australia’s efforts to drastically slash emissions this decade and achieve net zero emissions by 2050, but also puts the future of some of our most iconic marine parks – home to species like humpback whales, turtles and dugongs – at risk.
“Woodside should not be allowed to push ahead with the biggest new fossil fuel project in Australia and risk our precious marine life at a time when the world must be transitioning from fossil fuel energy to clean alternatives.”
Germany energy firms RWE and Uniper plan to purchase gas from Woodside commencing in 2025 and 2026 respectively.
Woodside’s Burrup Hub project poses a threat to Western Australia’s particularly diverse and sensitive marine life and environments, home to coral reefs, seagrass forests and rich marine life.
RWE and Woodside have agreed that RWE will purchase 0.84 million tonnes of LNG annually from Woodside for seven years from 2025. Uniper will purchase 2 million tonnes of LNG from Woodside from 2026.
Greenpeace Australia Pacific has shown in several studies [ 1 and 2 ] the devastating consequences that gas production can have on the marine environment. For example, the pipeline would pass directly through the migratory route of humpback whales and the protected Montebello Marine Park – an important breeding ground for sea turtles.
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