Woodside’s proposed Browse gas development near Scott Reef, off Western Australia, faces renewed opposition after environmental concerns surfaced in reporting published on October 26. In an October 27 statement, Greenpeace Australia Pacific called for regulators to reject the project, citing risks to green turtles, pygmy blue whales and the reef from drilling and possible oil spills.
The campaign group’s head of nature, Glenn Walker, said environmental authority documents reflected serious concerns about the proposal. Greenpeace argues that Woodside’s revised measures lack sufficient scientific support. These are the group’s assessments of potential harm, rather than evidence that a spill or damage from the proposed development has occurred.
Western Australia’s Environmental Protection Authority records confirm that Woodside applied to amend the project during assessment. The changes reduce its development area to exclude Scott Reef’s shallow seabed habitats and Sandy Islet, move or remove drilling units to avoid turtle habitats, and introduce technology intended to reduce loss-of-well-control risks. Public review ran from May 12 to June 10, 2025.
Woodside says its design predicts no significant effects on marine animal species and would involve no drilling on the reef itself. Its published commitments put the nearest drilling about three kilometres from the reef and more than 20 kilometres from Sandy Islet, a green turtle nesting habitat. The company also proposes controls on artificial light and noise to limit disturbance.
For spill prevention, Woodside says it will use two pyrotechnic shear rams during well drilling, backup equipment designed to cut pipe and seal a well in an emergency. It also cites monitoring, response plans and additional safeguards. Greenpeace disputes the adequacy of the proposed protections; the company’s predictions do not constitute an independent regulatory finding that all risks have been resolved.
The dispute centres on whether the revised development can protect a sensitive marine environment while extracting offshore gas. The EPA’s amendment record documents assessment changes, not permission to begin drilling. Woodside describes Browse as subject to regulatory approvals, leaving the environmental acceptability of the proposal to the assessment and decision process.
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