Woodside plans to pipe gas from Scarborough 430 kilometres to its existing Pluto LNG plant near Karratha in WA’s North West.

The project, vital for Woodside to stem falling production from other fields, and the possible development of its distant Browse fields to the North West Shelf LNG plant, both depend on the approvals quietly granted by the EPA in mid-2019.

The original environmental approvals for the construction of Woodside’s adjacent LNG plants only allowed gas from nominated fields to be processed.

The EPA deleted these restrictions on gas supply sources using Section 45C of its Act that allows changes without any review unless they “might have a significant detrimental effect on the environment in addition to … the original proposal”.

Under the conditions of the original approvals, gas flow to the North West Shelf plant would have declined over this decade, with a decline at Pluto following.

CCWA executive director Maggie Wood said the organisation was disappointed by the decision.

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“From the outset, we have maintained that the EPA failed to properly assess Woodside’s Scarborough gas development and that unless this oversight was challenged, there would be no way for West Australians to know the damage it would cause to our environment,” Ms Wood said.

Ms Wood said the CCWA was not predisposed to pursuing matters in the courts.

“However, after other avenues – including lengthy negotiation and talks with the EPA – failed to reach agreement, we reluctantly sought legal advice which has culminated in today’s decision,” she said.

“The Scarborough proposal will bring dangerous levels of carbon and methane pollution, accelerate climate damage and have a serious impact on the prevalence of extreme weather events, like bushfires.

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“Today’s decision does not change these facts and we remain opposed to this damaging proposal.”

The CCWA is considering its options.

A Woodside spokeswoman said the company welcomed the decision and would continue to progress its Scarborough to Pluto project.

WA Premier Mark McGowan said he did not know the detail of the case, but the stability of gas supply was important for keeping the lights on and industry open.

“And obviously gas exports can supplant coal and that actually reduces carbon emissions in countries like Japan and China and India,” he said.

In November 2021, the Conservation Council initiated a separate Supreme Court action against Woodside challenging a work approval for the building of LNG train at Pluto that Woodside is building to process gas from Scarborough. A hearing date is yet to be set.