PERTH, Jan 20 (Reuters) – Japan’s Inpex will resubmit an environmental plan for its proposed 8 million metric ton-per-year Bonaparte carbon capture and storage (CCS) project off the north coast of Australia, a company spokesperson told Reuters on Tuesday.
On Sunday, the company withdrew the plan from a portal to canvass public comment on major projects, as it awaits details of new environmental laws, the spokesperson said.
“Inpex remains fully committed to progressing the development and will resubmit the referral once the legislative amendments are finalised,” the spokesperson said, adding that Inpex would consult the environment department on the changes.
However, the company set no timeframe to resubmit the plan on the Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) portal, as it is called.
Australia overhauled environment laws in late November, beefing up compliance and enforcement while streamlining approvals and cutting red tape for projects in sectors such as critical minerals, renewable energy and housing.
More than a week ago, Inpex lodged a separate referral with the Northern Territory government for the project’s onshore components.
The Bonaparte CCS project began preliminary engineering in April and was awarded major project status in July. Partners include TotalEnergies and Woodside Energy.
Australia has awarded 15 offshore CCS permits since 2022.
It has two operating onshore CCS projects, Santos’ 1.7 million-ton Moomba project in the Cooper Basin and the 4 million-ton Gorgon project linked to Chevron’s Gorgon LNG development.
Chevron data shows Gorgon sequestered only 1.3 million tons of carbon dioxide in the most recent reporting period.
(Reporting by Helen Clark; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)
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