Overview
- The Deloitte Access Economics study, released Monday, finds Western Australia will miss net zero on current settings without an 11-fold surge in renewable energy and storage.
- The report says a five-times faster rollout would only cut emissions by about half by 2050 and that the proposed Browse gas project would not change the 2050 endpoint.
- Woodside argues Browse would bolster energy security and support industry, with Deloitte estimating about A$147 billion in economic uplift, A$56 billion in taxes and royalties, and up to 4,760 jobs.
- Conservation groups reject the analysis as self-serving and note it excluded potential effects on domestic gas prices, decarbonisation outcomes in Asia, and broader environmental impacts.
- The project remains under federal environmental review with a decision expected this year and is modelled to start around 2030 for up to 44 years as WA proceeds without interim emissions targets.