Santos is battling blocked heat exchangers, failed subsea valves, and faulty safety doors 285km north of Darwin so it can reap the reward of high gas prices in Asia.
Alcoa's strip mining of WA's jarrah forest is under further investigation after its "deliberate repeat breach" of environmental laws that destroyed habitat for protected species and cost it $40 million to avoid prosecution.
The ongoing probe into Alcoa's clearing at its Willowdale mine was revealed in talking points for Federal Ministers prepared ahead of the February announcement of a record $55 million settlement for clearing at its Huntly mine.
Alcoa is pushing the WA and Federal Governments to approve an expansion of its northern Huntly mine, much of it around Perth's largest drinking water dam, the Serpentine.
Chief executive Bill Oplinger calls permission to strip mine more of WA's jarrah forest his "number one" lever to boost the earnings of the $25 billion company.
The February deal included Alcoa spending $40 million to remedy what the Government called "a deliberate repeat breach—318 hectares cleared while under investigation" in 2023 and 2024, according to the talking points released in response to a freedom of information request.
Jess Boyce, director of the WA Forest Alliance, said the Federal Government's labelling of Alcoa's clearing as a "deliberate repeat breach" indicates the company was "well aware that it was acting with blatant disregard for environmental law."
"The question is, why did the Federal Government not only let this continue for two years, rather than halt clearing, but has now given Alcoa an exemption to continue clearing despite proving it can’t be trusted?"
Alcoa acknowledged it destroyed the known habitat of protected species, but denied it breached the law.
The breach created an "offset liability of 3000 hectares", and the Federal Government has imposed an enforceable undertaking on Alcoa to spend at least $40 million on land purchases by the end of 2026.
Another undertaking to spend $15 milion covers Alcoa clearing 1777 hectares of jarrah forest - equivalent to four of Perth's Kings Park - from 2019 to 2023.
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Alcoa's clearing at Huntly destroyed known habitat of: - Baudin's Black-cockatoo - endangered - Carnaby's Black-cockatoo - endangered - Forest Red-tailed Black-cockatoo or Karrak - vulnerable - Woylie - endangered - Chuditch or Western Quell - vulnerable - Numbat (WA's fauna emblem) - endangered -Quokka - vulnerable
The Australian environment minister "considers that the action taken by Alcoa has contravened a civil penalty ... (and) has had, or is likely to have had, a significant impacton listed endangered and vulnerable species.
An Alcoa spokesman said its mining, which started in the early 1960s, has historically been undertaken in accordance with WA legislation.
"Our operations predate the (Federal) EPBC Act, and we have always maintained we were operating under grandfathering provisions (Section 43B “continuing use” at Huntly and Section 43A “prior authorisation” at Willowdale) of the Act", he said in a statement to Boiling Cold.
"Section 43B was amended as part of the recent package of revisions made by the Government to the EPBC Act, meaning it could no longer be relied on at Huntly. Section 43A remains in the Act and was unchanged."
The Huntly mine, which is mainly in water catchments, supplies Alcoa's Pinjarra alumina refinery.
The newly revealed investigation is into possible illegal clearing at Alcoa's southern Willowdale mine, which feeds its Wagerup refinery, where a gallium plant backed by the Australian, Japanese and US governments is planned.
Alcoa's lease extends well beyond its current mining at Huntly (red) and Willowdale (pink). Image: Alcoa EPA submission
A spokeswoman for the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water said its investigation into land clearing at Alcoa's Willowdale mine is ongoing and it would not comment further.
Three state probes into Alcoa
Alcoa is also under investigation by WA authorities for three alleged violations of restrictions on clearing near trees suitable for black cockatoo nests.
If just one breach is proven, it will invalidate the 2023 exemption to the Environmental Protection Act's prohibition on conducting an activity that is under review by WA's environmental watchdog, the EPA.
Much of Alcoa's mining in WA would have to cease immediately unless the Cook Labor Government granted another exemption.
The possible breaches were reported to authorities by Greens WA upper house member Jess Beckerling earlier this year.
Beckerling said the 59,000 submissions to the EPA about Alcoa's proposed expansion indicated a "profound level of discontent with continued clearing of the highly biodiverse Northern Jarrah Forests."
"We have a serious problem in this country with multinational corporations destroying places we love and our laws and governments being completely inadequate to rein them in," she said.
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I worked in oil & gas in commercial and engineering roles for 20 years. Since 2016, I have written for The West Australian, WAtoday, The Guardian and Boiling Cold, winning five WA Media Awards.
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