# Boiling Cold
> Independent news and insight into energy, industry and climate in Western Australia.
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## Pages
- [About Boiling Cold](https://www.boilingcold.com.au/about.md) - Boiling Cold is independent news and insight into energy, industry and climate in Western Australia.
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## Posts
- [Alcoa refuses to rule out mining the Perth Hills](https://www.boilingcold.com.au/alcoa-refuses-to-rule-out-mining-the-perth-hills.md) - A letter from the US miner raised hope that the jarrah forest inland from Perth would escape its strip mining for bauxite, but Alcoa is keeping its options open.
- [The way Australia taxes gas production is stuck in the past](https://www.boilingcold.com.au/the-way-australia-taxes-gas-production-is-stuck-in-the-past.md) - The existing tax, PRRT, fails to capture a fair share of our vast gas exports.
- [Triangle Energy fails due to $200m oil field clean up bill off WA](https://www.boilingcold.com.au/triangle-energy-fails-due-to-200m-oil-field-clean-up-bill-off-wa.md) - The majority owner of the Cliff Head platform has called in administrators and other oil and gas producers will likely shoulder the cost.
- [Regulator moves after no cash for wages for WA oil platform](https://www.boilingcold.com.au/regulator-moves-after-no-cash-for-wages-for-wa-oil-platform.md) - The failure of Cliff Head's owners, Pilot Energy and Triangle Energy, to meet payroll does not bode well for their ability to pay the $200 million decommissioning cost.
- [Gas producers face $200m ocean clean-up bill after Pilot Energy enters administration](https://www.boilingcold.com.au/gas-producers-face-200m-ocean-clean-up-bill-after-pilot-energy-enters-administration.md) - Pilot Energy and Triangle Energy - two listed minnows with no revenue - may struggle to afford to decommission the Cliff Head platform off the WA coast.
- [INPEX safety shortcuts exposed Ichthys LNG workers and ocean to mercury](https://www.boilingcold.com.au/inpex-safety-shortcuts-exposed-ichthys-lng-workers-and-ocean-to-mercury.md) - INPEX bypassed equipment and ignored procedures agreed with the regulator that together were meant to keep the toxic metal contained.
- [The magic trick is over: investigation shows carbon capture can't save fossil fuels](https://www.boilingcold.com.au/the-magic-trick-is-over-investigation-shows-carbon-capture-cant-save-fossil-fuels.md) - Asia's fossil fuel industry readies to once again talk up carbon capture and storage (CCS) as the technology that lets us keep burning coal and gas, while still hitting our climate targets.
- [WA drives Alcoa $US4.1b buy of South32 aluminium business](https://www.boilingcold.com.au/western-australia-drives-alcoa-to-buy-south32-aluminium-business.md) - The US company will have a monopoly over WA bauxite mining and alumina refining, which it plans to operate for 40 years.
- ['State-sponsored greenwashing': Australia’s flagship climate policy criticised over reliance on carbon offsets](https://www.boilingcold.com.au/state-sponsored-greenwashing-australias-flagship-climate-policy-criticised-over-reliance-on-carbon-offsets.md) - Australia's safeguard mechanism is failing to reduce emissions because major polluters are relying on unlimited carbon offsets, according to The Australia Institute.
- [Fracking little use for WA: Roger Cook allowed 87pc to be exported](https://www.boilingcold.com.au/fracking-little-use-for-wa-roger-cook-allowed-87pc-to-be-exported.md) - The Premier’s threat to frack the Kimberley if Woodside’s Browse is blocked is nonsense as he exempted it from his export ban.
- [For 44 years, Australia has subsidised diesel use. Is it time to stop?](https://www.boilingcold.com.au/for-44-years-australia-has-subsidised-diesel-use-is-it-time-to-stop.md) - Australian taxpayers pay $5 billion a year to miners, including highly profitable giants like BHP.
- [Federal plan delivers three times more gas to WA than Browse](https://www.boilingcold.com.au/federal-plan-delivers-three-times-more-gas-to-wa-than-browse.md) - Australia's most gas-dependent state can be well supplied for decades without drilling near Scott Reef or fracking the Kimberley, according to an exclusive analysis by Boiling Cold.
- [Feds probe more illegal clearing by Alcoa after 'deliberate repeat’ destruction of jarrah forest](https://www.boilingcold.com.au/feds-probe-more-illegal-clearing-by-alcoa-after-deliberate-repeat-destruction-of-jarrah-forest.md) - Alcoa acknowledged it destroyed the known habitat of protected species, including black cockatoos, quokkas and numbats.
- [Problems again stall production from Santos' $6.8b Barossa LNG](https://www.boilingcold.com.au/problems-again-stall-production-from-santos-6-8b-barossa-lng.md) - 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.
- [$1.2b Kwinana clean up bill drives Alcoa Australia to a $600m loss](https://www.boilingcold.com.au/1-2b-kwinana-clean-up-bill-drives-alcoa-australia-to-a-600m-loss.md) - The US miner is also facing declining production and delayed approvals in WA, where it mines three-quarters of its bauxite.
- [Cyclone damage shuts Jadestone's Stag oil field off WA](https://www.boilingcold.com.au/cyclone-damage-shuts-jadestones-stag-oil-field-off-wa.md) - The London-listed company may not have fully disclosed to the regulator the full extent of damage to its field off the Pilbara coast.
- [Doubling of mercury emissions from Alcoa Wagerup prompts appeals](https://www.boilingcold.com.au/doubling-of-mercury-emissions-from-alcoa-wagerup-prompts-appeals.md) - "The government is allowing Alcoa to do whatever they friggin want," according to a long-term campaigner for better regulation of WA's alumina refineries.
- [Aussies hit as gas giants reap export rewards: research](https://www.boilingcold.com.au/aussies-hit-as-gas-giants-reap-export-rewards-research.md) - Santos' $33 million of company tax in 10 years is less than one-thousandth of its Australian revenue, according to Market Forces.
- [Cyclone Narelle shuts 44pc of WA gas supply](https://www.boilingcold.com.au/cyclone-narelle-shuts-44pc-of-wa-gas-supply.md) - Santos' Varanus Island is not producing gas. Nor are the shuttered North West Shelf and Wheatstone plants.
- [Cyclone closes Woodside's North West Shelf: Australia's largest gas plant](https://www.boilingcold.com.au/cyclone-closes-woodsides-north-west-shelf-australias-largest-gas-plant.md) - As Asia scrambles for gas, another Australian gas export plant is out of action, and the WA Government monitors the situation to ensure sufficient fuel for the state.
- [Santos shuts down Barossa LNG amidst global gas crunch](https://www.boilingcold.com.au/santos-shuts-down-barossa-lng-amidst-global-gas-crunch.md) - The troubled $6 billion flagship will be out of action "for a number of weeks," just as Santos' customers are desperate for gas to replace supply from the Middle East.
- [Glitch shuts Australia's biggest maker of vital fertiliser input for two months](https://www.boilingcold.com.au/glitch-shuts-australias-biggest-maker-of-v.md) - The shutdown of the Yara Pilbara plant comes as a quarter of global trade in ammonia, used for urea fertiliser and mining explosives, is blocked by war.
- [Roger Cook firms on WA gas for WA amidst global energy turmoil](https://www.boilingcold.com.au/roger-cook-firms-on-wa-gas-for-wa-amidst-global-energy-turmoil.md) - With WA's days of cheap and abundant gas coming to a close, the chances of onshore gas being exported are shrinking fast.
- [Wandoo oil gives Vermilion a profit-free decade off WA](https://www.boilingcold.com.au/wandoo-oil-gives-vermilion-a-profit-free-decade-off-wa.md) - No profit, falling production, inadequate maintenance, a safety plan in limbo and a big clean-up if exploration fails: challenges aplenty at the Canadian company's only offshore facility.
- [Australian oil & gas lags in disclosing $44b clean-up bill](https://www.boilingcold.com.au/australian-oil-gas-lags-in-disclosing-44b-clean-up-bill.md) - Santos' decommissioning liability matches a quarter of its $22b value, but its disclosures to investors fared poorly against the latest accounting standards, according to an international survey.
- [Woodside posts record production but profit down to $3.8b](https://www.boilingcold.com.au/woodside-posts-record-production-but-profit-down-to-3-8b.md) - Australia's biggest oil and gas producer has posted record production and cut costs, but weak fossil fuel prices have weighed on profits
- [Is Black Mountain's Kimberley dream fracking impossible?](https://www.boilingcold.com.au/is-black-mountains-kimberley-dream-fracking-impossible.md) - Investors beware: after spending more than $40 million in the Canning Basin, the US-owned company's continued pursuit of remote gas appears to be throwing good money after bad.
- [Alcoa slugged $55 million over illegal jarrah forest clearing](https://www.boilingcold.com.au/alcoa-slugged-55-million-over-illegal-jarrah-forest-clearing.md) - The US miner illegally destroyed the habitat of endangered black cockatoos for six years.
- [Regulator shuts Wandoo oil field off WA after spill](https://www.boilingcold.com.au/regulator-shuts-wandoo-oil-field-off-wa-after-oil-spill.md) - Canadian firm Vermilion judged the chance of the December spill as "rare" - the same probability it claims for seven planned exploration wells that could affect anywhere along the Pilbara coast.
- [Alcoa misleads investors on crucial Australian mining approvals](https://www.boilingcold.com.au/alcoa-misleads-investors-on-mining-approvals.md) - Chief executive Bill Oplinger told Wall Street the miner had responded to all 60,000 comments on its WA expansion plans—in fact, it responded to fewer than 10, and some were unacceptable.
- [WA fracking safeguards are half done and five years late](https://www.boilingcold.com.au/wa-fracking-safeguards-are-half-done-and-five-years-late.md) - The WA government will soon decide whether Black Mountain Energy can frack 20 wells near the Kimberley's Fitzroy River, but promised measures to protect the environment and the rights of local people are not yet in place.
- [Alcoa flags 'pretty aggressive' cost cuts at alumina refineries](https://www.boilingcold.com.au/alcoa-flags-pretty-aggressive-cost-cuts-at-alumina-refineries.md) - Alcoa chief executive Bill Oplinger told Wall Street the US aluminium specialist could take strong action to boost profits from alumina, most of which it refines in Western Australia.
- [South West WA grid beats 50 per cent renewable energy, slashing power prices 13 per cent](https://www.boilingcold.com.au/wa-renewables-hit-91-percent-power-prices-fall.md) - South West WA's power grid reached a record 91 per cent peak renewable energy share in December - driven by 1,225 MW of new battery storage - while wholesale power prices fell 13 per cent and carbon emissions dropped 15 per cent as coal and gas generation declined.
- [WA environmental watchdog backs Kimberley fracking](https://www.boilingcold.com.au/wa-environmental-watchdog-backs-kimberley-fracking.md) - The green light for Black Mountain Energy comes just months after Federal experts said its environmental risk assessment was "limited and disjointed" and reached "largely unsupported" conclusions.
- [WA government investigating if one dead tree could halt Alcoa's mining](https://www.boilingcold.com.au/wa-government-investigating-if-one-dead-tree-could-halt-alcoas-mining.md) - If the US miner is found to have mined too close to a large jarrah tree, it would trigger an automatic cancellation of its right to mine much of its lease.
- [Federal experts slam science behind Kimberley fracking plans](https://www.boilingcold.com.au/federal-experts-slam-science-behind-kimberley-fracking-plans.md) - An independent review found Black Mountain conducted a "limited and disjointed" assessment that came to "largely unsupported" conclusions.
- ['Significant doubt' Pilot Energy, responsible for a WA oil platform, can survive](https://www.boilingcold.com.au/significant-doubt-pilot-energy-responsible-for-a-wa-oil-platform-can-survive.md) - Pilot Energy is a going concern, but its accounts report "a material uncertainty which may cast significant doubt" on that continuing.
- [Exploration plans spark fear of another Santos oil spill off WA](https://www.boilingcold.com.au/exploration-plans-spark-fear-of-another-santos-oil-spill-off-wa.md) - Plans by Santos, which negligently caused an oil spill off WA four years ago, to drill seven exploration wells off the Pilbara coast have drawn fire from an environmental group.
- [Gas leftover from exports not enough for WA power and industry: AEMO](https://www.boilingcold.com.au/gas-leftover-from-exports-not-enough-for-wa-power-and-industry-aemo.md) - Rising gas prices resulting in job losses are inevitable unless the WA government mandates more supply from gas exporters.
- [Regulator orders Stokes' Seven Group to fix leaking gas well off Victorian coast](https://www.boilingcold.com.au/regulator-orders-stokes-seven-group-to-fix-leak.md) - SGH's decade of neglect of its Longtom gas field off the Gippsland coast is "an erosion of good industry practice" according to NOPSEMA.
- [Mines Department blasts holes in Alcoa’s jarrah forest care claims](https://www.boilingcold.com.au/mines-department-blasts-holes-in-alcoas-jarrah-forest-care-claims.md) - Endangered cockatoos - 105,000 exploration holes a year - insecure offsets: WA’s mining regulator has questions for the US miner.
- [Environmental regulator raises doubts over Kimberley fracking](https://www.boilingcold.com.au/environmental-regulator-raises-doubts-over-kimberley-fracking.md) - Black Mountain's conclusion that its drilling will not affect water resources is without foundation, and threatened species and National Heritage are at risk, according to the Federal environment department.
- [Who is Black Mountain, the company that wants to frack the Kimberley?](https://www.boilingcold.com.au/who-is-black-mountain-the-company-that-wants-to-frack-the-kimberley.md) - A company with less than $5 million in the bank and a boss who lives in the US will soon get a red or green light from WA's environment watchdog.
- [Gina Rinehart's Hancock Energy nears launch of Belisama Perth Basin gas project](https://www.boilingcold.com.au/gina-rineharts-hancock-energy-perth-basin-gas-project.md) - The Belisama project inland from Dongara could supply up to 20 per cent of WA's demand from 2029.
- [WA Labor veteran slams “baseless" claims that gas is good for the climate](https://www.boilingcold.com.au/wa-labor-veteran-slams-baseless-claims-that-gas-is-good-for-the-climate.md) - Woodside and other exporters have a "shocking record" of not providing evidence that gas helps reduce carbon emissions, according to Chris Tallentire.
- [Trump critical minerals deal could lock in jarrah forest mining for decades](https://www.boilingcold.com.au/trump-critical-minerals-deal-could-lock-in-jarrah-forest-mining-for-decades.md) - An Alcoa plant to produce gallium in WA's South West will need green tape shredded to start on schedule and long term forest mining to be viable.
- [Synergy plans $4.5b wind, solar and battery farm in WA's Wheatbelt](https://www.boilingcold.com.au/synergy-plans-4-5b-wind-solar-and-battery-farm-in-was-wheatbelt.md) - The state-owned utility needs to replace the generation capacity it will lose by closing down all its coal-fired power stations over the next four years.
- [Woodside shrinks and delays Perth hydrogen plan](https://www.boilingcold.com.au/woodside-shrinks-and-delays-perth-hydrogen-plan.md) - After a big splash four years ago and little publicity since, Woodside has teamed up with Japanese partners to promote a smaller, later, and dirtier hydrogen plant.
- [WA needs Bluewaters coal-fired power until 2028, but the dollars do not add up](https://www.boilingcold.com.au/wa-needs-bluewaters-coal-fired-power-until-2028-but-the-dollars-do-not-add-up.md) - The operator of South West WA's power grid needs insolvent Griffin Coal to keep supplying a vital power station, but if the WA Government won't keep it going, who will?
- [WA gas users launch Mia Davies at Woodside to pry more supply from Pluto](https://www.boilingcold.com.au/wa-gas-users-launch-mia-davies-at-woodside-to-pry-more-supply-from-pluto.md) - Woodside's Pluto project is delivering a tiny sliver of gas to WA compared to other exporters, but the Domgas Alliance wants to change that.
- [Regulator slams Jadestone Energy for dangerous corrosion in oil vessel off WA](https://www.boilingcold.com.au/regulator-slams-jadestone-energy-for-dangerous-corrosion-in-oil-vessel-off-wa.md) - NOPSEMA has ordered Jadestone to urgently address corrosion on its aged Montara Venture oil vessel in the Timor Sea, which "may pose significant safety and environmental risks."
- [Alcoa’s WA mining plan draws unprecedented opposition](https://www.boilingcold.com.au/alcoas-wa-mining-plan-draws-unprecedented-opposition.md) - The US miner's extraction of bauxite near Perth is facing significant public scrutiny for the first time, and many are resisting what is happening to their beloved jarrah forest.
- [Fortescue slashes electric train program but insists zero emissions 'on track'](https://www.boilingcold.com.au/fortescue-slashes-electric-train-program-but-insists-zero-emissions-on-track.md) - Andrew Forrest's miner is back to the drawing board to find a new solution that does not disrupt production and can be delivered by 2030.
- [Alcoa lied about jarrah forest rehabilitation: advertising watchdog](https://www.boilingcold.com.au/alcoa-lied-about-jarrah-forest-rehabilitation-advertising-watchdog.md) - The Ad Standards decision has demolished a key plank of the US miner's expensive campaign to win public support for expanded mining in WA.
- [Record 59,000 submissions to EPA on Alcoa as US boss flies in](https://www.boilingcold.com.au/record-59-000-submissions-to-epa-on-alcoa-as-us-boss-flies-in.md) - Alcoa chief executive Bill Oplinger will look to shore up state government support for his vital WA mining that is facing public scrutiny for the first time.
- [Setting Australia’s 2035 emissions target is a daring tightrope act](https://www.boilingcold.com.au/setting-australias-2035-emissions-target-is-a-daring-tightrope-act.md) - No room for the timid: The 2035 emissions target must signal strong ambition on climate action, to drive policy and investment and avoid being seen as unrealistic or too costly.
- [Chevron boss misled Australian deputy Prime Minister to push its policy agenda](https://www.boilingcold.com.au/chevron-boss-misled-australian-deputy-prime-minister-to-push-its-policy-agenda.md) - The US giant pretends Labor's policies are thwarting the expansion of its Gorgon and Wheatstone gas plants, which it does not plan to do anyway, to gain leverage with governments.
- [Alcoa fail tests for protecting cockatoos and drinking water](https://www.boilingcold.com.au/alcoa-fail-tests-for-protecting-cockatoos-and-drinking-water.md) - The US miner has held back findings that it drilled near Cockatoo nesting trees and has had its plans for protecting Perth's water supply rejected.
- [Off-the-charts marine heat severely damages Ningaloo and other pristine coral reefs](https://www.boilingcold.com.au/marine-heat-severely-damages-ningaloo-and-other-coral-reefs.md) - Luck has run out for WA's coral reefs, with most under twice the level of heat stress that can kill coral. Climate change is the cause.
- [Western Australia faces 'growing shortfall' of increasingly expensive gas: EnergyQuest](https://www.boilingcold.com.au/western-australia-faces-growing-gas-shortfall.md) - Australia's most gas-dependent state has flipped from promising cheap abundance to facing expensive shortages in just six years: investors beware.
- [Alcoa and Japan investigate if WA can break China's gallium stranglehold](https://www.boilingcold.com.au/alcoa-and-japan-investigate-if-wa-can-break-chinas-gallium-stranglehold.md) - Extraction of the critical mineral found in the waste from making alumina from bauxite could curb China's 98 per cent share of global production.
- [Green legal push for Santos decommissioning guarantee](https://www.boilingcold.com.au/green-legal-push-for-santos-decommissioning-guarantee.md) - A Federal Court win could mean all offshore oil and gas producers would need to prove they can afford their share of a $62 billion cleanup.
- [Woodside slammed for preventable offshore decommissioning incidents](https://www.boilingcold.com.au/woodside-slammed-for-preventable-offshore-decommissioning-incidents.md) - Regulator NOPSEMA has directed Woodside to properly plan its work after a series of preventable safety incidents off the WA and Victorian coasts.
- [Barnaby Joyce's reasons for Australia to abandon net-zero don’t stack up](https://www.boilingcold.com.au/barnaby-joyces-reasons-for-australia-to-abandon-net-zero-dont-stack-up.md) - The former deputy prime minister's push against the "lunatic crusade" of limiting global warming is not backed by evidence.
- [Gas is escaping at 13 spots near Santos wells offshore Varanus Island](https://www.boilingcold.com.au/gas-is-escaping-near-santos-wells-offshore-varanus-island.md) - The company is monitoring the leaks that add to its problems at the ageing facilities.
- [BP pulls out of $55b mega-scale Pilbara hydrogen project](https://www.boilingcold.com.au/bp-pulls-out-of-mega-scale-pilbara-hydrogen-project.md) - Troubled UK oil and gas major BP has exited its third WA alternative fuel project in six months, walking away from the Australian Renewable Energy Hub after just two years.
- [Governments set to refund Chevron $500m for Barrow Island oil field clean-up](https://www.boilingcold.com.au/governments-set-to-refund-chevron-500m-for-barrow-island-oil-field-clean-up.md) - The $2.3 billion-plus decommissioning on a WA nature reserve will be part-funded by the Federal and WA governments returning about half the royalties they received over six decades.
- [Alcoa ceo repeats misleading spin about its jarrah forest rehabilitation](https://www.boilingcold.com.au/alcoa-ceo-says-bauxite-miner-can-handle-later-wa-approvals.md) - Bill Oplinger reassured investors that a 15-month delay would not affect operating rates at its Pinjarra alumina refinery but misled them about Alcoa's record of rehabilitating the jarrah forest.
- [Five reasons Australia's green hydrogen dream has foundered](https://www.boilingcold.com.au/five-reasons-australias-green-hydrogen-dream-has-foundered.md) - Several big green hydrogen projects have been shelved. An expert explains why Australia’s sky-high ambition for the industry is struggling to reach fruition.
- [Gas seeping to surface from Chevron's Barrow Island oil operation](https://www.boilingcold.com.au/gas-seeping-to-surface-from-chevrons-barrow-island-oil-operation.md) - The WA environment regulator is investigating unknown amounts of hydrocarbons rising to the surface on the Class A nature reserve.
- [Westport bill may jump $1b to keep desalination plant working](https://www.boilingcold.com.au/westport-bill-may-jump-1b-to-keep-desalination-plant-working.md) - Longer pipelines into Cockburn Sound must be built before port construction begins or 15 per cent of Perth's water supply will be lost.
- [🗡️ Who murdered the Murujuga rock art science?](https://www.boilingcold.com.au/who-murdered-the-rock-art-science-2.md) - Special Cluedo™️ edition 🔍 Was it Mr Cook or Prof Smith?
- [How the North West Shelf expansion risks Murujuga’s 50,000-year-old rock art](https://www.boilingcold.com.au/how-the-north-west-shelf-expansion-risks-murujugas-50-000-year-old-rock-art.md) - An expert, independent of government and industry, explains how prolonged industrial activity on the Burrup Peninsula in WA endangers an Australian marvel.
- [Alcoa's plans to mine WA's jarrah forest for 20 more years released](https://www.boilingcold.com.au/alcoas-plans-to-mine-was-jarrah-forest-for-20-more-years-released.md) - WA's environmental watchdog will consider the risk to Perth's water supply and whether the US miner can rehabilitate the forest it strip-mines.
- [Industry slams Woodside's 'bare minimum' supply of gas to WA from Pluto](https://www.boilingcold.com.au/industry-slams-woodsides-bare-minimum-supply-of-gas-to-wa-from-pluto.md) - Alcoa, Wesfarmers and other big gas users in WA want Woodside to deliver what it agreed with the state government.
- [Green light for gas: North West Shelf gas plant cleared to run until 2070](https://www.boilingcold.com.au/green-light-for-gas-north-west-shelf-gas-plant-cleared-to-run-until-2070.md) - Federal environment minister Murray Watt did not have to consider climate impacts when making his decision.
- [UN set to reject Murujuga World Heritage listing due to industrial pollution](https://www.boilingcold.com.au/un-set-to-reject-murujuga-world-heritage-listing-due-to-industrial-pollution.md) - The draft of a decision to be made in July tells the Australian Government to remove polluting industries - such as Woodside's North West Shelf plant - from the area.
- [Woodside spills 16,000 litres of oil into ocean north of Ningaloo](https://www.boilingcold.com.au/woodside-spills-16-000-litres-of-oil-into-ocean-north-of-ningaloo.md) - The company that thinks a damaging oil spill from its planned drilling near Scott Reef is "only a mere theoretical possibility" weeks ago accidentally released a cocktail of hydrocarbons, chemicals and water into the Indian Ocean.
- [Santos to shut Bayu Undan gas project: next steps are crucial](https://www.boilingcold.com.au/santos-to-shut-bayu-undan-gas-project-next-steps-are-crucial.md) - Whether the facility can be used for carbon storage or has to be decommissioned has billion-dollar implications for Santos and its partners.
- [Will Australia revisit the deal that led a Pittsburgh firm to depend on the ore beneath its trees?](https://www.boilingcold.com.au/will-australia-revisit-the-deal-that-led-a-pittsburgh-firm-to-depend-on-the-ore-beneath-its-trees.md) - Destroyed forest. Threatened water supply. Toxic towns. Mountains of residue. Will the WA Government demand better?
- [Labor MP lashes "untrustworthy, grubby" Chevron for sending Aussie engineering jobs to India](https://www.boilingcold.com.au/labor-mp-lashes-untrustworthy-grubby-chevron-for-sending-aussie-engineering-jobs-to-india.md) - Chevron's disregard for requirements to use WA labour where practical, and to insist its contractors do the same, has been blasted in WA's Parliament.
- [Alcoa’s Australian refineries drove flight from two towns, and its waste threatens a third](https://www.boilingcold.com.au/alcoas-australian-refineries-drove-flight-from-two-towns-and-its-waste-threatens-a-third.md) - Kwinana and Yarloop have suffered from Alcoa's toxic dust - is Pinjarra next?
- [Can Murray Watt fix Australia’s broken nature laws? First stop, WA](https://www.boilingcold.com.au/can-murray-watt-fix-australias-broken-nature-laws-first-stop-wa.md) - After promising so much, Federal environmental protection legislation went backwards in Labor's first term. Now, a new minister is stuck between miners and the environment.
- [How Pittsburgh’s Alcoa is undermining a rare forest to fuel its global aluminum empire](https://www.boilingcold.com.au/how-pittsburghs-alcoa-is-undermining-a-rare-forest-to-fuel-its-global-aluminum-empire.md) - Two journalists from Alcoa's hometown flew to Perth to look at its mining of WA's jarrah. A brilliant look at a slow-moving tragedy.
- [Chevron pushes contractors to send Australian engineering jobs overseas](https://www.boilingcold.com.au/chevron-pushes-contractors-to-send-australian-engineering-jobs-overseas.md) - The US giant, which made $8 billion in Australia in 2024, is forcing its subcontractors to follow its example and send Australian engineering jobs overseas.
- [Fortescue plans giant 2.1-gigawatt wind farm in Pilbara](https://www.boilingcold.com.au/fortescue-plans-giant-2-1-gigawatt-wind-farm-in-pilbara.md) - The 200 wind turbines near Marble Bar are essential for the miner to reach its zero emissions goal set by chair Andrew Forrest.
- [Alcoa trims controversial mining plans ahead of public comment](https://www.boilingcold.com.au/alcoa-trims-controversial-mining-plans-ahead-of-public-commnet-in-june.md) - The battle of jobs and Alcoa profits versus the jarrah forest and Perth's water supply will ramp up within weeks when the miner's plans are released.
- [Northern Endeavour oil vessel without power for weeks in Timor Sea](https://www.boilingcold.com.au/northern-endeavour-oil-vessel-without-power-for-weeks-in-timor-sea.md) - The blackout is another problem in a clean-up effort of an ex-Woodside vessel that will cost Australia's oil and gas producers well over $1 billion.
- [Woodside rejigs its near-rejected Browse gas plans](https://www.boilingcold.com.au/woodside-rejigs-its-near-rejected-browse-gas-plans.md) - New technology has made worse-case oil spills near pristine Scott Reef "only a mere theoretical possibility," according to Woodside.
- [Safety regulator halts drilling at Santos' Barossa gas project](https://www.boilingcold.com.au/safety-regulator-halts-drilling-at-santos-barossa-gas-project.md) - A vital blow-out preventer failed testing, leading to an "immediate threat" to offshore workers.
- [Greenpeace grates Richard Goyder and other Woodside AGM highlights](https://www.boilingcold.com.au/greenpeace-grates-richard-goyder-and-other-woodside-agm-highlights.md) - Safety record ignored, poor shareholder returns, Woodside under investigation for breaching federal environmental law, and questions unanswered.
- [A hot summer pushed WA power demand to record highs](https://www.boilingcold.com.au/a-hot-summer-pushed-wa-power-demand-to-record-highs.md) - Next summer the South West will have less coal-fired power available in the system but more storage from grid-scale batteries.
- [AGL to build new gas-fired power station in Kwinana](https://www.boilingcold.com.au/agl-to-build-new-gas-fired-power-station-in-kwinana.md) - The 250 MW station is set to open in 2029, when coal-fired generation ends in South West WA, but new gas turbines are increasingly hard to get.
- [Doctors' enviro group launches legal challenge to Woodside's Scarborough](https://www.boilingcold.com.au/doctors-enviro-group-launches-legal-challenge-to-woodsides-scarborough.md) - Doctors for the Environment Australia wants the Federal Court to review whether regulator NOPSEMA properly reviewed the climate impact of the $20 billion project.
- [Alcoa boss Oplinger: little chance of Kwinana refinery restart](https://www.boilingcold.com.au/alcoa-boss-oplinger-little-chance-of-kwinana-refinery-restart.md) - Costly, complex, and with old technology, the 60-year-old alumina refinery that had employed 800 workers is unlikely to reopen.
- [How Chevron will ship Aussie engineering jobs to India](https://www.boilingcold.com.au/how-chevron-will-ship-aussie-engineering-jobs-to-india.md) - Despite local content requirements and a fat profit from Australia, Chevron will now export jobs as well as gas.
- [Chevron's jobs to India plan to face WA government scrutiny](https://www.boilingcold.com.au/chevrons-jobs-to-india-plan-to-face-wa-government-scrutiny.md) - WA Premier Roger Cook's core "Made in WA" election policy will be tested by his use of local content provisions to keep Chevron's WA engineers working in WA.
- [Vessel problems delay Woodside cleanup of oil field near Ningaloo Reef](https://www.boilingcold.com.au/vessel-problems-delay-woodside-cleanup-of-oil-field-near-ningaloo-reef.md) - After numerous safety incidents a McDermott heavy lift vessel left without completing work at Woodside's Stybarrow field.
- [Who are WA's 'Trump dump' losers and winners so far?](https://www.boilingcold.com.au/who-are-was-trump-dump-losers-and-winners-so-far.md) - It pays to be a gold miner in turbulent times. Not so much if you are Chris Ellison or into gas and aluminium.
- [Fortescue still looking for zero-emissions train for 2030](https://www.boilingcold.com.au/fortescue-still-looking-for-zero-emissions-train-for-2030.md) - Battery-electric locomotive deliveries to all the big Pilbara iron ore miners are running late as heavy long-distance loads prove a technical challenge.
- [Woodside bonus boost after switch to a more attainable safety target](https://www.boilingcold.com.au/woodside-bonus-boost-after-switch-to-a-more-attainable-safety-target.md) - A union leader said it was horrifying to see management receive full marks for personal safety after incidents almost tripled in four years.
- [What are Labor and the Coalition offering on energy, emissions and climate?](https://www.boilingcold.com.au/what-are-labor-and-the-coalition-offering-on-energy-emissions-and-climate.md) - While the focus is elsewhere, the threat of climate change remains. Have a look at what both sides of Federal politics intend to do about it.
- [Alcoa spruiks profit boost if mining more WA forest approved](https://www.boilingcold.com.au/alcoa-spruiks-profit-boost-if-mining-more-wa-forest-approved.md) - The US miner expects WA government approval within 12 months to destroy 75 square kilometres of jarrah forest to enable its "number one" lever to boost profits.
- [Woodside cleanup off WA plagued by injuries and incidents](https://www.boilingcold.com.au/woodside-cleanup-off-wa-plagued-by-injuries-and-incidents-2.md) - There are serious concerns about lifting equipment and procedures on McDermott's offshore construction vessel DLV 2000 which is decommissioning the Stybarrow oil field near Ningaloo Reef.
- [Alcoa fined $400,000 for chemical burn to Kwinana school student](https://www.boilingcold.com.au/alcoa-fined-400-000-for-chemical-burn-to-kwinana-school-student.md) - The 2022 incident is one of many at Alcoa's three refineries that are under an increased level of surveillance from the work safety regulator.
- [Ningaloo and Great Barrier Reefs bleach in unison for the first time](https://www.boilingcold.com.au/ningaloo-and-great-barrier-reefs-bleach-in-unison-for-the-first-time.md) - An intense marine heatwave strips colour and life from two World Heritage-listed reefs.
- [Exxon drops plan to reuse Bass Strait oil platform for carbon storage](https://www.boilingcold.com.au/exxon-drops-plan-to-reuse-bass-strait-oil-platform-for-carbon-storage.md) - The idea is one of many around Australia that would delay the cost of decommissioning old infrastructure.
- [WA's South West grid to be boosted by four new batteries](https://www.boilingcold.com.au/was-south-west-grid-to-be-boosted-by-four-new-batteries.md) - All the storage is due to be connected to the grid before the first of WA's coal-fired power stations closes.
- [Kalbarri green hydrogen project gets $814m in Federal backing](https://www.boilingcold.com.au/kalbarri-green-hydrogen-project-gets-814m-in-federal-backing-2.md) - After many recent setbacks for green hydrogen a huge WA project now looks more likely.
- [Woodside’s bid to extend a huge gas project is testing both parties' environmental credentials](https://www.boilingcold.com.au/woodsides-bid-to-extend-a-huge-gas-project-is-testing-both-parties-environmental-credentials.md) - Whether Australia's oldest gas export plant - the North West Shelf - can operate until 2070 has become a political hot potato.
- [Greenpeace wants NWS gas approval paused to consider Woodside's Browse project](https://www.boilingcold.com.au/greenpeace-wants-nws-gas-approval-paused-to-consider-woodsides-browse-project.md) - Any further delay would enrage the oil and gas industry, but process shortcuts could lead to any approval being challenged in court.
- [Australia's biggest gas buyer JERA warns of lean times ahead](https://www.boilingcold.com.au/australias-biggest-gas-buyer-jera-warns-of-lean-times-ahead.md) - More LNG from Qatar and the US is expected to make the 2030s a buyers market.
- [Alcoa unpunished for illegally piping PFAS-contaminated water across WA dam](https://www.boilingcold.com.au/alcoa-unpunished-for-illegally-piping-pfas-contaminated-water-across-wa-dam.md) - The $13 billion company will just get a warning letter for secretly creating "an unacceptable risk to drinking water quality."
- [WA Labor promised to protect the water supply but instead unleashed Alcoa's dangerous mining](https://www.boilingcold.com.au/wa-labor-puts-alcoa-before-water-supply.md) - Roger Cook granting Alcoa greater access to mine near Perth's dams risks could cost taxpayers billions of dollars and result in water restrictions
- [Woodside CEO laments red tape over gas project approval](https://www.boilingcold.com.au/woodsides-profit-more-than-doubles-to-5-6-billion.md) - Australia's largest oil and gas company has trimmed its dividend after underlying profit was dragged down by lower prices.
- [The promise of green iron, steel and ammonia keeps the green hydrogen dream alive](https://www.boilingcold.com.au/the-promise-of-green-iron-steel-and-ammonia-keeps-the-green-hydrogen-dream-alive.md) - Hydrogen was once sold as a universal climate fix — a clean, green wonder fuel for cars, homes, power grids and even global export - but reality has cooled that buzz.
- [Will WA’s coal exit be a green dream or lights out?](https://www.boilingcold.com.au/will-was-coal-exit-be-a-green-dream-or-lights-out.md) - The Liberals predict by 2027 WA's south-west power system will be on the verge of collapse but Labor is confident that batteries, wind and gas will come to the rescue.
- [EPA refuses to consider Alcoa expanding mining near dams](https://www.boilingcold.com.au/epa-refuses-to-consider-alcoa-expanding-mining-near-dams.md) - Within weeks, the US miner will reveal for public comment plans to strip mine 75 square kilometres of jarrah forest.
- [Explainer: what does it mean to ‘firm’ renewables?](https://www.boilingcold.com.au/explainer-what-does-it-mean-to-firm-renewables.md) - Large power grids are among the most complicated machines humans have ever devised - here is how a key component works.
- [Critical minerals and hydrogen incentive set to re-energise regional investment](https://www.boilingcold.com.au/critical-minerals-and-hydrogen-incentive-set-to-re-energise-regional-investment.md) - Production tax credits for hydrogen and critical minerals are set to be law after Labor struck a deal with the Greens.
- [BP puts $1b Kwinana hydrogen and clean fuel projects on ice](https://www.boilingcold.com.au/bp-puts-1b-kwinana-hydrogen-and-clean-fuel-projects-on-ice.md) - The two projects will be "recycled" amid BP's concerns about costs and government policy.
- [Legal case pushes Federal funding agencies to consider climate impact](https://www.boilingcold.com.au/case-win-pushes-federal-funding-agencies-forces-to.md) - Fossil fuel developments may find it harder to get taxpayer funds in Australia after a "benchmark" case forced disclosure of environmental harm, lawyers say.
- [WA power cleaner as coal fails and batteries charge in](https://www.boilingcold.com.au/wa-power-cleaner-as-coal-fails-and-batteries-charge-in.md) - The south-west grid shattered numerous records in late 2024 as new batteries and more rooftop solar replaced unavailable coal-fired power.
- [A marine heatwave killing huge numbers of fish in northwest WA is heading south](https://www.boilingcold.com.au/a-marine-heatwave-killing-huge-numbers-of-fish-in-northwest-wa-is-heading-south.md) - Oceans worldwide are experiencing record-breaking heat as they absorb more than 90 per cent of the heat trapped by greenhouse gases
- [Woodside doubling its WA gas price in 5 years evidence of a tight market](https://www.boilingcold.com.au/woodside-has-doubled-its-wa-gas-price-in-5-years.md) - Local industy in Australia's largest gas-exporting state is concerned gas producers are prioritising exports at their expense.
- [3 reasons to fear humanity won’t reach net-zero and 4 reasons why we just might](https://www.boilingcold.com.au/3-reasons-to-fear-humanity-wont-reach-net-zero-and-4-reasons-why-we-just-might.md) - The science is clear: achieving net-zero emissions by 2050 is humanity’s only hope of achieving some measure of climate security. It’s time to think deeply about our chances of getting there.
- [Alcoa's Kwinana closure bill jumps by $131 million](https://www.boilingcold.com.au/alcoas-kwinana-closure-bill-jumps-by-131-million.md) - The cost of managing water where it stores 140 million tonnes of caustic red mud has doubled.
- [BP puts brakes on Kwinana clean fuel plans](https://www.boilingcold.com.au/bp-puts-brakes-on-kwinana-clean-fuel-plans.md) - BP has stood down contractors working on its biofuel plant just weeks before discovering if its adjacent green hydrogen project will win $1 billion of government backing.
- [Woodside plan to bury CO2 a step to Browse gas go-ahead](https://www.boilingcold.com.au/woodside-plan-to-bury-co2-a-step-to-browse-gas-go-ahead.md) - Carbon storage has gone from "high-risk" to the preferred option at the controversial gas export mega-project.
- [Santos pleads guilty over Varanus Island dead dolphin oil spill](https://www.boilingcold.com.au/santos-pleads-guilty-over-varanus-island-dead-dolphin-oil-spill.md) - A massive oil spill and allegations of a cover-up have resulted in just a $10,000 fine for the $22 billion company.
- [New 490MW MidWest WA wind farm plans 2028 start-up](https://www.boilingcold.com.au/new-490mw-midwest-wa-wind-farm-plans-2028-start-up.md) - The Parron wind farm could slash the carbon pollution from generating WA's power by one million tonnes a year.
- [Woodside and Chevron WA gas mega-deal paves the way for Browse LNG](https://www.boilingcold.com.au/woodside-and-chevron-wa-gas-mega-deal-paves-the-way-for-browse-lng.md) - Woodside will buy Chevron's one-sixth stake in the North West Shelf project and relinquish its stake in the Wheatstone LNG project to the US major.
- [Shares in two Perth Basin oil players plunge after payment dispute](https://www.boilingcold.com.au/shares-in-two-perth-basin-oil-players-plunge-after-payment-dispute.md) - A struggling deal between two companies will determine if an unused oil platform off the WA coast is used for carbon storage or needs to be decommissioned.
- [INPEX chief executive expects Australia's help to blow the Paris Agreement](https://www.boilingcold.com.au/inpex-chief-executive-expects-australias-help-to-blow-the-paris-agreement.md) - The Japanese energy giant is cherry-picking data to justify its gas growth plans.
- [WA faces gas shortfalls from 2030: AEMO](https://www.boilingcold.com.au/wa-faces-gas-shortfalls-from-2030-aemo.md) - The ten-year forecast stops short of when gas could become very scarce and expensive in Australia's most gas-dependent state.
- [BHP, Rio and Woodside back green iron plant in Kwinana](https://www.boilingcold.com.au/bhp-rio-and-woodside-back-green-iron-plant-in-kwinana.md) - Australia's largest ironmaking electric smelting furnace will test technology that could secure the future of Australia's largest export.
- [More coal and gas, less renewables: what a nuclear power plan for Australia would really mean](https://www.boilingcold.com.au/more-coal-and-gas-less-renewables-what-a-nuclear-power-plan-for-australia-would-really-mean.md) - Nuclear energy is shaping up as an election fig leaf like no other.
- [Alcoa's Pinjarra alumina refinery shut down after gas outage](https://www.boilingcold.com.au/alcoas-pinjarra-alumina-refinery-shut-down-after-gas-outage.md) - The US firm is cleaning up caustic liquid after a power loss and working to restore full production at its largest alumina refinery.
- [Libs cheaper power bill pledge with nuclear questioned](https://www.boilingcold.com.au/libs-nuclear-plan-to-cost-330b-but-modelling-disputed.md) - Opposition Leader Peter Dutton is set to unveil the cost of a controversial nuclear power plan should the coalition come to power at the federal election.
- [WA Labor approves Woodside's North West Shelf gas plant to export to 2070](https://www.boilingcold.com.au/wa-labor-approves-woodsides-north-west-shelf-gas-plant-to-export-to-2070.md) - Concerns about possible damage to adjacent World Heritage-listed rock art from the plant's emissions did not sway environment minister Reece Whitby.
- [WA mining giants seek government help to turn their low grade ore into green iron](https://www.boilingcold.com.au/wa-iron-ore-giants-look-to-seek-government-backing-to-stop-their-2.md) - Australia's largest export has a problem - its low grade and high impurities make it unsuitable for producing low emissions iron and steel with current technology
- [Renewable energy trounces nuclear on power costs: CSIRO](https://www.boilingcold.com.au/renewable-energy-trounces-nuclear-on-power-costs-csiro.md) - Ahead of opposition leader Peter Dutton releasing costs for his nuclear policy this week, for the seventh straight year renewables were the lowest-cost new power generation technology.
- [Whitby lauds new blood to speed WA environmental approvals](https://www.boilingcold.com.au/whitby-lauds-new-blood-to-speed-wa-environmental-approvals.md) - The WA environment minister wanted to tackle bureaucrats "at the desk doing the same thing for 15 years, telling people why something can't be done."
- ['Climate whiplash': Australia faces growing risk of cascading disasters](https://www.boilingcold.com.au/climate-whiplash-australia-faces-growing-risk-of-cascading-disasters.md) - Unusually high overnight temperatures and above-average rainfall are predicted for WA this summer
- [Trusted partner to the Pacific or giant fossil fuel exporter? Australia chose the latter](https://www.boilingcold.com.au/trusted-partner-to-the-pacific-or-giant-fossil-fuel-exporter-australia-chose-the-latter.md) - In The Hague this week, Australia worked hard to minimise the legal liability of major emitters and fossil fuel exporters for their contribution to climate change.
- [Renewable hydrogen tech could give green light to jobs](https://www.boilingcold.com.au/renewable-hydrogen-tech-could-give-green-light-to-jobs.md) - A CSIRO report sees making equipment to produce renewable hydrogen could create 4000 jobs by 2050 but Australia needs to move fast.
- [Alcoa moves future mining away from dams 'for now'](https://www.boilingcold.com.au/alcoa-to-move-future-mining-away-from-dams-for-now-to-speed-approvals-2.md) - Alcoa has made last minute changes to its planned expansion of mining in WA's jarrah forest and wants to reenter a previously mined area, potentially triggering a new major federal environmental assessment.
- [Green iron a potential $100b annual boost for Australia: report](https://www.boilingcold.com.au/green-iron-a-potential-100b-annual-boost-for-australia-report.md) - Australia will lose thousands of jobs to rival resource-rich economies if the federal government fails to kickstart the nascent green iron industry, experts warn.
- [Australia tells international court no more climate responsibility for high emitting countries](https://www.boilingcold.com.au/australia-tells-international-court-no-more-climate-responsibility-for-high-emitting-countries.md) - Australia has told the International Court of Justice it is "resolutely committed" to uphold the Paris Agreement in a landmark hearing brought by Vanuatu.
- [WA's EPA speeds emissions deregulation while Chevron environmental inquiry waits](https://www.boilingcold.com.au/was-epa-speeds-emissions-deregulation-while-chevron-environmental-inquiry-waits.md) - The environmental watchdog is set to remove restrictions on climate pollution in months but is much slower looking into concerns about quarantine and turtles on the Barrow Island nature reserve.

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