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 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'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.
The Canning oil and gas basin stretches across half a million square kilometres of northern Western Australia, from an area offshore the West Kimberley coast to inland near the Northern Territory border. Gas production may require hydraulic fracturing, or fracking.
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.
An independent review found Black Mountain conducted a "limited and disjointed" assessment that came to "largely unsupported" conclusions.
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.
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.
Andrew Forrest's Squadron Energy is pulling out of plans to frack the Kimberley for gas citing climate concerns, but the minor partner may continue the work.
Black Mountain expects the McGowan Government to soon waive its gas export ban but fracking the gas must wait for two years of environmental studies.
All the info and a bit of comment on WA energy, industry and climate every Friday
