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.
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.
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.
Most gas in Western Australia is produced offshore and exported as LNG, with some reserved for domestic use. Production from the onshore Perth Basin is increasing. WA is the most gas-dependent state in Australia.
It will cost $76 billion to clean up after Australia's oil and gas industry, with a good chunk to be borne by taxpayers, and no one is in a hurry to start the work.
The WA Government expects no new coal or gas-fired power generation in the South-West will ever be built but those looking for clues to the future of Collie’s existing coal-fired power stations will have to wait for a plan to be released later this year.
Maintaining social license for oil and gas keeps executives awake at night according to industry lobby group APPEA that is researching how to fix the problem
Two of the biggest players in WA’s gas-propelled economy, Woodside Petroleum and Alcoa, are starting to look to renewables to slash their gas use as doubts rise about how big a role the fossil fuel will play in the transition to clean energy.
A rig has arrived off the North West to drill the first of two wells for Quadrant Energy which potential investors will monitor closely in coming months.
