By Helen Clark
PERTH, March 30 (Reuters) - Woodside Energy WDS.AX has withdrawn plans for its huge Browse carbon capture and storage $(CCS)$ project from the Australian government's environmental approvals process but plans to resubmit it, a spokesperson said on Monday.
The federal government's revamped Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act allows a revised referral to be submitted, the spokesperson said.
Withdrawal of Woodside's plan was published on the federal government's environmental approval register last week.
“Woodside remains committed to progressing the CCS Project through a transparent and robust environmental assessment process and intends to resubmit the referral as soon as practicable,” the spokesperson said.
The EPBC Act was reformed last year to streamline approvals and cut red tape while also offering stronger protection for nature, the government said then.
Woodside has proposed to use the Browse fields off northwest Australia to supply the ageing North West Shelf LNG facility, which received a 40-year life extension to 2070 last year.
Browse gas contains up to 12% carbon dioxide. In the past CO2 would have been vented to the atmosphere, but under new guidelines the emissions must be managed from start-up.
Woodside has proposed to inject up to 4 million metric tons a year of CO2 back into the Browse reservoirs and reduce direct emissions by 47%.
Woodside's partners in Browse are BP BP.L, Japan's Mitsui & Co 8031.T and Mitsubishi 8058.T, and the international arm of PetroChina 601857.SS.
Japan's Inpex 1605.T said in January it would resubmit plans for its proposed Bonaparte CCS project under the new EPBC Act.
(Reporting by Helen Clark; Editing by Sonali Paul)
((helen.clark@thomsonreuters.com;))
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