Newsletter date: 9 August 2013
Contents:
* Eliza Borrello, ABC News: Mining policy: where the parties stand - Kimberley gas
* The Guardian: Opponents of James Price Point gas project welcome go-ahead for platform
* ABC News: Woodside gains federal approval to develop the Browse Basin gas field
* Peter Klinger, The West Australian: Cabnberra backs floating gas hub
* Peter Klinger, The West Australian: Gray paves way for Browse FLNG
* Ben Collins, ABC North West WA: Why Kimberley gas might burn Barnett again
* Perth Now: Barnett digs in for onshore Browse gas
* ABC News: Barnett poised for fight over Browse gas
* Peter Klinger, The West Australian: $2b trade-off hope for gas base
* ABC News: Slowdown in Broome housing market blamed on shelving of gas hub
* Background to the Save The Kimberley Campaign - James Price Point, north of Broome, WA
* ELIZA BORRELLO, ABC NEWS: MINING POLICY: WHERE THE PARTIES STAND - KIMBERLEY GAS
- Analysis
ABC News: Mining policy: where the parties stand - Kimberley gas
[scroll down page] http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-07-08/mining-resources-federal-election-...
5 Aug 13: "The Government and the Coalition support the development of the vast gas reserves of the Browse Basin, 425 kilometres north of Broome in Western Australia's Kimberley. The State and Federal Governments had considered plans for an onshore processing hub at James Price Point, 60 kilometres north of the town. Both Labor and the Coalition said they would support the project as long it met the relevant approvals but the Greens were against it. In April 2013 the project's major equity holder, Woodside, announced it was shelving the plan. ... " By Eliza Borrello
* THE GUARDIAN: OPPONENTS OF JAMES PRICE POINT GAS PROJECT WELCOME GO-AHEAD FOR PLATFORM
- News
The Guardian: Opponents of James Price Point gas project welcome go-ahead for platform
http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2013/aug/02/james-price-point-gas...
2 Aug 13: "Federal government approves floating platform off coast of Western Australia as alternative to controversial land-based hub ... The federal government has opened up the way for the construction of a floating platform to develop gas off the coast of Western Australia as an alternative to a highly controversial land-based hub. Gary Gray, the federal resources minister, said he had approved a request by a consortium, led by Woodside Petroleum, to embark upon a new plan to exploit the huge Browse Basin gas fields, off the Kimberley coast."
* ABC NEWS: WOODSIDE GAINS FEDERAL APPROVAL TO DEVELOP THE BROWSE BASIN GAS FIELD
- News
ABC News: Woodside gains federal approval to develop the Browse Basin gas field
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-08-02/browse-gains-federal-approval/4862334
3 Aug 13: "The Federal Government has cleared the way for the development of the Browse Basin, off the coast of Western Australia. Federal Resources Minister Gary Gray has given approval for a consortium led by Woodside Petroleum to submit a new plan to develop the gas fields. Earlier this year, Woodside abandoned plans to build a gas hub at James Price Point, north of Broome. Last month Mr Gray was again talking up the use of floating LNG technology to develop the Browse Basin."
* PETER KLINGER, THE WEST AUSTRALIAN: CABNBERRA BACKS FLOATING GAS HUB
- News
The West Australian: Cabnberra backs floating gas hub
http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/a/-/breaking/18350070/cabnberra-backs-f...
4 Aug 13: "The Federal Government has paved the way for the Woodside Browse consortium to pursue a floating LNG development off the Kimberley coast after yesterday agreeing to drop a demand that the gas be processed at James Price Point, north of Broome. Federal Resources Minister Gary Gray said that his decision was based on the "unfortunate commercial reality" that building an onshore gas processing plant was not economically viable." Peter Klinger, The West Australian
* PETER KLINGER, THE WEST AUSTRALIAN: GRAY PAVES WAY FOR BROWSE FLNG
- News
The West Australian: Gray paves way for Browse FLNG
http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/a/-/breaking/18311233/gray-paves-way-fo...
2 Aug 13: "Federal Resources Minister Gary Gray has approved an application by the Woodside Browse consortium to formally drop James Price Point as the sole development option for the massive gas field off the Kimberley coast, ... Mr Gray this afternoon informed the Woodside Petroleum-led consortium, which includes FLNG leader Royal Dutch Shell, he had agreed to drop conditions in the retention leases covering five of the seven Browse gas field permits that stipulated that the partners had to work on an onshore processing plant at James Price Point, north of Broome." Peter Klinger Business Editor, The West Australian
- Related News
The Australian: Gray moves Browse gas project a step closer
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/companies/gray-moves-browse-gas...
3 Aug 13: "FEDERAL Resources Minister Gary Gray has paved the way for Woodside Petroleum to develop its huge Browse gasfield off Western Australia's Kimberley coast after he agreed to change the conditions on retention leases that previously stipulated the project must be developed onshore. The Browse venture partners -- Woodside, Shell, BP, Mitsubishi/Mitsui and PetroChina -- requested in June that their retention lease on the gasfields in the Browse Basin be varied to allow them to study developments other than building a $40 billion-plus gas plant at James Price Point, 60km north of Broome." Andrew Burrell
* BEN COLLINS, ABC NORTH WEST WA: WHY KIMBERLEY GAS MIGHT BURN BARNETT AGAIN
- Analysis / Opinion
ABC North West WA: Why Kimberley gas might burn Barnett again
http://www.abc.net.au/local/stories/2013/07/31/3815282.htm?site=northwestwa
31 Jul 13: "Premier Colin Barnett's latest Kimberley project to pipe gas to the domestic market faces a serious economic hurdle according to a major academic study of Australian shale gas. It's the same problem that sank Mr Barnett's other ambition for developing a gas based industry in the Kimberley at James Price Point. Woodside's plans for an LNG processing plant north of Broome just didn't stack up economically. No amount of political pushing and shoving could get the controversial project over the line which was found to be too expensive." By Ben Collins, joined ABC Kimberley in 2004 as a guest zoologist on the Kimberley morning program. Since then he has worked as a radio producer and presenter ...
* PERTH NOW: BARNETT DIGS IN FOR ONSHORE BROWSE GAS
- News
Perth Now: Barnett digs in for onshore Browse gas
http://www.perthnow.com.au/news/breaking-news/barnett-digs-in-for-onshor...
8 Aug 13: "WEST Australian Premier Colin Barnett says he hasn't given up pushing for the Woodside-led Browse gas project to be developed onshore in the Kimberley. The company earlier this year abandoned plans to build a gas plant at James Price Point and is instead pursuing floating processing, which would involve processing Browse Basin gas on a large purpose-built vessel stationed far off the coast. On Friday, the Commonwealth varied the conditions on five of the project's retention leases, clearing the way for Woodside and its joint venture partners to explore the floating plan." AAP
* ABC NEWS: BARNETT POISED FOR FIGHT OVER BROWSE GAS
- News
ABC News: Barnett poised for fight over Browse gas
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-08-03/barnett-browse/4863100
4 Aug 13: "The Premier Colin Barnett is poised for a fight with Canberra and some of the world's biggest oil companies over the development of the Browse Basin gas fields off the coast of Western Australia. Earlier this year Woodside Petroleum and its partners including Shell abandoned plans for an on-shore gas processing plant at James Price Point amid protests and high costs. They want to process the gas offshore using floating LNG technology and the Federal Government has just approved changes to the leases held by the companies to allow them to do just that."
* PETER KLINGER, THE WEST AUSTRALIAN: $2B TRADE-OFF HOPE FOR GAS BASE
- News
The West Australian: $2b trade-off hope for gas base
http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/a/-/breaking/18359998/2b-trade-off-hope...
5 Aug 13: "Colin Barnett has hinted the Woodside Browse consortium would need to fund a $2 billion oil and gas supply base at James Price Point in return for keeping key Browse Basin retention leases. Mr Barnett yesterday expanded on his disappointment that Federal Resources Minister Gary Gray had waived the conditions that demanded the consortium process its Browse gas at James Price Point. Mr Gray made the decision on Friday because, he said, commercial realities for land-based processing were not viable ... " Peter Klinger Business Editor, The West Australian
* ABC NEWS: SLOWDOWN IN BROOME HOUSING MARKET BLAMED ON SHELVING OF GAS HUB
- News
ABC News: Slowdown in Broome housing market blamed on shelving of gas hub
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-08-02/slowdown-in-broome-housing-market/...
2 Aug 13: "The Broome property market appears to have slumped in the wake of the abandonment of the Kimberley gas hub. Data from the Real Estate Institute of WA (REIWA) shows there has been a rush to sell up over the past three months in Broome. The number of properties for sale has increased 23 per cent since the first quarter of the year but sales have been sluggish. REIWA says the thirty properties sold is the slowest quarterly rate since 2010."
* BACKGROUND TO THE SAVE THE KIMBERLEY CAMPAIGN - JAMES PRICE POINT, NORTH OF BROOME, WA
Last updated: 23 July 2013
http://indymedia.org.au/2012/11/22/wgar-news-background-to-the-save-the-...
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