Sussan Ley says planned Pilbara development would harm wetlands and threatened bird species A massive renewable energy export development in the Pilbara has been declared “clearly unacceptable” by the federal environment minister due to its impact on threatened migratory species and internationally recognised wetlands. Sussan Ley’s ruling means the proponents of the $50bn Asian renewable energy hub will need to significantly revamp their plans if the development is to go ahead. They argue it could revolutionise the production of hydrogen globally by showing it can be created at an affordable price using solar and windpower. The proposed hub would be built across about 666,030 hectares east of Port Hedland in northern Western Australia, an area about half the size of greater Sydney. The development, which proponents have called the world’s largest renewable energy project, would require about 20,000 hectares to be cleared. A 26 gigawatt-capacity hybrid solar-windfarm would be used to power 14GW of electrolysers that convert desalinated seawater into green hydrogen. Most of the hydrogen would be converted to green ammonia for safe export. The project includes processing plants, marine infrastructure including pipelines and an offshore export platform, and a new town to house workers. It was granted major project status by the federal government last year, a step designed to smooth the approval process, and the WA government has green-lit the first stage of the development. But Ley decided an updated proposal submitted to the federal environment department last month would have clearly unacceptable impacts on matters of national environmental significance set out under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation [EPBC] Act. Through a spokesperson, the minister said the project would affect the ecological character of a Ramsar-listed Eighty-mile beach site and several migratory species, including seven... |