Woodside opens LNG truck loading facility on Burrup

A new operation set to reduce carbon emissions in the Pilbara by trucking clean energy around the State was launched by resources giant Woodside last week.

Premier Mark McGowan officially opened the new LNG Truck Loading Facility on the Burrup Peninsula, an addition to the Pluto LNG Project.

The initial focus will be supplying trucked LNG to mining operations and communities in the Pilbara, Kimberley and elsewhere in WA.

About three billion litres of diesel are imported into the Pilbara every year, mainly for the mining industry.

Woodside chief operations officer Meg O’Neill said they had the chance to take LNG that was manufactured at the Pluto site and use it to replace the diesel.

“There is a 27 per cent CO2 emission reduction versus diesel from well to wheel,” she said.

“This is an opportunity to get a clean and reliable product into the market, which will displace dirtier fuels, which are used today.”

The Premier said the Truck Loading Facility was a major investment in WA, which would assist in providing LNG to mines and communities around the State.

“During the course of building the facility, more than 60 jobs were created,” he said.

“It will mean LNG manufactured in Western Australia is used here and we’re happy to have worked with Woodside to make sure local communities, mine sites and businesses across WA benefit.”

Trucked LNG will be used to supply coastal marine vessels, including Woodside’s LNG-powered Siem Thiima, and in the longer term, could support the transition towards cleaner fuel for trucks and trains in the region’s heavy transport sector.

Woodside is also planning to develop infrastructure for supplying LNG to the international shipping industry, particularly iron ore carriers on the busy trade route from the Pilbara to Asia.

“Woodside believes that LNG produced here in Western Australia can deliver environmental benefits while supporting the growth of local industries and creating new markets for locally produced LNG,” Ms O’Neill said.

The facility will initially be able to deliver seven LNG truck loadings a day, each one transporting the equivalent of more than 80,000 litres of diesel.

More than 25 per cent of that capacity will be used by foundation customer Sheffield Resources for its Thunderbird Mineral Sands Project, located on the Dampier Peninsula.