Woodside Energy has agreed to delay seismic testing for its $16.5 billion Scarborough gas project off the Pilbara coast after an eleventh-hour legal bid.
The LNG giant on Tuesday notified the Environmental Defenders Office, or EDO, on Tuesday it would proceed with the blasting within 48 hours, despite two Federal Court challenges against regulatory approvals from Greenpeace and Mardudhunera woman Raelene Cooper.
On Thursday Ms Cooper filed an urgent injunction via the EDO, asking the Federal Court to halt the seismic testing while the validity of approvals was still under challenge.
The Save Our Songlines co-founder initially filed a legal challenge last month demanding a review of the approval, arguing the decision by the National Offshore Petroleum Safety and Environmental Management Authority was done without proper consultation with traditional custodians.
On Thursday lawyers for the oil and gas giant told the Federal Court the company would not proceed with its testing until the injunction levelled by the EDO was dealt with.
In a brief hearing this morning after the injunction application was serviced, Woodside agreed to postpone the blasting until a further hearing on Friday.
The Scarborough gas project is a massive LNG proposal off the Burrup Peninsula, which the EDO claimed would result in an estimated 878.02m tonnes of carbon dioxide released over its lifetime.
Ms Cooper said the testing, which involves compressed air guns releasing underwater sound waves and recording echoes off the geological formations below the seabed, was due to take place in areas that could impact their Sea Country, including whales and turtles, which are of high cultural importance.
She said she had not had a chance to explain this properly to Woodside, prompting the judicial review of NOPSEMA's decision to approve the blasts.
Despite finding that Woodside's consultation with First Nations stakeholders, required by law, had been inadequate, NOPSEMA gave approval for the testing on July 31.
Conditions were attached to the approval that further consultation needed to be carried out before commencement of the blasting.
Late last month, Woodside's Liz Westcott, executive vice president of its Australian operations, warned of the risk of a long-term gas supply shortfall in WA without government and regulator support for new projects.
EDO Special Counsel Clare Lakewood on Thursday said Woodside was prepared to press ahead with its seismic blasting despite issues over the approval's validity being unresolved.
"In the circumstances our client felt she had no choice but to ask the court for an urgent injunction to stop this blasting taking place," she said.
"When NOPSEMA allowed this blasting, it was on the condition that our client should be properly consulted before it went ahead.
"Our client argues that the consultation requirements need to be met before NOPSEMA can give approval, not afterwards... and in any case, the consultation has not taken place."
Woodside has been contacted for further comment.
