WA will fail to achieve net-zero by 2050, Woodside-funded report warns
A report commissioned by Woodside Energy and released by the WA Chamber of Commerce says the state must roughly triple investment in renewables, hydrogen and carbon capture to meet its 2050 target.
Western Australia will not reach net-zero emissions by 2050 on current policy settings, a report commissioned by Woodside Energy and released by the WA Chamber of Commerce on Monday concludes. The study finds the state would need to roughly triple investment in renewable generation, hydrogen and carbon-capture storage to bring its 2050 trajectory in line with national targets, while continuing to develop LNG export projects.
The report's findings have ignited a debate about which industries should carry the heaviest load of the transition. Climate Council analysts said reliance on carbon-capture forecasts in Woodside-funded modelling tended to overstate the technology's near-term contribution, while the state Greens accused the consortium of using the report to defer emissions cuts in the upstream gas sector.
WA Premier Roger Cook said the state was committed to its 2030 interim target of 80% renewable electricity and would respond to specific recommendations within months. Federal Energy Minister Chris Bowen welcomed the report's call for more renewables but rejected proposals to extend LNG export project lives beyond 2035. The Iran war has lifted global LNG spot prices, briefly making Australian projects highly profitable.
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