Australia's remote coral atoll faces environmental battle Against major gas project

Australia is on the brink of a controversial energy expansion, with a major fossil fuel project poised to disrupt one of its most pristine marine environments.

Australia’s next fossil fuel expansion plans are targeting environments far from the eyes of most Australians, focusing on remote locations such as Scott Reef, Caliber.Az reports citing the foreign media.

Once part of a vast coral ecosystem comparable to the Great Barrier Reef, Scott Reef now exists as a fragment of atolls near the edge of the Australian continental shelf, nearly 300 kilometers from the sparsely populated northwest coast. Though largely unknown to the general public, these atolls are both visually striking and ecologically remarkable. Viewed from above, they resemble a surreal, sprawling smile spread across tens of kilometers.

Scientifically, Scott Reef is a treasure trove of biodiversity, home to over 1,500 species across its formations. This includes more than 300 types of reef-building corals, 720 species of fish, endangered turtles and sea snakes, as well as various migratory whales.

“If you imagine a quintessential coral reef paradise, that’s exactly what Scott Reef is like,” says Dr. Ben Fitzpatrick, a coral reef ecologist with decades of experience in Australia’s north-western marine environments.

“It’s so isolated that many of its inhabitants—fish, corals, invertebrates, giant clams, crustaceans, and sea cucumbers—are genetically distinct. The reef supports a rich array of marine life, including krill, large marine animals like blue whales, manta rays, and whale sharks. There’s also a remarkable turtle nesting rookery on a sandy cay where ancient turtles lay their eggs, a practice they’ve been perfecting for millions of years.”

This vibrant ecosystem is not only impressive on the surface but also beneath it. The waters surrounding Scott Reef are home to Australia’s largest untapped conventional gas basin. Woodside Energy, the nation’s leading oil and gas producer, has plans to drill into the Browse Basin, specifically targeting the Torosa gas field, with wells proposed to be located just 3 kilometers from the reef.

From Woodside’s perspective, the reward could be substantial: access to approximately 11.4 million tonnes of gas annually, predominantly for export to energy-hungry markets in Asia. Starting in 2030, Woodside plans to transport this gas via a 900-kilometer undersea pipeline stretching from the Timor Sea to Karratha, a key industrial hub located on Western Australia’s Burrup Peninsula, which holds significant Indigenous heritage.

Once in Karratha, the gas would be processed at the North West Shelf liquefied natural gas (LNG) plant. Originally constructed in the 1980s with a projected lifespan into the 2030s, Woodside has sought a permit to extend the plant’s operations for an additional 50 years—far beyond the Australian government’s target of achieving net zero emissions by mid-century.