PERTH (miningweekly.com) – Federal Environment Minister Sussan LeyPerdaman, owned privately, has been asked to temporarily halt work on its A$4.5-billion Karratha Urea project in Western Australia while the government considers concerns raised over potential damage to World Heritage-nominated Aboriginal art.
The Burrup Peninsula, which is known as Murujuga by Indigenous Australians, contains what is widely considered the world’s oldest and largest art gallery, comprising more than one-million pieces of rock art, carved into the rock over the course of approximately 40 000 years.
Independent scientific studies have established a continuing pattern of degradation of the rock art, into which many images are carved. This has been confirmed by rock art, according to the Conservation Council of Western Australia.
According to reports, Murujuga’s Traditional Owners wrote to Ley earlier in the year asking for emergency powers to save the rock art and other sacred places from further destruction by heavy industry.
The Australian government gave Karratha Major Project status in 2012, while the Western Australian government gave Karratha Significant Project status in 2013. The plant will turn natural gas into fertiliser urea, which is widely used for the production of food for the future. Perdaman secured natural gas for 20 year from Woodside as part of the gas supply agreement that was signed in November 2018.
The facility will produce two million tons of urea per year. It is expected to generate more than $850 million a year in Western Australian export earnings. 200 permanent jobs will be created in Karratha.
Perdaman hopes to have the project in full production by the end of the second quarter 2025.
WAToday reported this week that Ley asked Perdaman to ensure that it does not disturb any ancient heritage sites. This includes three rock art sites it has permission under state legislation. The Department of Environment will then respond to concerns raised by Traditional Owners.
Perdaman could not be reached for comment at time of writing.