Originally published by Adrian Rauso of The West Australian
11.05.2026
A report commissioned by Woodside Energy estimates its mammoth Browse gas project would deliver $147 billion for WA’s economy and more than $50b directly to Australian taxpayers.
Modelling by Deloitte points to “substantial employment” and “economy-wide benefits” if the Browse project off WA’s Kimberley coast is developed, according to Woodside. Highlights include a “longterm uplift” of about $147b in WA’s Gross State Product and up to 4760 direct and indirect full-time equivalent jobs across Australia at peak operations. More than 3000 of those jobs would be in WA.
Over its estimated life of 31 years, Browse would generate about $56.2b in taxes, royalties and excises a figure Deloitte said was equivalent to funding one new hospital every year over the project’s entire operational life. The report also revealed Browse’s owners should collectively expect to pour $48.7b into the project for its development and operation. Production was modelled as beginning in 2033. Industry analysts most recently pegged Browse’s capital expenditure, which does not include operating costs, at roughly $30b.
Woodside is Browse’s operator with a 30.6 per cent stake despite BP holding the biggest piece of the pie with 44.3 per cent after acquiring Shell’s interest three years ago. The project’s remaining ownership is split up between Japan’s Mitsubishi and Mitsui (14.4 per cent) and PetroChina (10.6 per cent).
Browse has been stuck in regulatory limbo for eight years amid strong opposition by environmentalists. Federal Environment Minister Murray Watt’s department will provide its recommendation to either approve or reject the project within the next few months.
Woodside chief executive Liz Westcott, below, said Deloitte’s report highlighted the role Browse could play in supporting Australia’s long-term energy needs while delivering “a fair return” for the community. “Browse is Australia’s biggest undeveloped offshore gas resource and represents a major opportunity for the nation at a time when energy security matters more than ever,” she said. “Independent modelling shows Browse has the potential to power homes and businesses, support thousands of Australian jobs and generate significant revenue for governments while also helping to manage the risks and costs of the energy transition.”
The project has a forecast production capacity of 11.4 million tonnes per annum of liquefied gas and a peak light oil production rate of 50,000 barrels a day.
“Economy-wide modelling for WA highlights the 2030s as a critical pressure point for the energy system,” the Deloitte report stated. “Without the (Browse) project, projected gas shortfalls place significant strain on industry and the power sector, requiring early electrification of hard-to-abate loads such as industrial heat, compressors and processing equipment. “These uses are technically challenging to electrify and place additional pressure on a power system that is already expanding rapidly.”
