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Resources / Western Australia
WA produces far more liquefied natural gas (LNG) than domestic gas in its reported product mix. Local supply supports industry and electricity, as well as households. Understanding its value means connecting that use to public money, commitments and results.
A dated account of WA, not all Australian gas. It combines statewide figures with two specific examples: North West Shelf grants and the Pluto Acceleration supply commitment. These are different scopes, not one project balance sheet. Evidence checked 3 October 2026.
01 / The resource
WA reported 2,550 petajoules of LNG and 426 petajoules of domestic gas production in 2024–25. Petajoules (PJ) measure energy.
LNG is gas cooled into liquid for transport. Comparing these two products shows their relative scale.
This is not a full extraction balance, measured export shipments or a test of the 15% domestic reservation policy.
02 / What it supports
Minerals processing, mining and electricity generation account for most of the domestic use shown here. Those connections matter to workers, businesses and the services people depend on.
Distribution includes households and small businesses. Its share is not a household-only measure.
This is a different period and denominator from the production comparison above.
03 / Public money & wider value
WA’s accounts identify North West Shelf grants. That provides one connection between resources and public finances.
It does not tell us the total return from gas, or whether the benefits outweigh the costs.
A$612 million
North West Shelf grants · 2024–25
WA general government accrual operating revenue
Accrual revenue is not the same as cash received. This is not all gas tax revenue or a receipt for one plant.
Those gaps prevent an overall public-value verdict.
04 / Who checks delivery
Pluto Acceleration gives us a specific domestic supply commitment to examine. The published ledger reports quantities supplied and remaining at the end of 2024.
Reported delivery, compliance with an agreement and benefit to Australians are different questions.
Pluto Acceleration / to end 2024
13.93 PJ supplied during 2024 is already included in the cumulative total.
Producer-provided reporting, published November 2025. The remaining balance is not evidence of overdue delivery or an independent compliance finding.
Marketing, negotiation, infrastructure and reporting duties sit alongside quantities. A planned profile is not simply an annual quota.
The change has to be read with the agreement’s calculation and delivery profile.
The published deed provides for changed volumes and a term through 2029, subject to commencement conditions. We have not located the notices confirming those conditions and the effective date. It preserves earlier obligations; the 2024 ledger does not test delivery under the later terms.
Provide annual reports on domestic gas obligations.
Assesses annual reports and reports to the minister in the third quarter.
Writes to exporters following the departmental assessment.
Published oversight process checked 3 October 2026. These are offices and institutions, not a verified list of the people involved in each historical decision.
The Karratha Gas Plant is part of the North West Shelf project. It helps locate this story, but the plant, the whole project and the Pluto Acceleration commitment are different scopes.
The grants line above is not a plant-level return. Local impacts and resource rights need their own evidence.
Explore Woodside’s North West Shelf description (company source, new tab) ↗05 / Future choices
AEMO’s December 2025 Step Change outlook identifies a potential 2028 gap of 89 terajoules a day, a 2029 surplus, then gaps from 2030. This is a conditional forecast, not an observed shortage.
Choose a scenario to see when AEMO forecasts supply gaps and the assumptions behind that result. The comparison uses the December 2025 outlook; it is not a live forecast.
WA domestic gas market · December 2025 forecast for 2026–2045. Annual market balance; these are conditional forecasts, not observed shortages.
Reference
2028first forecast gap risk
A gap in 2028, temporary relief in 2029, then widening gaps from 2030.
Ongoing gaps from 2030 through 2045.
Selected comparison
2028first forecast gap risk
A gap risk in 2028 and widening gaps from 2030, even with lower growth.
Ongoing gaps from 2030 through 2045.
Lower growth does not remove the forecast supply-gap risk. Slower Growth also counts fewer prospective supply projects than Step Change.
| Assumption | Step Change | Slower Growth |
|---|---|---|
| Economic & demographic growth | Moderate | Lower |
| Electrification | High | Meets current emissions commitments |
| Energy efficiency | High | Moderate |
| Gas supply projects counted | Existing, committed and anticipated | Existing and committed |
| Gas-consuming projects counted | Existing and committed | Existing and committed |
“Anticipated” and “uncertain” projects are not guarantees of delivery.
Several assumptions change together. This comparison cannot isolate the effect of electrification or any single policy, predict bills or jobs, or establish the best outcome for Australians.
Which supply projects must arrive on time? Which users could switch energy sources while keeping the services they need? What would those changes cost, and who would pay?
A better policy needs comparable costs, timing, feasibility and effects on workers, households and communities. The forecast points to supply risks. It does not put a price on an alternative or establish who would gain or lose.
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