WesCEF - Climate change resilience

WesCEF continued to progress abatement projects underpinning its interim target of a 30 per cent reduction in Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions by 2030 relative to a 2020 baseline.

During the year, a final investment decision was made to implement tertiary catalytic abatement in one of CSBP Kwinana’s three nitric acid plants to reduce nitrous oxide emissions. This project is supported by a $500,000 Carbon Innovation Grant from the Western Australian Government and is registered to generate Australian Carbon Credit Units. Additionally, a $33 million grant was awarded by the Australian Government to implement the same technology, including associated plant modifications, for the remaining two nitric acid plants. Implementation across all three plants is anticipated by the end of the 2028 financial year.

While the technologies that underpin its 2030 interim target are well established, there is greater uncertainty around the optimal combination of technology that will be deployed from 2030 onwards to support WesCEF’s 2050 net zero Scope 1 and Scope 2 target. In setting its 2050 net zero target and roadmap, WesCEF assumed that low-emissions technologies and emerging solutions, such as carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS), will advance and become commercially viable and operate at scale, well before 2050. WesCEF also assumes that government policy will remain supportive of climate action and technologies required to decarbonise. The assumptions underpinning WesCEF’s targets will be regularly tested to ensure that they are reasonable.

This year, WesCEF continued to progress its pathway beyond 2030, with a focus on partnerships and government engagement. Studies continued into low-emissions ammonia solutions, including a carbon capture and storage project in conjunction with Mitsui E&P Australia. A successful carbon dioxide injection test was completed by partner, Mitsui E&P Australia, at its proposed carbon storage facility in Dongara, Western Australia and this project is now preparing for front-end engineering design.

Further detail on WesCEF's targets, performance, and partnerships can be found in the Group Climate-related Disclosures here.