Woodside CEO Meg O'Neill has acknowledged that a spill at the company's decommissioned Griffin field earlier this month "shouldn't be par for the course," as regulators scrutinise the company's environmental record while weighing approval for its proposed Browse LNG project.
The spill, which occurred on May 8 during flushing operations at the legacy BHP-owned field 65km off the coast of Onslow, involved the discharge of about 64,000 litres of fluid, including water, hydrocarbons and chemicals. While Woodside has downplayed the impact and insists the environmental risk is "very low," the offshore safety regulator NOPSEMA has launched an investigation.
The WA Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) is also reviewing the company's revised submission for Browse, independently of the spillage incident.
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE
Speaking on the sidelines of the Australian Energy Producers Conference in Brisbane, O'Neill pushed back against reports that 16,000 to 17,000 litres of hydrocarbons were released, saying the final figure had yet to be confirmed.
"That number has not been calculated," she said.
"We're sharpening the pencil on the estimates using video evidence." She added that the discharge was detected while the 19th of 21 pipelines was being flushed, following the successful cleaning of the first 18.
The operation was halted after an underwater robot observed discolouration in the outflow.
"We saw a bit of a sheen, which dispersed very quickly," O'Neill said, stressing that tracking buoys and modelling indicate no impact on shorelines or sensitive marine habitats.
Still, she acknowledged reputational risk, admitting: "It shouldn't be part of the course… we need to ask ourselves what could have been done to prevent the release entirely."
Woodside inherited the Griffin field infrastructure when it acquired BHP's petroleum assets in 2022. The incident has renewed focus on the operational and environmental risks tied to decommissioning ageing offshore infrastructure—an issue of rising importance as many Australian fields approach the end of their productive lives.
The timing has intensified scrutiny over Browse, with Woodside's submission claiming that new technologies reduce the risk of a spill near ecologically sensitive Scott Reef to "only a mere theoretical possibility." Environmental advocates are likely to point to Griffin as evidence that even routine operations can result in real-world discharges.
O'Neill took aim at media reporting of the incident, questioning the origin of the hydrocarbon volume figure.
"You'll have to ask him—it's his story," she said, referring to questioning from Energy News Bulletin.
She confirmed the matter was reported to NOPSEMA, but said the precise composition of the discharge remains under review.
Woodside says it is revising its procedures to better capture and contain any residual hydrocarbons during future pipeline flushing operations.
When asked when the investigation would conclude, O'Neill replied: "I don't have a date from the team."
With both NOPSEMA and the EPA reviewing the company's environmental management practices, the Griffin discharge may shape the regulatory response not only to Browse, but also to broader decommissioning plans across Woodside's legacy offshore portfolio.
Separately ENB took the opportunity to ask O'Neill face to face about one of the most contentious and yet influential leaders - President Donald Trump.
Here's what she had to say.
ENB: Do you support Donald Trump?
MON: "I don't want to comment on any political leader, just like I wouldn't comment on whether Minister Albanese is doing a good job or not. I think every leader has things that are positive and other things that could use improvement."
ENB Do you like his style?
MON: "The thing that President Trump does effectively is cut through the noise. So things like ‘drill baby drill'—you know, that's not about getting more rigs out, because rig numbers are actually dropping. It's about saying oil and gas is important to America's prosperity.
"That ‘big beautiful' phrase—look, that's catchy. You all got a headline out of that because it resonates with people. That's one of the things Donald Trump does really well—he cuts through and speaks to what really matters to people."
ENB: What do you make of President Trump's economic agenda and energy policy?
MON "This push to have more investment in the US, to rebuild US manufacturing capacity—it's not that different from what Prime Minister Albanese is saying...The Trump administration knows one key to unleashing that is you've got to unleash energy, because energy is essential to manufacturing."
