The future of one of the Kimberley's largest proposed onshore oil and gas projects remains unclear, after its backers pulled their plans from the state's environmental watchdog last week.
Theia Energy asked the Environmental Protection Authority to assess its proposal to drill and frack two exploratory wells 155km south east of Broome in February, with the proposal attracting 2000 public submissions.
But the company requested to terminate its assessment application last week.
Theia's proposal has sparked significant speculation since it first surface publicly, with a 2018 investor presentation suggesting up to 57 billion barrels of oil could be recovered via hydraulic fracturing, or "fracking", with the company also negotiating with the area's Karajarri traditional owners.
But environmental groups had vowed to oppose the project, saying the risks posed to groundwater and the environment, as well as increasing carbon emissions from oil and gas extraction, were unacceptable.
