Ten years after a conflict between traditional owner groups and an international mining company in the Kimberley, an oil and gas giant is looking into establishing a floating liquefied natural gas facility in the region.
Buru Energy found sizeable oil and gas deposits in the Canning Basin in 2019, around 80 kilometres south-east of Broome, later acquiring 100 per cent ownership of the discovery dubbed "Rafael".
A pre-feasibility study has since found a floating liquefied natural gas facility anchored off the Kimberley coast could be a timely and cost-effective way to process and export the resource from the Canning Basin.
Martin Pritchard, director of strategy at conservation group Environs Kimberley, said the plan could re-ignite protests in the region following the recent ten-year anniversary of the Woodside stoush.
"People in the past have felt strong enough to protest against this kind of development," he said.
"More people would be getting involved and standing up to protest against this kind of industrialisation."
Western Australia makes up 63 per cent of the national mineral exploration expenditure and in 2022 LNG production was valued at a record-breaking $51 billion, almost $24 billion more than the previous year.
Mr Pritchard said he was concerned the tourism industry would take a hit if the development went ahead.
"What we're talking about here is a project that could mean industrialising the Kimberley coast," he said.
"It's a really special place, it's globally renowned and what we should be doing is looking after it.
"We don't think that this is the kind of development that fits in with the world-class landscapes of the Kimberley and the million-dollar tourism industry."
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