I cover energy, industry and climate in WA at www.boilingcold.com.au Independent, informed and inquisitive news and analysis as WA tackles the problems of climate change and the opportunities of the energy transition.https://bsky.app/profile/petemilne.bsky.socialhttps://bsky.app/profile/petemilne.bsky.social/post/3mysnkfkgl72dAfter 5 years of study, WA's independent environmental watchdog found Woodside's Browse gas project was an unacceptable environmental risk on multiple grounds. Read the confidential 2023 documents obtained by Boiling Cold in my story in The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2026/oct/27/endangered-turtles-and-exceptional-coral-at-risk-from-woodsides-gas-drilling-in-wa-watchdog-says26 Oct 2026 21:18 +0000at://did:plc:behrhbrnrw6uvasots2o7f3y/app.bsky.feed.post/3mysnkfkgl72dhttps://bsky.app/profile/petemilne.bsky.social/post/3mwpkhro7on2uThe Federal Government's Northern Endeavour oil vessel cleanup will likely cost more than $2b. Woodside sold the project to an insubstantial company to avoid a few hundred million in decommissioning costs; now it and its competitors will pay the price. https://www.boilingcold.com.au/governments-northern-endeavour-oil-vessel-cleanup-set-to-exceed-2b/30 Sep 2026 04:55 +0000at://did:plc:behrhbrnrw6uvasots2o7f3y/app.bsky.feed.post/3mwpkhro7on2uhttps://bsky.app/profile/petemilne.bsky.social/post/3mvzdv53loy2qUS-owned Black Mountain Energy is seeking funds to stay a going concern while it awaits approvals to frack for gas in the Kimberley It expects a WA decision soon, but the Federal Government's independent experts have grave concerns about the risk to water https://www.boilingcold.com.au/cash-poor-kimberley-fracker-black-mountain-expects-wa-decision-soon/21 Sep 2026 08:59 +0000at://did:plc:behrhbrnrw6uvasots2o7f3y/app.bsky.feed.post/3mvzdv53loy2qhttps://bsky.app/profile/petemilne.bsky.social/post/3mv4id34as52cWA Premier Mark McGowan told Alcoa it must better protect Perth's water supply or face curtailed mining and "significant job losses," but his successor, Roger Cook, folded and did the opposite. Now Water Corp wants EPA support to fix the problem. https://www.boilingcold.com.au/water-corporation-looks-to-epa-to-shield-perths-water-supply-from-alcoa-and-roger-cook/09 Sep 2026 21:31 +0000at://did:plc:behrhbrnrw6uvasots2o7f3y/app.bsky.feed.post/3mv4id34as52chttps://bsky.app/profile/petemilne.bsky.social/post/3mug4ycecig2bLondon-listed Georgina Energy, chasing helium, hydrogen and gas in the remote Little Sandy Desert, will ensure the WA Government that it has decommissioning costs covered in all eventualities before starting drilling in September. https://www.boilingcold.com.au/helium-drilling-set-to-start-after-wa-taxpayers-shielded-from-cleanup-costs/01 Sep 2026 00:09 +0000at://did:plc:behrhbrnrw6uvasots2o7f3y/app.bsky.feed.post/3mug4ycecig2bhttps://bsky.app/profile/petemilne.bsky.social/post/3mu2bet7wms2gAs demand for copper rises, Rio Tinto has moved its Winu copper deposit in WA forward with a public environmental review. https://www.boilingcold.com.au/rio-tinto-moves-winu-copper-mine-forward-with-public-environmental-review/27 Aug 2026 06:56 +0000at://did:plc:behrhbrnrw6uvasots2o7f3y/app.bsky.feed.post/3mu2bet7wms2ghttps://bsky.app/profile/petemilne.bsky.social/post/3mtzwaq3wrn2mThe Australian Renewable Energy Hub's $50b plan is now half the size and will not produce hydrogen and ammonia. Instead, it will chase power sales to Pilbara miners. Hydrogen, once seen as a "Swiss Army knife" solution, is looking like a niche product. https://www.boilingcold.com.au/australian-renewable-energy-hubs-50b-plan-shrinks-and-drops-hydrogen/27 Aug 2026 03:37 +0000at://did:plc:behrhbrnrw6uvasots2o7f3y/app.bsky.feed.post/3mtzwaq3wrn2mhttps://bsky.app/profile/petemilne.bsky.social/post/3mtg6ne2ulk2mWA Labor has raised $1.6 million since May, almost six times the Liberals. Much of it is from cash-for-access events. The biggest donor is an outfit you have never heard of, followed by nascent fertiliser producer Perdaman. https://www.boilingcold.com.au/woodside-tips-in-cash-as-labor-fights-to-get-its-employee-into-parliament/19 Aug 2026 07:14 +0000at://did:plc:behrhbrnrw6uvasots2o7f3y/app.bsky.feed.post/3mtg6ne2ulk2mhttps://bsky.app/profile/petemilne.bsky.social/post/3msr5mm6xsq23Health and safety failure INPEX reaps $1.5b half-year profit from Ichthys LNG after it spilled oil into Darwin Harbour, exposed offshore workers to dangerous mercury, and was prosecuted for under-reporting toxic emissions by more than 100-fold. https://www.boilingcold.com.au/health-and-safety-failure-inpex-reaps-1-5b-half-year-profit-from-ichthys-lng/10 Aug 2026 22:30 +0000at://did:plc:behrhbrnrw6uvasots2o7f3y/app.bsky.feed.post/3msr5mm6xsq23https://bsky.app/profile/petemilne.bsky.social/post/3mre6ihzkuk2bUS miner Alcoa refuses to rule out mining the Perth Hills after raising hopes that the jarrah forest inland from Perth would escape its strip mining for bauxite. https://www.boilingcold.com.au/alcoa-refuses-to-rule-out-mining-the-perth-hills/#mining-heads-north-towards-perth24 Jul 2026 01:15 +0000at://did:plc:behrhbrnrw6uvasots2o7f3y/app.bsky.feed.post/3mre6ihzkuk2bhttps://bsky.app/profile/petemilne.bsky.social/post/3mqs4k4uhjs2eThe failure of the owners of the Cliff Head oil platform off WA, Pilot Energy and Triangle Energy, to meet payroll does not bode well for their ability to pay the $200m decommissioning cost https://www.boilingcold.com.au/regulator-moves-after-no-cash-for-wages-for-wa-oil-platform/16 Jul 2026 20:53 +0000at://did:plc:behrhbrnrw6uvasots2o7f3y/app.bsky.feed.post/3mqs4k4uhjs2ehttps://bsky.app/profile/petemilne.bsky.social/post/3mqlfqejmss26ASX minnow Pilot Energy has entered administration, leaving in doubt who will pay $200m to decommission the Cliff Head oil platform off WA. Madeleine King said it won't be taxpayers. https://www.boilingcold.com.au/gas-producers-face-200m-ocean-clean-up-bill-after-pilot-energy-enters-administration/14 Jul 2026 04:48 +0000at://did:plc:behrhbrnrw6uvasots2o7f3y/app.bsky.feed.post/3mqlfqejmss26https://bsky.app/profile/petemilne.bsky.social/post/3mq3nmebus22hINPEX bypassed equipment and ignored procedures to manage mercury in the gas at Ichthys LNG before workers were exposed and the ocean polluted by the toxic metal. Regulator NOPSEMA has ordered the problems be fixed. https://www.boilingcold.com.au/inpex-safety-shortcuts-exposed-ichthys-lng-workers-and-ocean-to-mercury/07 Jul 2026 22:27 +0000at://did:plc:behrhbrnrw6uvasots2o7f3y/app.bsky.feed.post/3mq3nmebus22hhttps://bsky.app/profile/petemilne.bsky.social/post/3mpn5fpd7rs22Takeaways from Alcoa's Wall Street chat on South32 deal: -Plans to mine WA's jarrah forest for 40 years -Recognises only a third of the rehabilitation cost that S32 did -WA exposed to Alcoa's willingness to rehabilitate a vast area of forest & toxic tailings https://www.boilingcold.com.au/western-australia-drives-alcoa-to-buy-south32-aluminium-business/02 Jul 2026 03:59 +0000at://did:plc:behrhbrnrw6uvasots2o7f3y/app.bsky.feed.post/3mpn5fpd7rs22https://bsky.app/profile/petemilne.bsky.social/post/3motw6y6tx222If you don't subscribe to Boiling Cold, you missed: 🔥 Glitch shuts 20% of WA's gas 🌲 Another jarrah forest mining threat 🪓 Santos culls Perth office 😶‍🌫️ Is the sunk cost fallacy driving Woodside's Browse? 👨🏻‍🍳 Roger Cook's gas propaganda 🗞️ The West 🧡 Pauline https://www.boilingcold.com.au/email/cc9b9978-0476-458b-865a-8a602febc073/22 Jun 2026 03:14 +0000at://did:plc:behrhbrnrw6uvasots2o7f3y/app.bsky.feed.post/3motw6y6tx222https://bsky.app/profile/petemilne.bsky.social/post/3mnb74wxifc26Roger Cook’s threat to frack the Kimberley if Woodside’s Browse is blocked because WA needs the gas is nonsense: he exempted it from his export ban. 87% can be sold overseas. https://www.boilingcold.com.au/fracking-little-use-for-wa-roger-cook-allowed-87pc-to-be-exported/01 Jun 2026 23:08 +0000at://did:plc:behrhbrnrw6uvasots2o7f3y/app.bsky.feed.post/3mnb74wxifc26https://bsky.app/profile/petemilne.bsky.social/post/3mmup6yvij22yThe national gas reservation plan gives WA the gas it needs without drilling near Scott Reef for Woodside's Browse or fracking the Kimberley Instead Roger Cook relies on an uncertain Browse and for Woodside and Chevron to "do the right thing" Exclusive analysis https://www.boilingcold.com.au/federal-plan-delivers-three-times-more-gas-to-wa-than-browse/27 May 2026 23:51 +0000at://did:plc:behrhbrnrw6uvasots2o7f3y/app.bsky.feed.post/3mmup6yvij22yhttps://bsky.app/profile/petemilne.bsky.social/post/3mlu5on36qk22Alcoa face another investigation into illegal strip mining of WA's jarrah forest, fresh from a $55 million deal to avoid prosecution for what the Federal Govt called a "deliberate repeat breach" of environmental laws. https://www.boilingcold.com.au/feds-probe-more-illegal-clearing-by-alcoa-after-deliberate-repeat-destruction-of-jarrah-forest/15 May 2026 01:12 +0000at://did:plc:behrhbrnrw6uvasots2o7f3y/app.bsky.feed.post/3mlu5on36qk22