The global energy giant, InterContinental Energy (ICE), announced a major development for the West Australian side of the Nullarbor in 2021. The development, known as the Western Green Energy Hub, (WGEH), aims to produce a huge 50 gigawatts of green energy, a capacity about 12 times the size of the current West Australian power grid.

This development is not for the production of electricity to help supply the WA power grid, but to produce hydrogen and ammonia, all for export.

The problem is that this development will IRREVERSIBLY DESTROY the ecosystems, the heritage values and the caves found on the biggest piece of arid karst on earth.

Immanent threats to the Nullarbor

The Nullarbor is an ancient limestone sea bed geologically lifted to the surface 20 million years ago. Water that falls on the land, filters through the limestone creating systems of underground rivers and caves that reach all the way to the cliffs of the Great Australian Bight.

Prevent the destruction of the largest karst & cave systems on earth:

The Nullarbor

Mining companies are very interested in what lies underneath the Nullarbor and both state and federal governments have long facilitated the exploration of Australia's mineral wealth via the National Drilling Programme.

Currently BHP, Red Metal Mining and Diatreme Resources are interested in gold, copper, zircon and nickel. In response to the National Drilling Programme all have significant exploration leases over large areas of the Nullarbor,

These mining activities, if they are found to be financially feasible have the potential to cause significant damage to the Nullarbor.

Mining

Energy for Export

Planed hydrogen and ammonia industry

for the Nullarbor

Here is where it is going to go.

Solar and Wind farm plans for the Nullarbor Plain released.

Western Green Energy Hub, (WGEH), planning documents have been submitted to the WA Environmental Protection Agency for the first stage of assessment.

Please see:

Proposals: Western Green Energy Hub

Then click on Referral to see all documentation.

The EPA is now developing a scoping document which will outline the requirements

WGEH must address before any further assessments and decisions are made by the EPA.

It is expected that this process will take

2-3 months before any further public consultation will occur.

In the meantime is it important that you lobby your local federal and State members of parliament about the

destruction this development will cause.

Roger Cook, Premier of WA

Tanya Plibersek, Environment

Watch our film showing the environmental values of the Nullarbor

Fagile soils or the Nullarbor grasslands

The Nullarbor's fragile topsoil is held together with a biofilm stabilised by delicate biological crusts formed from lichens and bacteria which, if disturbed, creates a dust bowl.

BULLDUST

The Nullarbor is an integrated landscape, which means that any disturbance of the surface affects many aspects of the whole system. The building of roads and burial of cables for example affects surface drainage, creating soil movements and sediment flows, that can then block underground cavities. This in turn impacts the caves air flows, humidity and the habitats of cave biota.

What will happen if these developments go ahead?

Why is the Nullarbor so valuable?

The Nullarbor contains the largest single exposure of arid limestone bedrock in the world occupying an area of around 250,000 square kilometres.

It is underpinned with spectacular caves with saline lakes and halite formations metres in length. The surface records: ancient sand dunes, pocket valleys, ancient river beds (paleochannels) and ancient reefs.

The values that the Nullarbor holds, cultural, and natural meet seven World Heritage Criteria, yet the Nullarbor has little legislative protection on the WA side, with a range of protections, a National Park, A Wilderness Protection Area and Regional Reserve on the SA side.

Its Caves and surface also record significant cultural heritage dating back 30,000 years