Woodside Pluto Carbon Offset Project - Stage 2

Woodside Pluto Carbon Offset Project - Stage 2 is a reforestation project uniquely distributed across two distinct agricultural regions: the Shire of Parkes in New South Wales and the Shire of Jerramungup in Western Australia. Registered in June 2014, the project is part of a broader carbon abatement portfolio developed by Woodside Energy to offset emissions from its Pluto LNG facility. While the exact area size for this specific stage is not publicly detailed, it contributes to a larger 20,000-hectare commercially managed estate developed in partnership with CO2 Australia.

The project utilizes the "Reforestation by Environmental or Mallee Plantings" methodology, specifically targeting the establishment of permanent mallee eucalypt woodlands. Mallee trees are multi-stemmed eucalypts native to semi-arid regions, selected for their drought tolerance and deep root systems which help combat dryland salinity. The method requires planting on land previously used for agriculture (such as grazing or cropping) for at least five years, ensuring the project represents a distinct change in land use.

Given the project's split location, the environmental context varies. The Parkes region in Central West NSW is a major agricultural hub known for wheat cropping and sheep grazing, characterized by a semi-arid climate with red-brown earth and clay soils. Conversely, the Jerramungup region in WA's Great Southern is a "wheatbelt" area with a Mediterranean climate, typically featuring sandy duplex soils and native mallee scrubland. Both locations receive low-to-moderate rainfall, making the hardy mallee species an ideal choice for long-term carbon sequestration without requiring irrigation.

An interesting aspect of this project is its industrial context; unlike many small-scale farm projects, this is a large corporate offset initiative designed directly for the heavy industrial sector (LNG production). The "Pluto" in the project name refers to Woodside's Pluto LNG gas plant on the Burrup Peninsula, thousands of kilometers away from the actual trees, highlighting the disconnect often found in offset markets between the source of emissions and the location of abatement.