Varanus Island
Encyclopedia
Varanus Island is the largest of the Lowendal Islands
, an archipelago
off the north west coast of Western Australia
, near Karratha in the Pilbara region. It is located at 20°39′3"S 115°34′27"E.
(IBA), identified as such by BirdLife International
because of its importance as a breeding site for seabird
s. The presence of oil and gas field operations appear to not have significantly affected local birdlife
primary gas pipeline ruptured, causing an explosion. The plant was shut down, and all personnel on the island were airlifted out. The shutdown reduced Western Australia's gas supply by around a third, triggering an energy crisis
. Apache Energy stated that it would take two to three months until the plant would operate at even half capacity.
Lowendal Islands
The Lowendal Islands comprise an archipelago, with a total area of about 160 ha of land lying off the coast of Western Australia. It is important for breeding seabirds.-Description:...
, an archipelago
Archipelago
An archipelago , sometimes called an island group, is a chain or cluster of islands. The word archipelago is derived from the Greek ἄρχι- – arkhi- and πέλαγος – pélagos through the Italian arcipelago...
off the north west coast of Western Australia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
, near Karratha in the Pilbara region. It is located at 20°39′3"S 115°34′27"E.
Facilities
It has facilities for piping oil and gas from various locations within the Harriet and East Spar oilfield, that was developed by the Bond Corporation in 1987 which is now known as the Varanus Island Processing Hub and owned by Apache CorporationApache Corporation
Apache Corporation is an American independent oil and gas corporation. It is headquartered in 1 Post Oak Central in the Uptown district of Houston, Texas....
Environment
The island is part of the Lowendal Islands Important Bird AreaImportant Bird Area
An Important Bird Area is an area recognized as being globally important habitat for the conservation of bird populations. Currently there are about 10,000 IBAs worldwide. The program was developed and sites are identified by BirdLife International...
(IBA), identified as such by BirdLife International
BirdLife International
BirdLife International is a global Partnership of conservation organisations that strives to conserve birds, their habitats and global biodiversity, working with people towards sustainability in the use of natural resources...
because of its importance as a breeding site for seabird
Seabird
Seabirds are birds that have adapted to life within the marine environment. While seabirds vary greatly in lifestyle, behaviour and physiology, they often exhibit striking convergent evolution, as the same environmental problems and feeding niches have resulted in similar adaptations...
s. The presence of oil and gas field operations appear to not have significantly affected local birdlife
2008 gas crisis
On 3 June 2008, Apache Energy'sApache Corporation
Apache Corporation is an American independent oil and gas corporation. It is headquartered in 1 Post Oak Central in the Uptown district of Houston, Texas....
primary gas pipeline ruptured, causing an explosion. The plant was shut down, and all personnel on the island were airlifted out. The shutdown reduced Western Australia's gas supply by around a third, triggering an energy crisis
2008 Western Australian gas crisis
The Western Australian gas crisis was a major disruption to natural gas supply in Western Australia, caused by the rupture of a corroded pipeline and subsequent explosion at a processing plant on Varanus Island, off the state's north west coast on 3 June 2008...
. Apache Energy stated that it would take two to three months until the plant would operate at even half capacity.