Following an oil spill in December, the offshore environment regulator has shut down the Wandoo oil field, 80km off the Pilbara coast, until the Canadian owner, Vermillion, can demonstrate it is safe. Regulator NOPSEMA called out "systemic failures" in Vermilion's management of Wandoo, including inadequate inspection and maintenance, and repeated instances of not complying with Wandoo's approved environment plan. NOPSEMA identified problems with Vermilion's management of Wandoo during inspections in October 2025 and after the December 11, 2025, oil spill. "These issues reflect recurring themes from earlier inspections and show that corrective actions and assurance processes have not fully addressed the underlying causes," the February 6 _NOPSEMA direction_ published on Friday said. ****Vermilion's********website********seeking consultation on its Australian plans**** The NOPSEMA direction said the systemic weaknesses it identified may have contributed to the oil spill. Vermilion has operated the wholly owned Wandoo field since 2005. Wells reach out as far as three kilometres from two platforms: the unmanned Wandoo A and the crewed Wandoo B. Image: Vermilion. NOPSEMA has ordered Vermilion not to export any oil from Wandoo until it can demonstrate that it has implemented measures to make the existing system safe. Vermilion then has to have a completely new export system from the pipeline end manifold (PLEM) to the floating export hose in place by December 2027. In 2022, a floating export hose failed at Santos' Varanus Island facility, allowing 25,000 litres of condensate to escape into the ocean. Santos denied any connection between the spill and the dead dolphins found nearby. Santos pleads guilty over Varanus Island dead dolphin oil spillA massive oil spill and allegations of a cover-up have resulted in just a $10,000 fine for the $22 billion company.Boiling ColdPeter Milne Vermilion has not yet complied with a _NOPSEMA direction issued three years ago_ over concerns that its inadequate maintenance of pipework on the platforms could lead to oil or gas escaping, resulting in a fire or explosion. NOPSEMA and Vermilion have been contacted for comment. MORE TO COME __Boiling Cold__ 's coverage of WA's oil and gas sector is free for all to read, maximising impact and accountability. I need your backing to keep covering this powerful and influential industry. Support independent journalism in WA

👷‍♂️ WHY ALCOA'S WA MINING APPROVALS MATTER · Alcoa needs WA · More than 70% of its bauxite and alumina come from WA · Its share price plunged the last time investors were concerned about approvals. · Alcoa's mining is a threat to Perth's water supply · It has failed to complete the rehabilitation of a single hectare of jarrah forest after sixty years of strip mining. Alcoa chief executive Bill Oplinger incorrectly told investors the miner has completed its work on vital mining approvals, and that progress now depends on the WA Environmental Protection Authority (EPA). > "We received close to 60,000 comments. We've responded to all of those comments," Oplinger told Wall Street analysts in January. > > "The next major milestone in the process is that we should have a recommendation from the EPA at the end of the first half and then have ministerial approvals by the end of the year." The real situation is that Alcoa has responded to less than ten submissions; they were not to a standard acceptable to the EPA, and there was no basis to expect an EPA recommendation by mid-2026. Oplinger's wish to be upbeat about Alcoa extending its six decades of access to WA's jarrah forest, where it mines more than 70 per cent of its bauxite, is understandable. He told investors in 2025 that obtaining its WA mining approvals was the _"number one" lever_ to boost profits for the global aluminium specialist. ****Bill Oplinger has led Alcoa since September 2023.**** Image: Alcoa In mid-2023, his predecessor, Roy Harvey, told a morning quarterly results call there was “no fixed timetable” for resolving approvals in WA. Alcoa's share price then _plunged 6.5 per cent_ in the first 10 minutes of trading and closed the day down 7.4 per cent, wiping $650 million off the value of the company. The Alcoa board axed Harvey and installed Oplinger before the next quarterly call. ## Approval ball still in Alcoa's court Environmental Protection Authority chair Darren Walsh said the responses received from Alcoa in January were only to submissions from "decision-making authorities." These are WA government departments, but not the state-owned utility Water Corporation, that has significant concerns about Alcoa's mining near its dams. Walsh told _Boiling Cold_ that there was no agreed timetable for the environment watchdog to make its recommendation to Environment Minister Matthew Swinbourn. > _"The EPA will not commit to an assessment timeframe until Alcoa submits its outstanding responses," Walsh said._ > > "When these have been accepted as adequate by the EPA they will be published," he said. The EPA received _more than 59,000 submissions_ on Alcoa in August 2025. Many were proformas, but more than 10 per cent were not, so the US company has about 6,000 different submissions to review and respond to. An Alcoa spokeswoman said in agreement with the EPA that it had prioritised responding to government regulators and was targeting to submit all responses by the end of March. If Alcoa achieves that target, it still has a long road to gaining approvals. The EPA has to review the responses, most likely resulting in more questions to Alcoa. Once the EPA deems the responses to be acceptable and publishes them, it can complete its assessment, which is likely to be the most complex it has ever undertaken. There will then be a three-week appeal period and a lengthy assessment by the Appeals Convenor before WA's environment minister can make a decision. In addition, there is a parallel Federal environmental approvals process. Labor breaks vow and risks WA’s water supply for AlcoaRoger Cook granting Alcoa greater access to mine near Perth’s dams risks could cost taxpayers billions of dollars and result in water restrictionsBoiling ColdPeter Milne ****Read**** _****Boiling Cold****_****'s exclusive investigation of Roger Cook's work for Alcoa**** Alcoa was asked on what basis it expected an EPA recommendation by mid-year. Its spokesperson said it was working collaboratively with stakeholders to achieve ministerial decisions by the end of 2026 and would continue to be responsive to requests for information from the EPA. _Boiling Cold_ also asked if the company would correct its misinformation to the market. Alcoa pointed to its _press release_ accompanying its quarterly results, which was correct about its actual progress: “In January 2026… the Company submitted to the WA Environmental Protection Authority responses to comments received from government entities." Mines Department blasts holes in Alcoa’s jarrah forest care claimsEndangered cockatoos - 105,000 exploration holes a year - insecure offsets: WA’s mining regulator has questions for the US miner.Boiling ColdPeter Milne The departments of Water and Environmental Regulation, Mines, Biodiversity and Conservation, and Health all made submissions to the EPA, according to _Boiling Cold’s_ freedom of information requests. The Mines Department was _scathing about Alcoa's claims_ to be caring for the northern jarrah forest. Other departments denied FOI access as the documents were part of an ongoing deliberative process. __Boiling Cold__ 's unrivalled reporting on Alcoa is free for all to read, maximising impact and accountability. I need your backing to keep covering stories that would otherwise go unreported. Support independent journalism in WA ## 🗞️ Other independent news today: If fracking begins in the Kimberley, it could damage a sacred riverFracking exploration wells are likely to proceed in the Kimberley. Given how much more we know about the risks of fracking, this seems dangerous.The ConversationAnne PoelinaJapan wins, Australian consumers lose. Intense lobbying revealed - Michael WestWhile Australian consumers suffer from record-high energy prices, Japanese LNG companies enjoy the spoils of on-selling Australian LNG.Michael WestKim WingereiState owned utility’s newly opened grid battery has been “re-rated” to be the biggest in AustraliaState owned Synergy has formally opened its third big battery, which turns out to the biggest operating battery in Australia after its storage was “re-rated.”Renew EconomyGiles Parkinson