Talk of future gas fracking in a pristine wilderness area to bolster energy supply has sparked fresh fury from conservation groups.
Premier Roger Cook said Western Australia could be forced to permit fracking in the Kimberley region if Woodside Energy's $30 billion offshore Browse project was not developed and the state was left short of gas.
Mr Cook told the Australian Financial Review that WA had a large deficit in its future energy needs, and renewable sources would not be able to replace the gas needed to meet demands from households and heavy industry.
The premier's comments triggered an avalanche of criticism from environmental groups, with about 150 protesters rallying at WA parliament on Friday.
"The WA gas industry has manufactured a fake gas shortage by not supplying their own requisite 15 per cent of domestic gas to the WA market," Greenpeace's Geoff Bice told reporters.
