Australia's Largest Carbon Capture Project Sparks Controversy Over Potential 'Dumping Ground'
A proposed carbon capture facility off the coast of Darwin, northern Australia, has been criticized for its potential to turn the city into a massive "carbon dumping ground." The Bonaparte project, set to be one of the largest in the world, involves piping and storing millions of tonnes of CO2 into an underground aquifer 250km offshore. Climate advocates warn that this could divert attention from tackling fossil fuel production in the region.
Industry analysts have expressed skepticism about the project's success, citing a history of failed CCS initiatives globally. Many of these projects have struggled to meet their targets, and some have even ceased operation sooner than planned. The Inpex-proposed Bonaparte project would be significantly larger than existing commercial-scale CCS operations in Australia, including Santos's Moomba project in South Australia and Chevron's Gorgon facility in Western Australia.
The Environmental Centre NT has warned that the project could turn Darwin into a major hub for carbon import and storage. The organization's senior climate campaigner, Bree Ahrens, described it as "a dirty deal to import the world's pollution." Critics argue that CCS is being used to greenwash the expansion of fossil fuel production in the Northern Territory.
The Australian government has awarded the project "major project status," but this move has been met with opposition from climate activists. The proposal has sparked fears that the Top End will become the "world's largest carbon dumping ground."
A proposed carbon capture facility off the coast of Darwin, northern Australia, has been criticized for its potential to turn the city into a massive "carbon dumping ground." The Bonaparte project, set to be one of the largest in the world, involves piping and storing millions of tonnes of CO2 into an underground aquifer 250km offshore. Climate advocates warn that this could divert attention from tackling fossil fuel production in the region.
Industry analysts have expressed skepticism about the project's success, citing a history of failed CCS initiatives globally. Many of these projects have struggled to meet their targets, and some have even ceased operation sooner than planned. The Inpex-proposed Bonaparte project would be significantly larger than existing commercial-scale CCS operations in Australia, including Santos's Moomba project in South Australia and Chevron's Gorgon facility in Western Australia.
The Environmental Centre NT has warned that the project could turn Darwin into a major hub for carbon import and storage. The organization's senior climate campaigner, Bree Ahrens, described it as "a dirty deal to import the world's pollution." Critics argue that CCS is being used to greenwash the expansion of fossil fuel production in the Northern Territory.
The Australian government has awarded the project "major project status," but this move has been met with opposition from climate activists. The proposal has sparked fears that the Top End will become the "world's largest carbon dumping ground."
These projects are always touted as saviors, but what about all the failed ones? It just feels like we're shifting the blame and trying to buy our way out of climate change.
As of 2025, global CCS capacity is still only around 42 million tons per year 
. But, did you know that if this Bonaparte project goes through, it'll be over 10 times larger than the current largest facility in Australia?! 
That's like saying we can just move our CO2 problem from one place to another... not exactly what I'd call a solution 
That's like trying to fix the problem with band-aids... it just ain't gonna cut it 
. And what if it doesn't even work? Like, what if it fails and then Darwin is left with a huge problem on its hands?
I'm not saying that's definitely what's happening here, but it's something to consider. The fact that industry analysts are skeptical and climate activists are opposing it is making me go "hmm".
️.
.
.
It sounds like something out of a sci-fi movie! I guess this is what they mean by 'capturing' carbon... like it's gonna magically disappear into thin air. Anyway, I'm all for innovation and reducing emissions, but come on, can't we just use our imaginations to come up with better solutions? 
And who decides that this project gets "major project status" anyway? Sounds like someone's getting a sweet paycheck... 
like seriously what if it just ends up being another way for big corps to save face while they keep polluting? 
does anyone know what the carbon capture process even entails? is it really that simple? 
. and on top of that, we're just gonna pipe all this carbon into the ocean... sounds like a recipe for disaster to me 
.
like, its not exactly clear if it'll work or not... industry analysts are saying its gonna be a huge failure 
but at the same time, i get where industry analysts are coming from - CCS initiatives have had a pretty spotty track record globally. maybe this one will be different? 
but darwin as a carbon dumping ground is just too much to handle... what's the alternative, investing in more renewable energy or something? 
We've seen this before with CCS projects around the world and they've been pretty underwhelming.
. I mean, let's be real, this project is basically being used to justify the expansion of fossil fuel production in the Northern Territory, which is like, exactly what we should be trying to stop! 
It's just so frustrating when it feels like big corporations are using fancy technology and PR stunts to paper over their own environmental track record.
. That just seems like a way for them to legitimize this whole thing without actually doing anything meaningful about climate change. I mean, we need concrete action, not just PR spin and greenwashing efforts