THE placid shores of Exmouth Gulf look set to become a battleground as conservationists seek to halt a new pipe-building facility servicing the oil and gas industry, which they say could threaten Ningaloo Reef.

Author Tim Winton is heading the campaign, and says the pipe fabrication and launch facility is “as welcome as a rat on a birthday cake” and the biggest threat to one of WA’s most treasured wildlife and tourism hotspots since Ningaloo was protected two decades ago.

But the proponents, multinational pipe fabrication company Subsea 7, insist the environmental impact will be minimal while the $50 million to $75 million project will be a much-needed injection of investment and jobs for Exmouth.

They have the backing of North West Central MLA Vince Catania, the Exmouth Chamber of Commerce and local Shire, who say the coastal town 1250km north of Perth needs the extra 80 to 120 full-time jobs and that they will not come at the expense of the environment.

Camera Icon Tim Winton at Heron Point in the Exmouth Gulf. Credit: Supplied

The looming battle has polarised local residents and business owners, some of whom see new opportunities and others who fear Subsea 7 will open the door to increasing industrialisation of Exmouth Gulf, which is the nursery and breeding ground for marine life on Ningaloo Reef.

The State’s environment watchdog, the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA), must now decide if the project goes ahead.

The Subsea 7 project has three main components: a fabrication workshop built near Exmouth’s airport where steel pipes known as “bundles”, which are designed to carry gas and communication lines, will be produced and welded together; two 10km-long rail lines to feed the bundle out and link the workshop with the waters of the gulf at Heron Point; and an “oversized boat ramp” or launch way where the pipes, which can range from 1km to 10km in length, are launched into the water, floated, and towed by tug boat to oil and gas installations offshore.

The massive gulf, at 2600 sq km, is fished by trawlers but is otherwise mainly untouched by industry, and its shores are popular with anglers and eco-tourism operators, provide a breeding ground for more than 800 species of fish, and a birthing haven for whales.

Camera Icon Pictured is a Subsea 7 operation in Scotland. These operations have been planned for Heron Point in the Exmouth Gulf. Credit: Supplied

That’s why Winton, a patron of Protect Ningaloo, says a pipe-building facility “goes so hard against the grain — socially and in terms of policy and the region’s reputation as a nature-based tourism destination”.

“Since the early 2000s the Ningaloo region has been marked out for its special status as a biodiversity refuge and a tourism hub. World Heritage listing in 2011 seemed to seal that. Until recently, no one has seriously considered industrial projects onshore up there,” he told The Sunday Times.

“So this project marks a huge deviation. I’ve put in a lot of kilometres up and down the coast and met a lot of people, including scientists, tourism operators and locals. It’s setting off red flags everywhere. That’s why the campaign against it is gathering pace so quickly. It’s about as welcome as a rat on a birthday cake.”

Camera Icon Locals against the project gathered at the shore of the Gulf on October 12. Credit: Tom Balks Photography

Winton said the Subsea 7 operation would have a 500ha footprint, with 10km of rail line and a 380m rock-and-concrete launch way, making it a “heavy engineering project requiring land-clearing, excavation, huge amounts of ground water (and) dragging massive steel pipes across the sensitive seabed”.

“This is a major anomaly. It’s wrong for the area. It’s a Pilbara-style project. The high-value tourism status of Exmouth and Ningaloo needn’t be put in danger,” he said.

Eco-tourism operators including Sandy Burt, of Cruise Ningaloo, Exmouth Diving Centre’s Mark Ferguson, fly fishing tour operator Brett Wolf, and Hal Paine, who’s been operating an adventure sea-kayaking business for more than 20 years, also say Subsea 7 has no place in Exmouth Gulf.

“Ningaloo Reef and the Exmouth Gulf are precious, there are so few similar areas in the world that are still in such relatively pristine condition,” Mr Paine said. “Our customers often express their wonder at such rich marine life and an environment that is relatively un-impacted by human developments.”

Camera Icon Sandy Burt from Cruise Ningaloo is among those who say Subsea 7 has no place in Exmouth Gulf. Credit: Cruise Ningaloo

Denise Fitch, the chairwoman of the Cape Conservation Group in Exmouth, said job creation was touted as a key reason for the pipe plant to go ahead.

“But they never mention what these jobs will cost the environment that brought us all up here, locals and tourists alike,” she said.

Subsea 7, which has run a similar operation in Scotland servicing the North Sea oil and gas industry for decades without major incident, rejects many of the claims.

A spokesman said the company had spent several years looking at many alternative sites including in the Pilbara, but Exmouth was the only location that met all requirements, including a flat site close to calm water and proximity to oil and gas installations.

Camera Icon Artist impression - How the pipe facility would work

He said the plant would have an overall environmental benefit, reducing the need for huge pipe-laying ships that currently operate offshore and lay many individual pipes on the seabed, which Subsea 7 will instead package together in one bundle.

The spokesman said bundles would typically be launched once or twice a year, outside of whale season, and floated to ensure they do not touch the sea bed. Pipes would be towed up to 55km through the Ningaloo World Heritage area but at a maximum speed of about 14km/h, allowing marine life to avoid collision or harm.

“The pipe is buoyant and never touches the sea bed,” he said, though he conceded the chains that provide stability for the bundle could have some “interaction” with the sandy sea floor in the launch area.

While the site envelope is 500ha, he said the development footprint would be much smaller, and Subsea 7 would also carry out wildlife studies, work with traditional owners, support local community groups and set up an apprentice program.

Camera Icon Brett Wolf and a gulf barramundi. Credit: Supplied

He said the company realised Ningaloo Reef was a WA treasure but said the project was “going through the most stringent level of assessment in Australia — an extremely rigorous process”.

Exmouth Shire president Matthew Niikkula, who’s lived in the town for 41 years, said most locals wanted Subsea 7 in town.

“As a council we’ve got a pretty clear indication from our community that they want this to go ahead. They want full-time, year-round employment and opportunities for the kids,” he said.

“We don’t have the big employer in town, the Woodside or the BHP. The greatest downfall here is the lack of opportunities.”

Camera Icon Pictured is a Manta Ray at Ningaloo. Credit: Andre Rerekura

He also said the project could coexist with Exmouth’s reputation as a clean and pristine destination.

Mr Catania also believes most locals in Exmouth are behind Subsea 7 because “people want job security — you can’t just rely on tourism”.

Mr Catania conceded there were “legitimate concerns” the company needed to address but said there was also “a lot of scuttlebutt and scaremongering” by conservationists.

EPA chair Dr Tom Hatton said the company was now completing environmental studies. The next step would be the release of a Public Environmental Review document expected early next year, when there will be an eight-week public review period, he said.

If approved, Subsea 7 hopes to begin construction in 2020 and start operating a year later.