Black Mountain Energy's CEO has distanced the company from comments made by its president about the future of its controversial Valhalla fracking project in WA's Kimberley, stepping in to hose down abandonment plans amid environmental pressure. 

As reported by ENB, at a recent oil and gas conference in the US, Black Mountain's president, George Witman, said the Valhalla project is "not something we can do with the resources and team that we have" and that the company is now "trying to market our Canning Basin asset."  

However, speaking exclusively to ENB CEO Rhett Bennett has walked back those comments. 

"We are most certainly not abandoning the project.  Far from it, we continue to invest capital into it every month as we work with regulators." 

"I think what George was trying to say is that we would utilise local resources to accomplish the development of the asset.   

"We are not actively marketing to bring in JV partners, but do assume at some point in one to two years, when permitted, we will bring in partners on the project, as is common risk mitigation practice in the oil and gas industry," he said.  

To emphasise the point, Black Mountain launched a new website over the weekend and released further statements on the project's progress. 

"Black Mountain has the right experience and competency to progress Project Valhalla, which is believed to be a significantly large on-shore unconventional undeveloped gas opportunity. Its strategy is to develop the project with expertise, creating long-term value for customers and stakeholders.  

"Beneficiaries of this success will include local communities, traditional owners (TO's), Western Australian government through taxes/royalties and material job creation. While waiting for its environmental approvals, the Company continues to engage with TOs, providing employment and education along with regular updates on the project," said the company. 

At present, the project's plans are being assessed at both the state and federal levels.  

Black Mountain recently received feedback on its response to 8,000 submissions after the plan's publication. The "approval pathway is progressing with positive momentum," and it hopes to receive the Environmental Protection Authority's assessment report by mid-2025. 

At the federal level, the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW) has previously declared the project a controlled action and will be assessed by preliminary documentation. Black Mountain contests this, saying the project does not have the potential to result in a significant impact on Matters of National Environmental Significance and hopes to be able to de-risk the project by gaining legal certainty following the conclusion of the assessment, which may be before year-end 2025. 

This is not the first time the project has stumbled along its way. 

In October 2024, Bennett Resources, a subsidiary of Black Mountain, announced it had withdrawn the project from the federal government's assessment process. 

Then, two months later, the plan was resurrected with a new application lodged with DCCEEW. 

In response to today's apparent turnaround from Black Mountain, Lock the Gate Alliance WA spokesperson Simone van Hattem said: "Black Mountain appears to be promoting contradictory information about the status of its Valhalla fracking project. What's clear is fracking isn't worth the risk it poses to Kimberley's precious water, its unique environment, and the climate. 

"It wouldn't be the first time Black Mountain has provided contradictory information about this project - its original federal environmental application was a dog's breakfast. Unsurprisingly, the company delisted from the ASX after it failed to attract Australian investors.  

"Tanya Plibersek needs to reject this dangerous and polluting fracking proposal, and WA Premier Roger Cook should expand the existing ban on fracking that covers most of the state to include the whole of the Kimberley. This is a region that must not be sacrificed to destructive gas fracking."