A group calling themselves the Scarborough Gas Action Alliance (SGAA) have blocked the Burrup road above King Bay rd, the only road in or out of the Burrup peninsula where the Karratha Gas Plant, Pluto LNG Plant, Yara Fertilisers and the Port of Dampier are located after locking on at 3am.
Two women and one man have vowed to remain attached to the vehicles for as long as possible by chaining themselves to concrete barrels in the vehicles.
"Scarborough gas is not safe for the climate, not safe for heritage and not safe for investors. Sorry Woodside, but we're all coming for you until you shut down Scarborough gas," one of the protesters, Elizabeth said in a media release.
It follows Woodside making a positive final investment decision on the project on Monday, which will see development of the Scarborough gas field piped to an expanded Pluto LNG facility.
Activist groups, who have engaged in a lengthy, multi-pronged campaign to indefinitely delay or halt the project, vowed yesterday that they would continue to fight the project and they were "just getting started".
According to the SGAA, around 500-600 cars have been stopped coming into the Burrup.
Police have been attending the scene since 5am.
A Woodside spokesperson told Energy News that its workforce was "maintaining safe operations" at its facilities while the situation is being rectified.
"Overnight, protesters took action that compromises the safety of people who are completing shifts at Woodside and other facilities on the Burrup Peninsula," she said.
"Woodside respects people's rights to protest peacefully and lawfully but actions such as these that endanger the safety of others go beyond those rights."
Australian Manufacturing Workers Union WA state secretary Steve McCartney said the protestors were endangering safety of workers who are finishing night shifts and those who are beginning for the day, calling for workers to be allowed to safely leave or enter.
"This isn't a fight you need to be having with our members, the workers just want to return home or get to work safely and do their job properly," McCartney said.
"AMWU supports the future of green manufacturing and jobs and many of our members look forward to working in green industries, but for now they need to do the jobs that are available and do them safely."
Yara Fertilisers could not be reached for comment.
Protestors blocking the Burrup peninsula access road.
Energy News understands that SGAA is a new grassroots activist group, that does not have any affiliations with others such as Extinction Rebellion and the protesters involved in the action drove up from Perth.
The group's social media activity only goes back as far as the beginning of this month.
Previous action in Western Australia against the oil and gas industry's large presence in the state has targeted corporate offices, with tactics including protestors gluing themselves to headquarter lobbies, or defacing the outside of their offices with anti-industry messages.
This morning's action blocking production hubs marks a noticeable escalation in their actions.
The onshore development will process 5 million tonnes per annum of LNG through the new Pluto Train 2 plus up to 3 million tonnes per annum through the existing Pluto Train 1.
Climate and environmental groups have lined up to blast Woodside's decision to green light the project, pointing to the 1.6 billion tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions it would create across Scope 1, 2 and 3 over its operational life.
"The science is clear there can be no new coal, oil or gas projects - anywhere - if we are to avoid catastrophic climate change, and we need to phase out fossil fuels as quickly as possible not keep adding to the problem," Climate Council senior researcher Tim Baxter said this morning.
"Australians are already being harmed by worsening climate impacts. Expanding production of fossil fuels - especially through mega-projects like Woodside's irresponsible Scarborough project - will put more Australian lives and livelihoods at risk."
It follows a protestor in New South Wales this week being jailed for one year after stopping work at Newcastle's coal port.
*Updated to include comment from AMWU WA state secretary Steve McCartney*
