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Hub land bought

The State Government has ploughed ahead with controversial plans for a Kimberley gas hub, defying a string of setbacks to announce it has acquired land for the precinct north of Broome.

Colin Barnett said yesterday the Government had completed the acquisition of more than 3000ha at James Price Point, which it wants as part of long-held plans to process the Kimberley's vast gas reserves.

The Premier said that even though Woodside Petroleum and its joint venture partners had opted to develop the Browse gas fields with floating LNG technology, much of the resource still belonged to WA. The companies would be expected to meet their obligations under the State's gas reservation policy, under which the equivalent of 15 per cent of a gas resource must be set aside for domestic purposes.

"We have not changed our lease conditions so there is still a requirement that gas comes onshore," Mr Barnett said.