Geological and Bioregional Assessments: assessing the prospectivity for tight, shale and deep-coal resources in the Cooper Basin, Beetaloo Subbasin and Isa Superbasin

2021 ◽  
Vol 61 (2) ◽  
pp. 477
Author(s):  
Lisa S. Hall ◽  
Meredith L. Orr ◽  
Megan E. Lech ◽  
Steven Lewis ◽  
Adam H. E. Bailey ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
East Coast ◽  
Sedimentary Basins ◽  
Tight Gas ◽  
Department Of Agriculture ◽  
Development Scenarios ◽  
Causal Pathways ◽  
Detailed Assessment ◽  
Gas Market ◽  
Stage 1 ◽  
Cooper Basin

The Geological and Bioregional Assessment Program is a series of independent scientific studies undertaken by Geoscience Australia and the CSIRO, supported by the Bureau of Meteorology, and managed by the Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment. The program consists of three stages across three regions with potential to deliver gas to the East Coast Gas Market. Stage 1 was a rapid regional prioritisation conducted by Geoscience Australia, to identify those sedimentary basins with the greatest potential to deliver shale and/or tight gas to the East Coast Gas Market within the next 5–10 years. This prioritisation process assessed 27 onshore eastern and northern Australian basins with shale and/or tight gas potential. Further screening reduced this to a shortlist of nine basins where exploration was underway. The shortlisted basins were ranked on a number of criteria. The Cooper Basin, the Beetaloo Subbasin and the Isa Superbasin were selected for more detailed assessment. Stage 2 of the program involved establishing a baseline understanding of the identified regions. Geoscience Australia produced regional geological evaluations and conceptualisations that informed the assessment of shale and/or tight gas prospectivity, ground- and surface-water impacts and hydraulic fracturing models. Geoscience Australia’s relative prospectivity assessments provide an indication of where viable petroleum plays are most likely to be present. These data indicate areal and stratigraphic constraints that support the program’s further work in Stage 3, on understanding likely development scenarios, impact assessments and causal pathways.

An overview of the new Geological and Bioregional Assessments Program

2018 ◽  
Vol 58 (2) ◽  
pp. 625 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anthony Swirepik ◽  
Andrew Stacey ◽  
Rod Dann
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Impacts ◽  
East Coast ◽  
Tight Gas ◽  
Environmentally Sustainable ◽  
New Energy ◽  
Exploration And Production ◽  
Building Community ◽  
Three Stages ◽  
Gas Market ◽  
Cooper Basin

As part of the AU$86.3 million ‘Towards a New Energy Future’ package, the Australian Government has committed AU$30.4 million to undertake the Geological and Bioregional Assessments Program. This program aims to encourage sustainable gas development through a series independent scientific studies into the potential environmental impacts of shale and tight gas exploration and production. These studies, conducted by Geoscience Australia and CSIRO, supported by the Bureau of Meteorology and managed by the Department of the Environment and Energy, will focus on three basins (regions) that are prospective, but underexplored for shale and tight gas. The program seeks to encourage exploration to bring new gas resources to the East Coast Gas Market within the next 5–10 years, increase the understanding of the potential environmental impacts posed by gas developments and increase the efficiency of assessment, monitoring and ongoing regulation, including improved data capture and reporting. The Cooper Basin and the Isa Superbasin have been selected for investigation with a third basin expected to be announced by mid-2018. The program will be delivered in three stages over 4 years and will investigate areas prospective for shale and tight gas within these regions. This independent, transparent, science-based approach aims to assist in building community understanding of, and confidence in, the capacity for safe and environmentally sustainable unconventional gas developments.

Unconventional gas prospectivity of the Cooper Basin

2015 ◽  
Vol 55 (2) ◽  
pp. 428 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lisa Hall ◽  
Tony Hill ◽  
Liuqi Wang ◽  
Dianne Edwards ◽  
Tehani Kuske ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Source Rocks ◽  
System Modelling ◽  
Hydrocarbon Generation ◽  
Tight Gas ◽  
Unconventional Gas ◽  
Upper Carboniferous ◽  
Gas Market ◽  
Intracratonic Basin ◽  
Exploration Activity ◽  
Cooper Basin

The Cooper Basin is an Upper Carboniferous–Middle Triassic intracratonic basin in northeast SA and southwest Queensland. The basin is Australia's premier onshore hydrocarbon-producing province and is nationally significant due to its provision of domestic gas for the east coast gas market. Exploration activity in the region has recently expanded with numerous explorers pursuing newly identified unconventional hydrocarbon plays. While conventional gas and oil prospects can usually be identified by 3D seismic, the definition and extent of the undiscovered unconventional gas resources in the basin remain poorly understood. This extended abstract reviews the hydrocarbon prospectivity of the Cooper Basin with a focus on unconventional gas resources. Regional basin architecture, characterised through source rock distribution and quality, demonstrates the abundance of viable source rocks across the basin. Petroleum system modelling, incorporating new compositional kinetics, source quality and total organic carbon (TOC) map, highlight the variability in burial, thermal and hydrocarbon generation histories between depocentres. The study documents the extent of a number of unconventional gas play types, including the extensive basin-centred and tight gas accumulations in the Gidgealpa Group, deep-dry coal gas associated with the Patchawarra and Toolachee formations, as well as the less extensive shale gas plays in the Murteree and Roseneath shales.

Geological and Bioregional Assessments: a program to encourage industry development and improve regulatory efficiency while maintaining the highest possible environmental standards

2021 ◽  
Vol 61 (2) ◽  
pp. 471
Author(s):  
Andrew Stacey ◽  
Mitchell Bouma ◽  
Emily Turner ◽  
Mitchell Baskys
Keyword(s):  
Scientific Information ◽  
Hazard Identification ◽  
Baseline Data ◽  
Assessment Tools ◽  
Environmental Standards ◽  
Department Of Agriculture ◽  
Industry Development ◽  
Gas Market ◽  
Cooper Basin ◽  
Agriculture Water

The Australian Government’s $35.4 million Geological and Bioregional Assessment (GBA) Program provides independent scientific information and baseline data to governments, the community and regional industries on the potential impacts of shale, tight and deep coal gas development on water and the environment. The program aims to encourage industry development and growth by improving the understanding of upstream operations and their potential impacts to drive regulatory efficiency while maintaining the highest environmental standards. The GBA program comprises a series of independent scientific studies undertaken by CSIRO and Geoscience Australia, supported by the Bureau of Meteorology and managed by the Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment. The program was conducted in three stages and focuses on where industry is currently exploring, conducting assessments across three regions; the Cooper Basin, Beetaloo Sub-basin and the Isa Superbasin, each with potential to supply gas to the East Coast Gas Market. The GBA program brings together a range of disciplines to collect, aggregate and analyse environmental baseline data to conceptualise the geologic, hydrologic, ecologic and anthropogenic features of these regions. This robust ‘conceptual’ understanding of the regions combined with rigorous hazard identification enables the program to prioritise potential impacts on water and the environment, improving regulatory efficiency by focusing regulators towards managing those activities where the potential impacts can’t be avoided. Additional papers and presentations from our partners in the GBA program tell the story of how the Program was developed and delivered. The Program leaves a legacy of publicly available baseline data, information and assessment tools that will make regulation of the industry more efficient in the regions assessed.

Geological and bioregional assessments – enabling future tight, shale and deep coal gas development – Cooper Basin case study

2019 ◽  
Vol 59 (2) ◽  
pp. 946
Author(s):  
David Robinson ◽  
Merrie-Ellen Gunning ◽  
Tim Evans ◽  
Lisa Hall ◽  
Baskaran Sundaram ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Impacts ◽  
Conceptual Models ◽  
Environmental Significance ◽  
Coal Gas ◽  
Development Scenarios ◽  
Petroleum Resources ◽  
Potential Impact ◽  
Gas Market ◽  
Cooper Basin

The Australian Government’s Geological and Bioregional Assessment (GBA) Program is a series of independent scientific studies conducted by Geoscience Australia and CSIRO, supported by the Bureau of Meteorology and managed by the Department of the Environment and Energy. These studies focus on the Cooper, Isa and Beetaloo GBA regions, all of which include basins which are prospective, but under-explored, for shale, tight and/or deep coal gas. The GBA Program seeks to expedite development in order to bring new gas resources to the east coast gas market within the next 5–10 years through increased understanding of the potential environmental impacts posed by gas development and increasing the efficiency of assessment, monitoring and ongoing regulation, including improved data capture and reporting. This multi-agency program addresses the potential environmental impacts of gas development through geological and environmental baseline assessments and identification of major information gaps (Stage 2), followed by an analysis of the potential impacts on assets, including groundwater, surface water, environmental and cultural assets as well as Commonwealth and State matters of environmental significance (Stage 3). This paper will discuss how integrated conceptual models of the geology and hydrogeology of selected unconventional petroleum resources can be utilised by industry, regulators and other stakeholders. By establishing a baseline assessment for the Cooper Basin, which includes an integrated shale, tight and deep coal prospectivity and groundwater study, future development scenarios can be envisaged and the potential impact on groundwater and other resources contemplated. Similar baseline assessments and conceptual models are being developed for the Isa and Beetaloo GBA regions.

LUCERNE IN THE WELLINGTON, TARANAKI, AND EAST COAST DISTRICTS

1936 ◽  
pp. 92-95
Author(s):  
A.G. Elliott ◽  
T.W. Lonsdale
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
West Coast ◽  
East Coast ◽  
General Trend ◽  
Present Position ◽  
Department Of Agriculture ◽  
Forage Crop ◽  
High Rainfall ◽  
The North ◽  
Subsequent Discussion

IN two papers read by officers of the Department of Agriculture at the 1936 conference of the New Zealand Grassland Association, the growing of lucernc as a forage crop in districts of relatively high rainfall was dealt with. The area covered by the papers included the Manawatu and west coast from Paraparaumu to the Patea River(I) and Taranaki(n). During the subsequent discussion on these and other papers the present position and general trend in regard to lucernegrowing in the Wairarapa, Eiawke's Eay, and Poverty Bay districts were also touched on. It is the intention here. to review briefly some of the more important points in regard to the cultivation of lucerne in the southern portion of the North Island as discussed at the conference.

Early Cretaceous Flora from the East Coast Sedimentary Basins of India: Their Chronostratigraphic and Palaeobiogeographic Significance

2021 ◽  
pp. 469-528
Author(s):  
Ch. Chinnappa ◽  
Pauline Sabina Kavali ◽  
A. Rajanikanth ◽  
Mercedes di Pasquo ◽  
M. E. C. Bernardes-de-Oliveira
Keyword(s):  
Early Cretaceous ◽  
East Coast ◽  
Sedimentary Basins

Meeting demand in a new era of east coast gas supply

2019 ◽  
Vol 59 (2) ◽  
pp. 686
Author(s):  
Will Pulsford
Keyword(s):  
East Coast ◽  
New Era ◽  
Demand Growth ◽  
Historical View ◽  
Operational Life ◽  
Gas Market ◽  
The Government ◽  
Gas Fields ◽  
Project Life ◽  
Gas Supply

Historically LNG projects have been established to monetise large gas finds in remote areas with little existing gas demand. The development of gas supply to the LNG project generally stimulated demand growth in the domestic gas market. As the supplying fields depleted, the LNG projects faced competition with domestic producers for declining gas supplies, but this was late in the project life when LNG plant capital had already been recovered. Recently, LNG export projects have been established within existing mature gas markets, most notably in Australia and North America. These plants now face competition with domestic gas consumers for access to feed gas from the beginning of their operational life when strong revenue has the greatest impact on the return earned on capital invested, with the greatest stress felt in Australia. This paper considers the underlying causes of domestic price rises experienced in Australia following the start-up of LNG export supplied from gas fields linked to the domestic market and the response by both plant developers/operators and the government. This historical view is used to inform forecasts of how the east coast gas market will react to the interplay between domestic and LNG plant demand, declining Bass Strait production, maturing CSG operations, LNG imports and completion of the Northern Gas Pipeline. In particular the ability of gas supply and pipeline capacity to meet the strongly seasonal domestic demand in Victoria and to a lesser extent NSW will be examined, together with the linkage to counter-cyclical seasonal demand for LNG from the Queensland LNG export plants in the key north Asian markets.

2015 Onshore Petroleum Acreage Release

2015 ◽  
Vol 55 (1) ◽  
pp. 113
Author(s):  
Louise Goldie Divko
Keyword(s):  
Sedimentary Basins ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Petroleum Exploration ◽  
Tight Gas ◽  
Release Process ◽  
Over The Counter ◽  
Land Access ◽  
Work Program ◽  
Australian State ◽  
Gas Tight

Australian state and territory acreage opportunities and recent activities are summarised in this paper. Exploration opportunities continue to exist for petroleum explorers in onshore basins, including a number of sedimentary basins that have previously largely been overlooked, with an increased focus (and commercial success) on basin centred gas, tight gas and shale gas plays. Access to onshore acreage in Australia for petroleum exploration is, in most jurisdictions, by means of a formal release process with a work program bidding system. Over-the-counter applications are available in some states based on perceived basin prospectivity. Australian state and territory governments continue initiatives to encourage exploration to realise their natural resource endowments. This includes pre-competitive basin studies, cost-effective and speedy provision of digital exploration data, transparent regulatory regimes, provision of effective land access regimes, internationally competitive royalty regimes, and promotion of acreage releases nationally and internationally.

Earning community trust to operate – Northern Gas Pipeline

2018 ◽  
Vol 58 (2) ◽  
pp. 609
Author(s):  
Jonathan Spink
Keyword(s):  
East Coast ◽  
Training And Development ◽  
Gas Pipeline ◽  
Compressor Station ◽  
Land Access ◽  
Gas Processing ◽  
The Social ◽  
Social Support Services ◽  
Gas Market ◽  
Base Load

The Northern Gas Pipeline (NGP), is a 622-km gas pipeline in outback Australia that will connect gas reserves in the Northern Territory to the east coast gas market. With the current east coast gas crisis and continuing pressure to reduce coal-fired base load power, this project creates a new market to deliver additional gas to the east coast. The project includes the construction of the pipeline and two compressor station facilities at the start and end of the line: the Phillip Creek Compressor Station, which includes gas processing infrastructure, and the Mount Isa Compressor Station. The AU$800 million project began in November 2015 and first gas is scheduled to flow in late 2018. The bid to contract the pipeline included a range of local and Indigenous commitments that would maximise local participation in the project, ensuring that the social licence to achieve land access and government approvals was realised while keeping to a very aggressive timetable. Jemena worked closely with local businesses, communities and Traditional Owners to provide training and development opportunities, employment and other social support services. This approach has meant that the project is on track to deliver this nationally significant gas pipeline under budget, ahead of the contractual schedule requirement, while meeting or exceeding all local obligations and commitments.

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