Is coal seam gas used in Australia?
The commercial production of coal seam gas in Australia is quite recent, commencing in 1996 in the Bowen Basin, Queensland. Significant reserves of coal seam gas are known in the Bowen and Surat basins in Queensland.
What is CSG used for in Australia?
CSG is natural gas (methane) which is sourced from underground coal formations, sometimes known as coal bed methane (See Figure 1). CSG is increasingly being used to supply gas to eastern Australia. In conventional gas fields, the gas exists in permeable sandstone reservoirs.
How coal seam gas is extracted?
Coal seam gas is extracted by drilling a well vertically through rock strata until reaching the coal seam, at which point the well may also be drilled out horizontally to increase access to the methane gas. Coal seams contain both water and gas.
What is the difference between coal seam gas and natural gas?
Conventional natural gas and CSG are chemically similar. CSG is almost pure methane; conventional gas is around 90 per cent methane with ethane, propane, butane and other hydrocarbons making up the remainder. The difference between CSG/shale gas and conventional gas is the type of geological rock they are found in.
Where does fracking occur in Australia?
In north-east SA, fracking has been undertaken in the Cooper Basin since the late 1960s in over 700 wells. Some of Australia’s biggest gas players have gas projects in this basin, including Santos, Beach Energy (ASX: BPT), Cooper Energy (ASX: COE) and Senex Energy (ASX: SXY).
What is a seam of coal?
Definition of coal seam : a bed of coal usually thick enough to be profitably mined.
What is coal seam gas exploration?
Coal seam gas (CSG) mining is a risky, invasive form of unconventional gas mining. Coal seam gas extraction usually involves tens of thousands of gas wells, with roads, pipelines, compressor stations, wastewater dams, and other infrastructure. A CSG project can spread across hundreds of thousands of hectares of land.
Where is coal seam gas found in Australia?
Australia’s major coal seam gas resources are found onshore in eastern Australia. Currently the largest known proven reserves are in Queensland’s Bowen and Surat basins. CSG has been produced from these areas since the mid 1990s. Until recently, the bulk of supply has been derived from the Bowen Basin.
What are the advantages of coal seam gas?
Natural gas extracted from coal seams can offer a number of benefits as an energy source: natural gas typically burns more efficiently than coal or oil and can emit less greenhouse gas at the points of extraction and combustion.