Australia: Queensland offers more CSG exploration acreage

The Queensland government on Friday released two prospective areas for petroleum and gas exploration in the Surat and Bowen basins. 

A total of 148 sub-blocks have been offered up for exploration via a tender that closes on April 20, according to documents issued by the state government.

The first area covering 86 square kilometers of the Bowen basin is located approximately 65 kilometers north of Injune. The tender information shows that the 28 sub-blocks hold an estimated 177PJ of gas in place.

There are 120 sub-blocks in the second exploration area covering both the Bowen and Surat basins covering an area of approximately 365 square kilometers, located some 40 kilometers southeast of Surat.

According to the tender, the area is described to have moderate to high prospectivity for conventional, liquids-rich gas.

In its release the government said the Bowen and Surat basins comprise a key petroleum province targeted for both conventional and unconventional resources; particularly coal seam gas (CSG).

The Surat Basin covers approximately 300 000 square kilometers of eastern Queensland overlying the Bowen basin in the south which covers approximately 160 000 square kilometers.

CSG underpins Qeensland’s LNG export industry and according to the Australian Petroleum Production & Exploration Association’s chief executive Malcolm Roberts, the new acreage gives the industry more options to supply the growing demand for gas.

Roberts expects that the new gas reserves will bring new investment into the Australian state.

 

LNG World News Staff