Register      Login
Australian Energy Producers Journal Australian Energy Producers Journal Society
Journal of Australian Energy Producers
RESEARCH ARTICLE (Non peer reviewed)

Rehabilitation challenges for the onshore coal seam gas sector in Australia

James Purtill A * and Louisa Nicolson B
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A Queensland Mine Rehabilitation Commissioner, Brisbane, Qld, Australia.

B Office of the Queensland Mine Rehabilitation Commissioner, Brisbane, Qld, Australia.




James Purtill is the Queensland Mine Rehabilitation Commissioner. Prior to this role he held several positions as Director-General of Queensland state government departments. James holds a BSc (Hons, UNSW) and an MBA (UQ).



Louisa Nicolson is Technical Lead in the Office of the Queensland Mine Rehabilitation Commissioner. She leads the OQMRC’s leading practice advice, preparation of technical papers and technical advice to the Minister for Environment. Louisa holds an MSc (UNE), BSc (CQU) and a Grad Dip (QUT).

* Correspondence to: QMRC@qld.gov.au

Australian Energy Producers Journal 64 S508-S511 https://doi.org/10.1071/EP23049
Accepted: 20 February 2024  Published: 16 May 2024

© 2024 The Author(s) (or their employer(s)). Published by CSIRO Publishing on behalf of Australian Energy Producers.

Abstract

The development of conventional oil and gas reserves followed by valorisation of coal seam gas (CSG) reserves in Queensland has seen the installation of over 16,000 wells. These wells are accompanied by thousands of kilometres of gathering lines, compression and water treatment facilities and transmission pipelines. The major rehabilitation challenges for the industry result less from technical challenges but rather from the sheer scale of the task. At present, the CSG industry continues to grow, and few of the CSG wells (other than exploration and appraisal wells) have yet reached the end of their life. The US experience presents a cautionary tale for adequate financial provisioning to mitigate the risks of orphaned wells. Secondly, the rehabilitation of multiple small parcels of land such as drill pads presents logistical challenges. Strategies to aggregate parcels for relinquishment will be required if the industry is to avoid thousands of individual land parcel evaluations at the time of relinquishment. These two rehabilitation challenges will be explored, risks for the industry and community assessed, and a call made for industry and government to work collaboratively to ensure an orderly and responsible rehabilitation program becomes an integral part of ongoing operations.

Keywords: coal seam gas, decommissioning, financial provisioning, onshore oil and gas, plug and abandon, Queensland, rehabilitation.

Biographies

EP23049_B1.gif

James Purtill is the Queensland Mine Rehabilitation Commissioner. Prior to this role he held several positions as Director-General of Queensland state government departments. James holds a BSc (Hons, UNSW) and an MBA (UQ).

EP23049_B2.gif

Louisa Nicolson is Technical Lead in the Office of the Queensland Mine Rehabilitation Commissioner. She leads the OQMRC’s leading practice advice, preparation of technical papers and technical advice to the Minister for Environment. Louisa holds an MSc (UNE), BSc (CQU) and a Grad Dip (QUT).

References

Barrand C, Lucas R (2023) Decoding decommissioning requirements when using new technology – Queensland’s petroleum wells code of practice. The APPEA Journal 63(2), S291-S295.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |

Cahill AG, Samano PSG (2022) Prioritizing stewardship of decommissioned onshore oil and gas wells in the United Kingdom based on risk factors associated with potential long-term integrity. International Journal of Greenhouse Gas Control 114, 103560.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |

Cook PJ (2013) Life Cycle of Coal Seam Gas Projects : Technologies and Potential Impacts Report for the New South Wales Office of the Chief Scientist and Engineer (Issue June). Available at https://www.chiefscientist.nsw.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0010/31321/Life-Cycle-of-Coal-Seam-Gas-Report_FINAL_PJC.pdf

Department of Natural Resources and Mines (2017) Queensland’s unconventional petroleum potential. Shale oil and gas, tight gas and coal seam gas (Issue January). Available at https://www.australiaminerals.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0003/47640/Queenslands-Unconventional-Petroleum-Potential-2017.pdf

Gasfields Commission Queensland (n.d.) Gas Industry. Available at https://www.gfcq.org.au/gas-industry/#:~:text=Queensland’s first natural gas field,gasfields to Brisbane in 1969 [retrieved 28 November 2023]

Gasfields Commission Queensland (2022) ‘Shared landscapes - industry trends.’ (Queensland Government)

Huddlestone-Holmes C, Arjomand E, Kear J (2022) Long-term monitoring of decommissioned onshore gas wells (Issue May). Available at https://gisera.csiro.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Final-Report-GISERA-W20-Monitoring-of-Decommissioned-Wells.pdf

Huddlestone-Holmes CR, Measham TG, Jeanneret T, Kear J (2018) Decommissioning coal seam gas wells (Issue August). Available at https://gisera.csiro.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Social-9-Final-Report.pdf

Kokkoni P (2022) ‘Analysis of South Australian onshore oil & gas well decommissioning and potential impact on regulatory compliance, environmental and corporate risk — Unified risk code.’ (University of Adelaide, Australian School of Petroleum and Energy Resources) 10.2118/205762-MS

DNRME (2019) Code of Practice for the construction and abandonment of coal seam gas wells and associated bores in Queensland (Issue 16 December). (Queensland Department of Natural Resources Mines and Energy) Available at https://www.dnrm.qld.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0011/119666/code-of-practice-csg-wells-and-bores.pdf%0Ahttps://www.business.qld.gov.au/industry/mining/safety-health/petroleum-gas/technical/well-safety

Resources Safety and Health Queensland (2020) Queensland petroleum well regulation three year plan (Issue July). Available at https://www.rshq.qld.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0011/1485731/qld-petroleum-well-regulation-3-year-plan.pdf

US Department of the Interior (2023) Orphaned Wells Program Annual Report To Congress (Issue November). Available at https://www.doi.gov/media/document/fy-2023-orphaned-wells-congressional-report-pdf

Wyoming Oil and Gas Conservation Commission Orphan Well Program (2017) FAQs. Available at https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Tj4zBhqHJpo6Q1M8d04wbEUm0QIUQalu/view