A preliminary assessment of regional CO2 storage potential in the onshore northern Perth Basin

Abstract

The Geological Survey of Western Australia (GSWA) is creating a new carbon dioxide (CO2) geological storage atlas for Western Australia. The atlas will incorporate the latest state-wide datasets to provide a regional assessment of the potential for CO2 sequestration across the Perth, Southern Carnarvon, Northern Carnarvon (onshore and State waters), Canning and Officer basins. Multi-1D modelling of subsurface temperature in the northern Perth Basin incorporates newly collated temperature data, updated regional depth maps, and stratigraphic revisions. This modelling captures lateral subsurface temperature variations that are incorporated into isothermal depth and temperature maps identifying reservoir units within the optimum temperature–pressure window for CO2 storage. Isopach maps of associated sealing units indicate where they are of adequate thickness to contain CO2. Modelled present-day temperature maps of seven key reservoir units reveal promising CO2 storage prospectivity, with all postulated reservoir units having significant extents within optimum CO2 storage temperature and pressure ranges. Whereas older reservoir units are prospective for CO2 storage towards the margins of the basin, younger reservoir units in the shallower part of the succession are only prospective in or near the Dandaragan Trough, the deepest part of the basin. The critical upper temperature limit of 31.1°C is shallower in the north and west of the basin, where the modelled geothermal gradient is higher. All state-wide raw and interpreted datasets including temperature and depth maps will be published and available for download on the GSWA Western Australian Petroleum and Geothermal Information Management System website.