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

Abstract

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.