What lies beneath – a review of frontier exploration for deep plays in the Bowen Basin

Abstract

Recent coal seam gas to liquefied natural gas developments have revitalised the Bowen and Surat basins and provided the impetus to explore further for plays with sufficient scale to target both export and domestic markets. Over the last decade, several wells were drilled through Permian-age sediments in the southern Bowen Basin and stimulated to assess the commerciality of various tight gas formations. Thorough data collection included log, core, injection testing, and observations from hydraulic fracturing operations and diagnostics. These data validated the play while providing a picture of the reservoir and in-situ stress conditions; however, challenges exist that will require further wells and studies. We will summarise and highlight the key data collected, review the fracture treatments that were largely ineffective and discuss the implications for further developments in these low-permeability, tight gas targets.