Why is coal seam gas so controversial?
Possible environmental effects: environmental groups have raised concerns that CSG development might cause environmental damage through release of untreated production water at the surface; damage to, and contamination of underground aquifers by hydraulic fracturing; damage to wildlife habitat in sensitive areas and …
Is coal seam gas sustainable?
Coal seam gas is a non-renewable energy resource that is a by-product of coal. It is a ‘pure’ and ‘non-toxic’ gas and for this reason has attracted a lot of commercial interest. During the process of coal formation, biogenic and thermogenic methane gas forms.
Is coal seam gas the same as fracking?
Coal seam gas (CSG) and the gas that comes from shales are chemically very similar. Shale reservoirs always require fracking, while perhaps only half of coal seam gas reservoirs require fracture stimulation.
Why is coal seam gas good?
Natural gas extracted from coal seams can offer a number of benefits as an energy source: natural gas typically burns more efficiently than coal or oil and can emit less greenhouse gas at the points of extraction and combustion.
What are the benefits of extracting coal seam gas?
Is coal seam gas cheap?
“The coal seam gas sector however is also not going to give back to Queensland.” Robertson explains new fracking fields are high cost. Instead of producing gas between A$2.20 and A$2.70 a gigajoule as the operators expected, they produce gas between A$3.65 and A$6.40 a gigajoule, making it very expensive gas.
Is fracking banned in UK?
The UK government imposed a moratorium on fracking in England in 2019. Scotland and Wales have moratoria in place against hydraulic fracturing. The last advice was provided in 2016 and, since then, fracking has effectively been banned and the UK has altered its Climate Change Act.
What is coal seam gas exploration?
Coal seam gas is natural gas found in coal deposits, typically 300-600 metres underground. To extract it, wells are drilled through the coal seams and the water pressure is reduced by extracting some of the water. This releases natural gas from the coal.
What is co-coal seam gas?
Coal seam gas is actually methane gas found in coal seams. It is extracted from coal deposits that are too deep to mine economically. These coal seams need to be stimulated by hydraulic fracturing known as fracking.
What is the most mature coal seam gas market in Australia?
AGL upstream gas group general manager Mike Moraza told Australian Mining Queensland is by far the most mature coal seam gas market in this country. By contrast Moraza explained “New South Wales has a very immature coal seam gas industry”.
Who regulates coal seam gas development?
As CSG is an onshore gas resource, the regulation of its development is primarily the responsibility of the states and territories, although the National Partnership Agreement on Coal Seam Gas Development attempted to implement a national approach to assessing CSG developments. The water trigger and the IESC
What is coal bed methane (CSG)?
CSG is natural gas (methane) which is sourced from underground coal formations, sometimes known as coal bed methane (See Figure 1). CSG is increasingly being used to supply gas to eastern Australia.