CSIRO researching onshore gas asset decommissioning

Australia’s leading science agency, CSIRO, is working with community, government and industry to improve understanding about the decommissioning processes for onshore coal seam gas (CSG) and shale gas wells.

Regional community representatives in Queensland, New South Wales and the Northern Territory have asked the CSIRO to consider a range of issues associated with decommissioning gas wells.

Chief among their concerns was the potential for decommissioned wells to leak methane or to provide unintended connection between aquifers. There was also interest in long-term management and monitoring options.

A marker for an abandoned gas well in the Pilliga Forest, NSW.

CSIRO scientists have completed three research projects exploring various aspects of decommissioned onshore gas wells, including long-term monitoring, materials and techniques for improving structural integrity, and community perspectives on decommissioning processes for CSG wells in Queensland and New South Wales.

Conducted through the CSIRO’s Gas Industry Social and Environmental Research Alliance (GISERA), the research shows that the best outcomes for decommissioned wells occur when planning for decommissioning is part of up-front design and ongoing operations.

A CSG well head and separator. CSIRO research shows that the best outcomes for decommissioned wells occur when planning for decommissioning is part of up-front design and ongoing operations.

CSIRO has also approved further research into decommissioning in the Northern Territory. The Beetaloo basin shale long-term competency after decommissioning research project will investigate the ability of shale formations in the Beetaloo Basin in the Northern Territory to “self seal” and create a natural barrier to block movement of hydrocarbons.