From LNGworldnews:
The Queensland government on Friday released two prospective areas for petroleum and gas exploration in the Surat and Bowen basins.
A total of 148 sub-blocks have been offered up for exploration via a tender that closes on April 20, according to documents issued by the state government.
The first area covering 86 square kilometers of the Bowen basin is located approximately 65 kilometers north of Injune. The tender information shows that the 28 sub-blocks hold an estimated 177PJ of gas in place.
There are 120 sub-blocks in the second exploration area covering both the Bowen and Surat basins covering an area of approximately 365 square kilometers, located some 40 kilometers southeast of Surat.
According to the tender, the area is described to have moderate to high prospectivity for conventional, liquids-rich gas.
In its release the government said the Bowen and Surat basins comprise a key petroleum province targeted for both conventional and unconventional resources; particularly coal seam gas (CSG).
The Surat Basin covers approximately 300 000 square kilometers of eastern Queensland overlying the Bowen basin in the south which covers approximately 160 000 square kilometers.
CSG underpins Qeensland’s LNG export industry and according to the Australian Petroleum Production & Exploration Association’s chief executive Malcolm Roberts, the new acreage gives the industry more options to supply the growing demand for gas.
Roberts expects that the new gas reserves will bring new investment into the Australian state.
This is not a lot of gas. NSW uses roughly 160PJ per year. But for God’s sake, slap some domestic reservation provisions on it.
Oh, that’s right, instead there’s a PR campaign coming instead in the plan to get a plan to fix the broken plan:
Following consultation feedback, the government plans to release the final gas action plan in mid-2017.
The reforms seek to achieve two core objectives:
1. improve the sector’s social licence to operate
2. decrease the barriers to supply.
In relation to social licence, the reform ideas concentrate on improving community trust generally and specifically improving:
>how community expectations are met
>community understanding of the risks and management frameworks associated with gas exploration and development
>the collection of complaints, compliance and reporting of performance data landholder relationships, including land release
>knowledge of potential skills gaps in local workers and specialists
>procurement practices.
Who exactly does the QLD government work for? Sure ain’t Queenslanders or Australians.
