Data to accelerate development of CCS technology

Geoscience Australia has released new pre-competitive data that will contribute to Australia’s efforts to accelerate the development of carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology, which will help reduce Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions.

The data, collected offshore from the Northern Territory in the Petrel Sub-basin, is a significant first step in the Australian Government’s $40 million investment to assess the geological suitability of highly prospective offshore basins to potentially store CO₂.

The Minister for Resources and Energy, Martin Ferguson AM MP, said the recently released Energy White Paper highlights the important role that CCS technology will play in helping Australia, and its prospective coal and gas industries, to find ways to reduce emissions.

“The release of this data will help to accelerate the identification and development of CO₂ storage sites adjacent to major emission sources,” Minister Ferguson said.

“Importantly, this data will enable industry to make more informed decisions regarding the suitability of sites for CO₂ storage and encourage industry to potentially uptake this site.

“Geoscience Australia will now use the data to undertake a comprehensive assessment of the CO₂ storage potential of the Petrel Sub-basin. The results of this assessment, including the associated geological reports, will be available mid-2013.”

In addition to the Petrel Sub-basin, assessments will also be completed for the Vlaming Sub-basin (offshore Western Australia), the Browse Basin (offshore Western Australia), and the Gippsland Basin (offshore Victoria).

The data package for the Petrel Sub-basin includes high-resolution geophysical data as well as geological and seabed habitat data. It is available here.