Bowen Basin
Encyclopedia
The Bowen Basin contains the largest coal
reserves in Australia
. This major coal producing region contains one of the world's largest deposits of bituminous coal
. The Basin contains much of the known Permian
coal resources in Queensland
including virtually all of the known mineable prime coking coal. It was named for the Bowen River, itself named after Queensland's first Governor, Sir George Bowen.
The Bowen Basin covers an area of over 60,000 square kilometres in Central Queensland
running from Collinsville
to Theodore
. There was a combined population of 41,973 people in the area in 2001. The Ornamental Snake
is a small reptile native to the Bowen Basin region.
Most of the basin's open cut and underground coal mines are located in the north. The basin had 48 operational coal mines
in August 2011. In mid 2011, evidence of a continuing mining boom was provided by state government figures which showed more than 50 mining projects are under consideration in the Bowen Basin. The Goonyella railway line is the main route for exports of coal via Dalrymple Bay and Hay Point
. Exports are also sent via the Port of Gladstone
. Rio Tinto Coal Australia
's Kestrel Mine, near Emerald
was named after a bird found in the area.
was a Queensland Government geologist who originally reported coal deposits in the basin in 1878. The area around Collinsville
was first explored for resources in the 1920s.
In 2006, 60% of Australia's exported coking coal came out of the Bowen Basin. In 2010, nearly all the mines in the basin were affected by record flooding. Many mines were forced to declare force majeure
, meaning they could not meet their contractual obligations.
. Total area is approximately 5,000 square kilometres, stretching 175 kilometres to the north from Injune.
The project is operated by Santos Limited, which has a net revenue interest of 76.07%, and a working interest of 79.5%. Santos acquired the Comet Ridge coal seam gas project comprising Fairview and 4,000 square kilometres of exploration acreage in 2005 through the acquisition and subsequent merger of Tipperary Corporation’s Australian assets into the Santos gas portfolio. The remaining participants, which include origin parties, hold a combined net revenue interest of 22.93%, and a working interest of 20.5%.
The discovery well, the Fairview 1, was drilled in August 1994, followed by a number of other wells which subsequently began dewatering to establish the technical and commercial viability of coal seam gas. Gas production started in January 1995, with first sales gas in February 1998. More than 100 wells have been drilled at year end 2005, with some 80 wells in the Fairview area. Of these, 57 are connected and producing to the gathering system with the remainder undergoing dewatering operations and/or awaiting completion and connection.
Gas is gathered to two compressor sites (CS1 and CS2) where it is compressed and dehydrated before export as sales to the Fairview lateral of the Queensland Gas Pipeline system. Following the merger into Santos’ operations on 28 October 2005 and the subsequent integration, extra compression has been brought on line and additional wells connected, which has increased sales gas production by 66%. Sales gas production is around 45 TJ/day, limited by the capacity of the export pipeline. Average well productivity is around 0.9 TJ/day, with a number of wells flowing in excess of 5 TJ/day.
Development during 2006 includes the construction of a new 130 kilometre pipeline from CS2 to Wallumbilla
, expansion of the gas processing facilities, and drilling and connection of additional wells. This will increase sales gas capacity to 70 TJ/day in 2007. In the longer term, additional development and facilities will enable sales gas production to be increased to approximately 200 TJ/day in 2012, with Santos share approximately 140 TJ/day.
and 145 kilometres north-east of Roma on the Burunga anticline within PL 176. The area of PL 176 is approximately 213 square kilometres. Santos has a 100% working interest in the project.
The discovery well, the Scotia 3, was drilled in 1996. It was the first well drilled to test the late Permian
coal seam gas play. Coal seam methane gas production started in 2002. Under a 15 year contract the field supplies CS Energy
's gas-fired power station
.
Total investment to date is approximately A$65 million. The Scotia field comprises 25 connected wells gathered into a central processing facility. The processing includes water separation, glycol dehydration and four-stage compression. Sales gas is transported via a 111-kilometre Scotia/Peat lateral pipeline to join the Roma-Brisbane Pipeline, about 116 kilometres east of Wallumbilla.
Coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
reserves in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. This major coal producing region contains one of the world's largest deposits of bituminous coal
Bituminous coal
Bituminous coal or black coal is a relatively soft coal containing a tarlike substance called bitumen. It is of higher quality than lignite coal but of poorer quality than Anthracite...
. The Basin contains much of the known Permian
Permian
The PermianThe term "Permian" was introduced into geology in 1841 by Sir Sir R. I. Murchison, president of the Geological Society of London, who identified typical strata in extensive Russian explorations undertaken with Edouard de Verneuil; Murchison asserted in 1841 that he named his "Permian...
coal resources in Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
including virtually all of the known mineable prime coking coal. It was named for the Bowen River, itself named after Queensland's first Governor, Sir George Bowen.
The Bowen Basin covers an area of over 60,000 square kilometres in Central Queensland
Central Queensland
Central Queensland is an ambiguous geographical division of Queensland that centres on the eastern coast, around the Tropic of Capricorn. Its major regional centre is Rockhampton and the Capricorn Coast and the area extends west to the Central Highlands at Emerald, north to the Mackay Regional...
running from Collinsville
Collinsville, Queensland
Collinsville is a mining town in the coal-rich Bowen Basin region of central Queensland, Australia, 1245 km north of Brisbane and 87 km south-west of the coastal town of Bowen. The town is part of the Whitsunday Region...
to Theodore
Theodore, Queensland
Theodore is a town in Queensland, Australia, situated on the Dawson River. The town - like the Canberra suburb - is named in honour of Labor politician Ted Theodore, Premier of Queensland and Treasurer of Australia in the ministry of Prime Minister James Scullin...
. There was a combined population of 41,973 people in the area in 2001. The Ornamental Snake
Ornamental Snake
The Ornamental Snake is a small elapid snake found in the Bowen Basin of Queensland, Australia. Ornamental snakes grow to about 40 centimetres in length and appear to be primarily frog eaters. They are nocturnal, and are thought to shelter in soil cracks during the day...
is a small reptile native to the Bowen Basin region.
Mining
Coal mining
The goal of coal mining is to obtain coal from the ground. Coal is valued for its energy content, and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extraction of iron from iron ore and for cement production. In the United States,...
in August 2011. In mid 2011, evidence of a continuing mining boom was provided by state government figures which showed more than 50 mining projects are under consideration in the Bowen Basin. The Goonyella railway line is the main route for exports of coal via Dalrymple Bay and Hay Point
Hay Point, Queensland
Hay Point is a small town located approximately 40 kilometres south of the city of Mackay, Queensland, Australia. It is made up of two bulk coal terminals, Dalrymple Bay Coal Terminal, owned by Prime Infrastructure Holdings and Brookfield Asset Management , and Hay Point Services Coal Terminal,...
. Exports are also sent via the Port of Gladstone
Port of Gladstone
The Port of Gladstone is Queensland's largest multi-commodity port and the fifth largest multi-commodity port in Australia. It is the world's fourth largest coal exporting terminal. It forms and integral part of the City of Gladstone in Central Queensland and is located about 525 km north of...
. Rio Tinto Coal Australia
Rio Tinto Coal Australia
thumb|[[ThyssenKrupp|Krupp]] twin-boom portal [[reclaimer]] at RTCA Kestrel Mine|500pxRio Tinto Coal Australia is an Australian coal mining organisation, and is part of the worldwide Rio Tinto Group. In Queensland, RTCA operates the Blair Athol, Hail Creek, Kestrel and Clermont mines...
's Kestrel Mine, near Emerald
Emerald, Queensland
Emerald is a town located in the Central Highlands district of Central Queensland, Australia. At the 2006 census, Emerald had a population of 10,999. The town is the business centre for the Central Highlands Regional Council....
was named after a bird found in the area.
Major coal mines
- Byerwen Mine while still under development employed 1,000 workers in August 2011.
- Curragh Mine employed 1,600 workers in August 2011.
- Dawson Central Mine employed 1,560 workers in August 2011.
- Goonyella Riverside MineGoonyella Riverside MineGoonyella Riverside is a large open cut coking coal mine in Queensland located 30 km North of Moranbah.The area is mainly used for coal mining. The coal is well known for its great coking characteristics....
employed 2,360 workers in August 2011. - Hail Creek mine employed 1,270 workers in August 2011.
- Peak Downs MinePeak Downs MinePeak Downs is a large open cut coking coal mine in Queensland located 31 km SSE of Moranbah. Peak Downs is one of seven mines in Bowen Basin owned by BMA, Australia’s largest coal miner and exporter. Production at Peak Downs started in 1972....
employed 1,760 workers in August 2011. - Saraji Mine employed 1,615 workers in August 2011.
History
Robert Logan JackRobert Logan Jack
Robert Logan Jack was Queensland Government geologist for twenty years.-Early life:Jack was born at Irvine, in Ayrshire, Scotland the son of Robert Jack, a cabinet-maker, and his wife Margaret, née Logan...
was a Queensland Government geologist who originally reported coal deposits in the basin in 1878. The area around Collinsville
Collinsville, Queensland
Collinsville is a mining town in the coal-rich Bowen Basin region of central Queensland, Australia, 1245 km north of Brisbane and 87 km south-west of the coastal town of Bowen. The town is part of the Whitsunday Region...
was first explored for resources in the 1920s.
In 2006, 60% of Australia's exported coking coal came out of the Bowen Basin. In 2010, nearly all the mines in the basin were affected by record flooding. Many mines were forced to declare force majeure
Force majeure
Force majeure or vis major "superior force", also known as cas fortuit or casus fortuitus "chance occurrence, unavoidable accident", is a common clause in contracts that essentially frees both parties from liability or obligation when an extraordinary event or circumstance beyond the control of...
, meaning they could not meet their contractual obligations.
Fairview gas field
The Fairview gas field is developed by the Comet Ridge Project, a coal seam gas extraction project in the Bowen Basin. Fairview is PL 91 located in the Comet Ridge Project Area comprising PLs 90, 91, 92, 99,100, 232, 233,234, 235 and 236 and ATPs 526P, 653P, 655P and 745P, some 500-600 kilometres north-west of Brisbane or 100-200 kilometres north of RomaRoma, Queensland
Roma is a town in the western Darling Downs area of Queensland, Australia, by rail WNW of Brisbane. It is situated at the junction of the Warrego and Carnarvon highways...
. Total area is approximately 5,000 square kilometres, stretching 175 kilometres to the north from Injune.
The project is operated by Santos Limited, which has a net revenue interest of 76.07%, and a working interest of 79.5%. Santos acquired the Comet Ridge coal seam gas project comprising Fairview and 4,000 square kilometres of exploration acreage in 2005 through the acquisition and subsequent merger of Tipperary Corporation’s Australian assets into the Santos gas portfolio. The remaining participants, which include origin parties, hold a combined net revenue interest of 22.93%, and a working interest of 20.5%.
The discovery well, the Fairview 1, was drilled in August 1994, followed by a number of other wells which subsequently began dewatering to establish the technical and commercial viability of coal seam gas. Gas production started in January 1995, with first sales gas in February 1998. More than 100 wells have been drilled at year end 2005, with some 80 wells in the Fairview area. Of these, 57 are connected and producing to the gathering system with the remainder undergoing dewatering operations and/or awaiting completion and connection.
Gas is gathered to two compressor sites (CS1 and CS2) where it is compressed and dehydrated before export as sales to the Fairview lateral of the Queensland Gas Pipeline system. Following the merger into Santos’ operations on 28 October 2005 and the subsequent integration, extra compression has been brought on line and additional wells connected, which has increased sales gas production by 66%. Sales gas production is around 45 TJ/day, limited by the capacity of the export pipeline. Average well productivity is around 0.9 TJ/day, with a number of wells flowing in excess of 5 TJ/day.
Development during 2006 includes the construction of a new 130 kilometre pipeline from CS2 to Wallumbilla
Wallumbilla, Queensland
Wallumbilla is a community in Queensland, Australia, situated five hours by road west from Brisbane, just east of Roma. At the 2006 census, Wallumbilla had a population of 285....
, expansion of the gas processing facilities, and drilling and connection of additional wells. This will increase sales gas capacity to 70 TJ/day in 2007. In the longer term, additional development and facilities will enable sales gas production to be increased to approximately 200 TJ/day in 2012, with Santos share approximately 140 TJ/day.
Scotia gas field
The Scotia gas field is in the Bowen Basin, onshore Eastern Queensland, approximately 340 kilometres north-west of BrisbaneBrisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
and 145 kilometres north-east of Roma on the Burunga anticline within PL 176. The area of PL 176 is approximately 213 square kilometres. Santos has a 100% working interest in the project.
The discovery well, the Scotia 3, was drilled in 1996. It was the first well drilled to test the late Permian
Permian
The PermianThe term "Permian" was introduced into geology in 1841 by Sir Sir R. I. Murchison, president of the Geological Society of London, who identified typical strata in extensive Russian explorations undertaken with Edouard de Verneuil; Murchison asserted in 1841 that he named his "Permian...
coal seam gas play. Coal seam methane gas production started in 2002. Under a 15 year contract the field supplies CS Energy
CS Energy
CS Energy is an Australia based electricity generating company owned by the Government of Queensland with it's head office located in Fortitude Valley, Brisbane...
's gas-fired power station
Swanbank Power Station, Queensland
Swanbank Power Station is located in Swanbank within South East Queensland, Australia. It is coal, natural gas, and landfill gas powered with a combined generation capacity of 865 MW of electricity....
.
Total investment to date is approximately A$65 million. The Scotia field comprises 25 connected wells gathered into a central processing facility. The processing includes water separation, glycol dehydration and four-stage compression. Sales gas is transported via a 111-kilometre Scotia/Peat lateral pipeline to join the Roma-Brisbane Pipeline, about 116 kilometres east of Wallumbilla.
See also
- Geology of QueenslandGeology of QueenslandThe geology of Queensland can be subdivided into several regions with different histories.A Precambrian basement is found in the north west and Cape York regions....
- Hunter-Bowen orogenyHunter-Bowen orogenyThe Hunter-Bowen Orogeny was a significant arc accretion event in the Permian and Triassic periods affecting approximately 2,500 km of the Australian continental margin....
- Mining in AustraliaMining in AustraliaMining in Australia is a significant primary industry and contributor to the Australian economy. Historically, mining booms have also encouraged immigration to Australia. Many different ores and minerals are mined throughout the country.-History:...