VGP Technical Report 9 - A preliminary ranking of potential Underground Gas Storage sites
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Product description:About the Victorian Gas Program: The Victorian Gas Program (VGP) is a comprehensive science-led program, incorporating geoscientific and environmental research to assess the risks, benefits and impacts of potential onshore conventional gas exploration and production. The program is also investigating the potential for further discoveries of onshore conventional and offshore gas in the Otway and Gippsland geological basins and assessing the feasibility of additional onshore underground gas storage in depleted reservoirs around the Port Campbell area. The VGP includes an extensive, proactive and phased community and stakeholder engagement program, through which the results of the scientific studies are being communicated. Executive summary: The opportunity for further Underground Gas Storage (UGS) in depleted gas fields in the onshore Otway Basin is being investigated as part of the Victorian Gas Program (VGP). Through this preliminary study, two ranking methods were applied to assess the suitability of 13 depleted or unproduced gas fields (sites) for potential UGS. There are currently three depleted gas fields used for UGS in Victoria. These sites are in the Port Campbell area in the Onshore Otway Basin. The aim of the study was to identify the most prospective sites in preparation for further detailed technical studies. All prospective sites contain or have contained gas. Therefore, the geological structures exist for potential future gas containment. The proven reservoir and seal units (the Waarre Formation and Belfast Mudstone) are present at all sites. Publicly available data was compiled and analysed for the 13 potential sites and the three existing UGS fields. A petrophysical log and core evaluation was incorporated into the study to provide a more accurate estimate of reservoir quality. Three ranking criteria based on geological properties were used to evaluate the sites: (1) Capacity; (2) Injectivity; and (3) Containment. Two ranking methods were applied to the data. One approach weighted and ranked the parameters and the other approach used a normalised weighting factor for each criterion to generate a ranking. The primary difference between the approaches was that the first method weighted containment higher than the second method, although both favoured capacity and injectivity as more important when ranking the prospective sites and current UGS fields. The results of this study indicate that the depleted gas fields Mylor, Tregony, McIntee and Penryn are the most prospective sites for further detailed technical studies. Wild Dog Road, Lavers and Seamer were identified as the least prospective sites. The sites in this study were ranked on geological parameters only. Assessments of highly ranked fields in terms of cost, time, risk, social and environmental factors will be undertaken in future studies. Bibliographic reference: Buschkuehle, M., Eid, R., Goldie Divko, L.M., & Ricard, L., 2019. A preliminary ranking of potential Underground Gas Storage sites Onshore Otway Basin, Victoria. Victorian Gas Program Technical Report 9. Department of Jobs, Precincts and Regions. Download: The downloadable version of this report is supplied in PDF format (17.8 MB) and accessible version (DOCX 50.0 MB). Related products:
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