Regulating the disposal of produced waters from unconventional oil and gas activities in Australia

Tina Soliman Hunter, Dave Campin

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapterpeer-review

Abstract

Production of unconventional petroleum resources in Australia comprises the exploration for and extraction of shale gas and coal seam gas (CSG, also known as coalbed methane). This chapter examines the issues associated with produced water from CSG and shale gas extraction, which differ greatly in both content and regulation. In examining the regulation of produced water from the extraction of CSG, only the Queensland jurisdiction will be assessed, since it is the only jurisdiction where production is occurring. Due to a moratorium on shale gas exploration and extraction in the Northern Territory, the regulation of produced water from shale gas exploration and production in Western Australia and South Australia is considered, with a particular focus on Western Australia given the advanced development of shale gas exploration in that state. This chapter provides an overview of unconventional petroleum resources (UPR) in Australia, and the regulation of UPR exploration and production in Queensland, Western Australia, and South Australia. It considers issues relating to produced water from both shale gas and CSG production and analyses the legal and environmental issues related to produced water in shale gas and CSG activities.
Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationRegulating water security in unconventional oil and gas
EditorsRegina M. Buono, Elena López Gunn, Jennifer McKay, Chad Staddon
Place of PublicationCham, Switzerland
PublisherSpringer, Springer Nature
Chapter12
Pages243-266
Number of pages24
ISBN (Electronic)9783030183424
ISBN (Print)9783030183417
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2020
Externally publishedYes

Publication series

NameWater Security in a New World
PublisherSpringer
ISSN (Print)2367-4008
ISSN (Electronic)2367-4016

Keywords

  • Australia
  • Unconventional petroleum resources
  • Coal seam gas
  • Dewatering
  • Shale gas

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