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The coal seam gas rush

ABC Radio Produced by ABC Radio Multiplatform & Content Development, and presented by ABC News Online.

This data journalism site was compiled in April 2012 and all information contained here is current as of that date. For ongoing coal seam gas stories since then, go here.

Coal seam gas has emerged as a major industry in Australia in little more than a decade.

The scale and speed of its growth has been nothing short of astonishing: billions of dollars have poured into regional areas; new jobs have been created; state and national coffers have swelled; export contracts have been signed and sealed; massive liquefied natural gas facilities have been approved for construction at regional ports.

Farmers fear they are losing control of their land. Miners and some politicians say coal seam gas offers a much greener energy choice. Environmentalists and other politicians have cast doubt on those claims.

The ABC’s data journalism project has pulled together information from dozens of sources to provide an insight into the promise and the dangers inherent in the coal seam gas rush.

How is coal seam gas mined?
How does fracking work?
What is the gas used for?

Did you know:

It is estimated there will be 40,000 coal seam gas wells in Australia 

Conservative estimates suggest coal seam gas wells could draw 300 gigalitres of water from the ground each year? 

The industry could produce as much greenhouse gas as all the cars on the road in Australia? 

Modelling suggests the industry could produce 31 million tonnes of waste salt over the next 30 years?

Coal seam gas and Australians

The ABC has produced the most comprehensive map of Australia’s coal seam gas activities made so far.

Use the search tool to find gas wells in places of interest to you, and zoom in on Queensland and New South Wales to explore the full extent of coal seam gas mining in the Great Artesian Basin.

Click on individual wells to see their status, depth, the name of the company that owns the well, and exact geographical coordinates.

Click on the ‘leases’ button to see where coal seam gas companies have the right to look for more gas.

(Note: Data collected and provided by government authorities does not disambiguate coal seam gas wells from conventional gas wells and some other activities. There is no data set from government or industry that provides that level of detail. Therefore, some of the wells shown on this map may be conventional gas wells, core holes, stratigraphic or chip holes. The map reflects the most current and accurate data on coal seam gas activity that was available from government agencies at the time of publication.)

How fast will CSG keep growing?

Over the next 20 years coal seam gas operations are expected to continue expanding.

Up to 40,000 wells are projected for Queensland. 

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Gas industry advertising.

Australia Pacific LNG‘s joint venture partner, Origin, has been working in regional Queensland for over 30 years and in the field of CSG for more than 15 years.

Australia Pacific LNG already supplies CSG to power stations to produce electricity. It also supplies CSG to major industrial customers, homes and businesses throughout Queensland.

Coal seam gas is now about to form the basis of a major new liquefied natural gas (LNG) export industry that will deliver substantial economic benefits to Queenslanders and create many thousands of jobs [This seems to be pretty much the standard corporate bargaining chip but what are the long term consequences? There are many Australians who sell out the long term for the short term.] in the state.

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Further reading:

Here are some key facts on coal seam gas: how big is it in Australia and what are its potential environmental impacts?



Gas facts v fiction – busting the CSG myths

What are the options?

Nuclear power is the greenest option, say top scientists
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