Victorian Geological Carbon Storage (VicGCS)
Unlocking Victoria’s CO2 storage potential
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The Victorian Geological Carbon Storage (VicGCS) Initiative is researching the regional carbon dioxide (CO2) storage capacity of the Gippsland Basin. This four-year, $5.2 million project is being delivered by GeoScience Victoria, a branch of the Earth Resources Development Division of the Department of Primary Industries.
Partnerships with industry, government and the research community are an important feature of how the project will be delivered.
The initiative commenced in July 2008 and will be completed in June 2012. Read more about the VicGCS Initiative
For an overview of the VicGCS initiative download the VicGCS fact sheet the online store. The report provides an overview of operational procedures, data quality assurance systems and environmental planning, including marine mammal observations. It contains reports that were prepared by the various agencies involved in implementing the survey.
What’s new?
October 2011 - Pre-stack time migrated SEGY seismic data from Seismic Survey GDPI10, Southern Flanks, Gippsland Basin is available from October 2011. To organise delivery contact Terry Smith, Petroleum Information, Data Management and Compliance Group (03) 99658-4544.
September 2011 - RFT 314639 – Seismic interpretation: Seismic Survey GDPI10, Southern Flanks, Gippsland Basin. Invitation to tender will be open from 21 September 2011 to 2pm AEST, 13 October 2011. For more details go to www.tenders.vic.gov.au
September 2010 - The third VicGCS report Geological Carbon Storage Gippsland Basin Southern Flanks 2D Marine Survey is now available for free download from the the online store. The report provides an overview of operational procedures, data quality assurance systems and environmental planning, including marine mammal observations. It contains reports that were prepared by the various agencies involved in implementing the survey.
June 2010 - A seismic vessel conducted a survey covering 8000 line kilometres of the southern flank of the Gippsland Basin in early 2010. A call for seismic processors will soon by made by tender. More information about the survey and the tender
November 2009 - The second VicGCS report Geological Carbon Storage of the Onshore Gippsland Basin, Victoria, Australia and an accompanying data package is now available for free download from the Online Store. This report assesses the relative prospectivity of the onshore region from a geological carbon storage viewpoint. The report contains a detailed scientific evaluation of the top seal potential (containment) across the onshore Gippsland Basin, using new data and highlights the areas within which GCS can be undertaken and where it cannot. It also includes a new assessment of the potential reservoir units (injectivity-capacity) and the potential impacts of any injected CO2 on the natural and man-made systems across the onshore Gippsland Basin. It includes a comprehensive evaluation of the available geoscience information for the region.
October 2009 - The Victorian Minister for Energy and Resources invites applications for permits to explore for storage formations suitable for geological carbon storage in two areas of Victoria. Both areas are located onshore in the Gippsland Basin. Applications were invited by the Minister on 30 October 2009 and must be submitted by 4pm (AEST) Friday 5 March 2010. Find out more about the blocks and how to apply.
July 2009 - July 10 - DPI has extended the tender period for RFT307246 3D Geological Framework of the Gippsland Basin. Tender closing is now 2:00pm AEST Thursday 30 July 2009. In addition, the period for clarification questions has also been extended to close of business Thursday 23 July 2009. Tender Document RFT 307246 Part A Conditions of Tender Section Reference Schedule has been amended to Version 2 to reflect the extended period.
July 8 - Clarification Questions and Answers Version 1 for RFT307246 was released on Tuesday 7 July 2009 and are available with the tender documents in the DPI section of www.tenders.vic.gov.au . The questions have come primarily from the optional Industry Brief held on Thursday 2 July 2009. More about tenders...
June 2009 - The Request for Tender RFT307246 3D Geological Framework of the Gippsland Basin was released on Wednesday 24 June 2009. The tender is seeking a supplier to use and interpret existing seismic data to develop a digital 3D framework of the Gippsland Basin. More about tenders...
April 2009 - The first VicGCS report Geological Carbon Storage in the Gippsland Basin, Australia: Containment potential is now available for free download from the Online Store. The report is an initial study to determine areas in the Gippsland Basin where CO2 could be trapped or contained safely within the sub-surface geology (at depths between 1,000-3,000 m) for long periods of time. It also outlines the regions in the Gippsland Basin that have excellent, good and poor CO2 containment potential.
March 2009 - On 27 March 2009, three permit areas for geological carbon storage in the VicGCS study area of the Gippsland Basin were released by the Federal Government. In addition, two permit areas in the Torquay Sub-basin are available.
Find out more about the Federal Government’s acreage release, including application guidelines by visiting the Department of Resources, Energy and Tourism website.
September 2008 - Paper presented at the Petroleum Exploration Society of Australia's Eastern Australasian Basins Symposium III - First order sealing and hydrocarbon migration processes, Gippsland Basin, Australia: implications for CO2 geosequestration.
What is geological carbon storage?
Geological carbon storage (GCS) is the process of injecting CO2 that has been captured from coal and gas fired power stations into underground geological structures, such as depleted oil and gas reservoirs or deep saline (salty water) aquifers. CO2 is injected at depths greater than 800m as a high pressure, relatively dense fluid.
GCS offers the potential to substantially reduce the amount of CO2 currently released into the atmosphere from the use of fossil fuels, such as coal and natural gas by storing it permanently underground. In order to continue using the Latrobe Valley’s vast brown coal resources and secure Victoria’s energy future, it is critical that a commercial GCS industry is established. This is vital to the social, economic and environmental future of Victoria.
More information about the Victorian Government’s commitment to reducing CO2 emissions from coal-fired power stations in available on the Near Zero Emissions webpage.
Contacts
Dr Louise Goldie DivkoProject Manager, VicGCS
GeoScience Victoria
Department of Primary Industries
GPO Box 4440
Melbourne Victoria 3001
Australia
Tel +61 3 9658 4547
Fax +61 3 9658 4555
Email louise.goldie-divko@dpi.vic.gov.au
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