Narrabri residents are turning to Santos’ monthly site tours to increase their knowledge of the company’s project, and the broader coal seam gas industry.
For some, the idea of coal seam gas production in the Pilliga forest has been difficult to come to terms with, and they’re seeking to understand more about the development.
While no-one can be sure what the long term effects will be for Narrabri, there is no question about the need for more energy in Australia and world wide.
Politicians and miners are pointing to the Narrabri CSG project as part of the solution to this global problem.
The 850 gas wells, on 425 sites, planned for the Pilliga Forest could produce up to 200 terajoules of gas per day, which is equivalent to half of NSW’s natural gas needs.
Despite the obvious energy and employment benefits, Santos still appears to be working hard for a social licence to operate.
Their site tours explore some of the more controversial aspects of coal seam gas extraction, such as waste water storage, gas well rehabilitation and the extraction process itself.
First stop: Leewood waste water storage facility
The Leewood facility is designed to store up to six gigalitres (2, 664 Olympic swimming pools) of salty groundwater, which is a by-product of coal seam gas extraction.
The ponds are monitored daily, and at full production 1.5 megalitres of water would be drawn each day from nearby aquifers, to be monitored monthly.
Before waste water is usable salt must be removed using a reverse osmosis plant. This leaves behind salty brine, which must then be put through a crystallisation plant to produce salt.
At full production CSG operations near Narrabri would generate 70 tonnes of salt per day, or 20 truckloads, which would be sent to a registered salt waste management facility near Newcastle.
Construction is due to begin on the reverse osmosis plant by the end of this year, and it is unknown when the crystallisation plant will be built.
2nd stop: Bohena No. 3 gas well rehabilitation site
The Bohena No. 3 well head is cordoned off in the centre of a 100 metre square block, which has been mulched and irrigated, encouraging vegetation to re-establish in some areas.
Mobile phones, and any other sources of ignition, are still banned from the immediate area around the well head.
The Bohena number three well was sunk in the 1960s.
3rd stop: CSG pilot plot on Tintsfield
The pilot gas well plot is on a privately owned property, “Tintsfield”, and includes a set of six wells 3000 ft deep, plus several methane discharge points.
The volume of gas measured at these wells has far exceeded Santos’s expectations.
The wells are expected to remain highly productive over the next 12 to 14 years, but in later years pressure will drop and the volume of gas will gradually decline until it becomes unviable.
Hydraulic fracture stimulation (fracking) is sometimes used to extract remaining pockets of gas, but Santos does not currently have a permit to frack or any plans to frack.
According to a CSIRO report released this week, the majority of Australians accept the important role mining plays in the prosperity of the nation, but believe more needs to be done to bolster acceptance, trust and support of the industry.
The findings of this study are reflected in comments of Narrabri residents who recently went on a Santos site tour.
Brian Hearn, a resident of 40 years, is sitting on the fence when it comes to the development of a coal seam gas industry in the region,
“I have a scientific background, but I still find it very difficult to decide whether I am for or against.
“It’s a very divisive issue, you either go ahead or you don’t , someone will be hurt either way and that bitterness and division may remain”, Mr. Hearn observed.
“Social licence seems to be subverting the democratic process, people don’t trust the process, so they’re making sure their voices are heard.
“My inclination is that we should at least hold fire, why have they banned CSG exploration in the Sydney Basin, is the government scared of the voting power there and not here?”
Another Narrabri resident who attended the tour said it was worthwhile going, but didn’t wish to be named due to the sensitivity of the issue at present.
“We need to educate ourselves, and the only way to do that is to come on these tours, and be involved in community meetings on the subject.
“I’m still unsure; I’m yet to be convinced about water, and I think more research is needed.
“On the other hand, we need to meet our energy requirements somehow and the industry is here now, so we must try to understand it.”
Santos was granted a five year Petroleum Exploration Licence in March 2013. If the company is granted a production licence, commercial gas extraction from the Pilliga area is expected to begin in 2017.