Australian Energy Producers journal.

Engineering Visual Presentation E02 In the liquefied natural gas (LNG) operations space, process simulations are widely applied during design phases and during operation for designing and troubleshooting process flows. However, the use of continuously running simulations for live operational monitoring remains limited. The adoption of live process simulations (commonly referred to as digital twin…

Presented on 20 May 2026: Session 20 Unlike previous wells where losses were minimal, significant mud losses occurred unexpectedly while drilling a recent horizontal well in the Pohokura Field. To identify the root cause and develop preventive strategies in future wells, a geomechanical study was conducted. Analysis of conventional mechanisms, such as equivalent circulating density exceeding the …

Community and Workforce Visual Presentation CW03 The treatment of water produced from coal seam gas development in Queensland is expected to generate around five million tonnes of concentrated brine over its lifetime. Despite state and independent technical assessments identifying salt encapsulation facilities (SEFs) as a leading option for long-term brine management, public acceptance of such fa…

Presented on 19 May 2026: Session 4 Sustainable project delivery demands more than technical expertise; it requires a genuine commitment to community outcomes. This paper by Downer and the Woollahra Group (Woollahra) demonstrates how purposeful partnerships with Indigenous businesses, grounded in aligned objectives and meaningful social procurement strategies, can create lasting value for both in…

Presented on 20 May 2026: Session 12 Methane emission measurement data allow gas facility operators to identify methane sources and prioritise mitigation decisions. Traditional screening methods use manual techniques which do not efficiently scale with facility size and complexity. Novel methane measurement technology development has the potential to improve the effectiveness and lower the cost o…

Presented on 19 May 2026: Session 3 Cross-border carbon capture and storage (CCS) is essential for decarbonising the world’s and Asia-Pacific’s (APAC) industrial emissions. Globally, Europe and APAC indicate a high potential for cross-border transport with a forecast of 127 mtpa cross-border opportunity by 2035. Yet beyond geological advantages, successful cross-border CCS also requires coordinat…

Presented on 21 May 2026: Session 26 The CO2CRC Otway International Test Centre in Victoria is a field laboratory for testing monitoring technologies for safe, effective geological carbon storage. Stage 4 of the Otway Project evaluates continuous and time-lapse seismic monitoring of a controlled carbon dioxide (CO2) injection into a heterogeneous saline aquifer at about 1.5 km depth. Ten kilotonn…

Presented on 21 May 2026: Session 26 Safe and efficient geological storage of carbon dioxide (CO2) depends on how CO2 and brine move through reservoir rocks and how much CO2 becomes permanently trapped. In this study, a digital core analysis (DCA) approach is used to investigate CO2-brine flow behaviour and residual trapping in sandstone samples from the Paaratte Formation in the Otway Basin, Aus…

Environment and Approvals Visual Presentation EA03 While every project is different, the dynamics of major project approvals and government relations are common to many. This paper distils key lessons from observations of project trajectories from discovery to development, offering energy industry stakeholders a strategic lens through which to view their own approval pathways and stakeholder enga…

Climate Tech Visual Presentation CT04 With the exponential growth of renewable energy generation, Direct Air Capture (DAC) is emerging as an attractive carbon-negative solution. When combined with geological CO2 storage, DAC provides verifiable CO2 removals and permanent storage. DAC is modular technology, making it a scalable option for achieving net-zero emissions. As with all decarbonisation p…

Presented on 20 May 2026: Session 16 This paper presents the application of advanced drilling technologies in a complex dual-lateral horizontal well campaign conducted in the Bowen Basin, Australia. The development targeted shallow, extended-reach laterals and involved significant geosteering challenges due to thin reservoir beds, abrupt dip variations, fault intersections, and the absence of sei…

Presented on 20 May 2026: Session 17 The passage of the Environment Protection Reform Bill 2025 marks the most significant overhaul of Australia’s federal environmental approvals framework in a generation. The Environment Protection Reform Act 2025 recast the environment protection and biodiversity conservation (EPBC) framework as a standards-based system, supported by new institutions, expanded …

Presented on 21 May 2026: Session 25 The rapid development of carbon capture and storage (CCS) projects has increased the need for robust process safety guidance for the transport of carbon dioxide (CO2) in high-pressure pipelines. While the dispersion behaviour of natural gas releases is supported by extensive industry experience, equivalent understanding for CO2 – particularly under high-pressu…

Presented on 20 May 2026: Session 17 The Otway Basin remains a priority region for gas development; however, recent environmental approval outcomes demonstrate that investment certainty is increasingly influenced by external factors that extend beyond individual activities. The withdrawal of the TGS Otway deepwater seismic survey Environment Plan (EP), the prolonged assessment of the ConocoPhilli…

Geoscience Visual Presentation G09 The Kingia Sandstone in the northern Perth Basin is a significant gas reservoir, with potential to become a geothermal resource and a candidate for CO2 storage. Several challenges to exploitation, however, have been identified, including difficulties in predicting depositional and diagenetic facies. Deposited in the Early Permian within shoreface and estuarine e…

Presented on 21 May 2026: Session 25 Brownfield engineering is emerging as a strategic driver of industrial performance as organisations increasingly seek value from existing assets rather than new builds. Operating within the constraints of live facilities, legacy design decisions, and incomplete information, brownfield engineers deliver targeted upgrades, life extension initiatives, and safety …

Community and Workforce Visual Presentation CW01 In high-hazard industries, most safety failures arise not from poor systems or inadequate documentation, but from everyday behaviours. Leadership signals, peer norms, and workplace culture determine whether rules are followed, risks are raised, and safe choices are reinforced. While systems set expectations, it is behaviours that ultimately drive o…

Presented on 20 May 2026: Session 12 In Australia, gas producing facilities must report greenhouse gas emissions under the National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting (NGER) Act 2007 and comply with the Safeguard Mechanism if their total emissions exceed 100,000 tonnes CO2-equivalent (CO2-e) per year. Emissions are measured in CO2-e, which accounts for all covered gases weighted by their global warm…

QGC Upstream has achieved its best-ever wells performance, with a record well availability of over 97% across 3000+ online wells. Unplanned deferment rates have decreased by more than 70% compared to 2023, and pumping wells have reached a record mean time to failure of 1790 days. Operations and maintenance costs have been reduced by over 35% per well, enabling QGC to deliver additional wells unde…

Student enrolments in Earth sciences and resources engineering have substantially decreased, and fewer degree programs are now available at universities across Australia. A 2025 survey by the Australian Geoscience Council highlighted a lack of awareness amongst high school students of Earth science, geoscience and geoengineering as areas of study. Interest in the subject was found to be the most …