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Released January 15, 2013 | PERTH, AUSTRALIA
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Researched by Industrial Info Resources Australia (Sugar Land, Texas)--Coal seam gas (CSG), also called coal bed methane, has been extracted and used in Australia for nearly 30 years, predominantly in southern Queensland and more recently in New South Wales. In Australia, a complicated debate surrounds the CSG industry and its associated greenhouse gas emissions.
Research now suggests that whether CSG is a cleaner fuel alternative depends on the timeframe used to measure emissions. A study conducted by the School of Public Policy at the University of Maryland found that CSG is 56% cleaner than coal over a 100-year timeframe, but not over shorter periods of 10 or 20 years. This is because CSG, which is mostly methane, is a strong greenhouse gas that has a relatively short lifespan.
Fugitive emissions are gases released from pressurized equipment due to leaks and are particularly difficult to monitor and measure because the "leaking" occurs at any stage of the extraction process, not solely at the processing plant.
Currently in Australia, the Department of Climate Change and Energy Efficiency is working with the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation to conduct further research into the quantity of fugitive emissions released during the CSG extraction processes.
Most agree further scientific study needs to be achieved, analyzed and peer reviewed. Until then, the CSG industry in Australia will continue to be a contentious issue. Twelve people were arrested recently at a CSG protest in New South Wales where, more than 150 other protestors were in attendance.
The economic benefits available in Australia from the CSG industry are enormous. Industrial Info is currently tracking 40 CSG projects in Australia across oil and gas and power industries. Out of the 40 projects, 32 are located in Queensland and eight are located in New South Wales. All projects are in varying stages of planning, engineering and construction and total an investment value of more that $72.8 billion.
Four of the major CSG/CBM projects are Arrow Liquefied Natural Gas, Queensland Curtis LNG, Australia Pacific Liquefied Natural Gas (APLNG) and Gladstone Liquefied Natural Gas (GLNG). Arrow Energy Pty Limited (Brisbane, Australia) expects to make a final investment decision on its Arrow LNG project by the fourth quarter of 2013. APLNG and GLNG are well under way and are expected to be completed in 2015.
Industrial Info Resources (IIR), with global headquarters in Sugar Land, Texas, and eight offices outside of North America, is the leading provider of global market intelligence specializing in the industrial process, heavy manufacturing and energy markets. Industrial Info's quality-assurance philosophy, the Living Forward Reporting Principle, provides up-to-the-minute intelligence on what's happening now, while constantly keeping track of future opportunities.
Research now suggests that whether CSG is a cleaner fuel alternative depends on the timeframe used to measure emissions. A study conducted by the School of Public Policy at the University of Maryland found that CSG is 56% cleaner than coal over a 100-year timeframe, but not over shorter periods of 10 or 20 years. This is because CSG, which is mostly methane, is a strong greenhouse gas that has a relatively short lifespan.
Fugitive emissions are gases released from pressurized equipment due to leaks and are particularly difficult to monitor and measure because the "leaking" occurs at any stage of the extraction process, not solely at the processing plant.
Currently in Australia, the Department of Climate Change and Energy Efficiency is working with the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation to conduct further research into the quantity of fugitive emissions released during the CSG extraction processes.
Most agree further scientific study needs to be achieved, analyzed and peer reviewed. Until then, the CSG industry in Australia will continue to be a contentious issue. Twelve people were arrested recently at a CSG protest in New South Wales where, more than 150 other protestors were in attendance.
The economic benefits available in Australia from the CSG industry are enormous. Industrial Info is currently tracking 40 CSG projects in Australia across oil and gas and power industries. Out of the 40 projects, 32 are located in Queensland and eight are located in New South Wales. All projects are in varying stages of planning, engineering and construction and total an investment value of more that $72.8 billion.
Four of the major CSG/CBM projects are Arrow Liquefied Natural Gas, Queensland Curtis LNG, Australia Pacific Liquefied Natural Gas (APLNG) and Gladstone Liquefied Natural Gas (GLNG). Arrow Energy Pty Limited (Brisbane, Australia) expects to make a final investment decision on its Arrow LNG project by the fourth quarter of 2013. APLNG and GLNG are well under way and are expected to be completed in 2015.
Industrial Info Resources (IIR), with global headquarters in Sugar Land, Texas, and eight offices outside of North America, is the leading provider of global market intelligence specializing in the industrial process, heavy manufacturing and energy markets. Industrial Info's quality-assurance philosophy, the Living Forward Reporting Principle, provides up-to-the-minute intelligence on what's happening now, while constantly keeping track of future opportunities.
