Under the frontier gas exploration grants program, four new projects in the Bowen will share funding in a $21 million initiative designed to fast-track the development of future gas supply for Queensland.

The program will support exploration and appraisal activities beyond the current footprint of established gas reserves and production areas and expand the frontier of gas resource delineation in either geographic, geologic, or new technology terms.

Read the Guideline for applicants (PDF, 370KB).

Successful recipients

• Denison Gas QLD Pty Ltd – Rolleston Coal Seam Gas Pilot project proposes to drill a dual horizontal production well into the Bandanna Formation using new techniques and operational approaches. The aim is to extend knowledge of the gas reservoir and provide information on the production characteristics.
• Comet Ridge Mahalo East Pty Ltd – Mahalo East Pilot project comprises of drilling and testing a vertical/lateral production well-set to demonstrate the viability of using rotary steerable system (RSS) technology for development of the Mahalo Gas Hub.
• QPM Energy Pty Ltd – Fairhill Seam Production Assessment project proposes to trial a pre-draining technique involving drilling a series of wells into the Fairhill seam to maximise the amount of gas captured to establish commercial gas production.
• State Gas Limited – Rolleston West (Rougemont Expansion) project proposes to drill appraisal wells at Rougemont to establish estimates of gas reserves. The proposed wells are designed to confirm that properly drilled and completed wells can achieve commercial gas flow rates.

View the map of frontier gas exploration projects (JPG, 605KB).