The Collie South West Hub will take an important step forward when preparations for the Harvey I stratigraphic well campaign near Cookernup in Western Australia begin in earnest this week.
Collie South West Hub Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) project is Western Australia’s first proposed on-shore trial project and was selected for funding under the Australian Government’s CCS Flagships program on 11 June 2011.
The Harvey I exploration well will help determine the suitability of the site for permanent geosequestration of CO2 and assess any potential for underground heat to be used as a source of geothermal power, as well as water and other resources.
Minister for Resources and Energy, Martin Ferguson AM MP welcomed this progress in the Collie South West Hub project, which is working on globally significant research into reducing greenhouse gas.
“This important research is part of a world-wide movement to reduce the amount of greenhouse gas being put into the atmosphere,” Minister Ferguson said.
“The Federal Government is working in partnership with industry and the Western Australian Government to increase our knowledge of the area and help progress CCS as a viable, commercial option for industrial and energy generation processes to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions.
“CCS has the potential to extend the future of emissions-intensive industries in an increasingly carbon-constrained economic context, with the flow on benefits in terms of jobs in those sectors in addition to those created by the CCS projects themselves.”
While the Australian Government initially committed funding of up to $52 million to the Collie South West Hub project, the Harvey I well is being part funded separately under the National CO2 Mapping and Infrastructure Program (NCMIP).
The Australian Government’s NCMIP is contributing $2.5 million to the $8.5 million research project which is being run by Geological Survey WA, part of the Western Australian Department of Mines and Petroleum.