CarbonNet Update

The CarbonNet Project has successfully completed drilling an offshore appraisal well at the Pelican site in Bass Strait.

The CarbonNet Project has successfully completed drilling an offshore appraisal well at the Pelican site in Bass Strait.

Over almost eight weeks, more than 100 crew worked daily in shifts to drill to a depth of about 1500m beneath the seabed.

The aim of the drilling program was to confirm that identified rock structures can permanently store carbon dioxide (CO₂), validating previous data collected by the CarbonNet Project.

Preliminary results confirm that suitable geology for CO2 storage is present.

Over the next 12 months rock samples will be analysed to confirm their composition, the amount of space they have available to be filled by fluids like water or CO_2, the ease with which fluids can flow through them and their strength and chemical resistance to CO2.

Combined with the data acquired from the 2018 marine seismic survey, the well data will be used to model and assess the Pelican site for long-term storage of CO2, providing a low-emissions pathway for Victoria and Gippsland.

Contact: Mark Farrugia

Phone: (03) 8392 6913