1.2.3 Proposals and exploration

Summary

There is no coal development activity in the Cooper subregion.

There is one coal seam gas (CSG) contingent resource reported in the Cooper subregion. Strike Energy Limited has reported a 2C resource of 168.5 petajoules (PJ) and an 8893 to 23,317 PJ prospective resource for its Southern Cooper Basin Gas Project of which 75% is estimated to be associated with Patchawarra Formation coal. Current testing is underway to prove this resource up, and assess the viability for full-scale production. Strike Energy and Australian Gasfields Ltd are conducting an exploration and appraisal program to evaluate the gas resource in deep coal seams in the Weena Trough and Milpera Trough and Tinga Tingana Ridge of the geological Cooper Basin, about 100 km south of Moomba in SA.

Previous CSG exploration across the subregion has investigated the potential of the Winton Formation and Epsilon Formation coals; however, these have not resulted in the definition of any CSG resources. All other CSG-related gas plays in the Cooper subregion currently under active exploration are part of composite gas plays, including deep coal seam gas targets on the western margin of the Patchawarra Trough. These plays are associated with other continuous unconventional gas plays, including basin-centred, or tight, gas and shale gas, as well as adjacent conventional oil and gas fields.