THE CSIRO and the Victorian Department of Primary Industry (VicDPI) are joining forces to explore for new oil and gas reserves in Victoria's sedimentary basins.
The multi-million dollar collaborative agreement address the challenge of finding new oil and gas reserves to support the nation’s growing energy needs.
The groups say the complimentary skills provided by the two organisations will enable a more comprehensive analysis of the petroleum systems than has been previously available.
CSIRO’s research expertise and unique laboratory facilities to evaluate all aspects of petroleum systems will be teamed with VicDPI’s comprehensive knowledge of the geologic framework and extensive dataset of the State’s sedimentary basins.
Furthermore, the collaboration will benefit from CSIRO’s techniques, enabling better characterisation of rock properties, petroleum source rocks and the contained fluids. They will study the mechanisms that drive the petroleum systems, aiming to discover new reserves. Oil and gas resource estimates are therefore expected to increase, attracting industry to further invest into the state.
The three year agreement will allow the integration of a wide range of evaluation techniques on the same petroleum systems. This will reduce exploration risk and provide integrated petroleum systems to stimulate oil and gas exploration.
The advanced research technologies developed within the program which will not only benefit Victoria, but will also be applicable to oil and gas exploration throughout Australia.A complex 3D model of Victoria’s sedimentary basins is one of the planned deliverables of the project.
The project is expected to be completed in 2011 and information will be publicly available during the progress of the research program through the VicDPI website.
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