Australia is sitting on potential shale energy boom...

Australia is sitting on potential shale energy boom

"Australia’s reserves of shale oil and gas could be more than 10 times greater than existing known deposits, setting the stage for a potential shale energy boom on the back of new extraction technologies" says this article; Australia Sitting on Potential Shale Energy Boom

It is based on the the EIA'a new study report (see below) published just recently on June 10 2013.

The article says;
"According to a new US government report, Australia has an estimated 437 trillion cubic feet of recoverable shale gas reserves. The number of identified natural gas reserves in Australia currently sits at 43 trillion cubic feet.

The report, issued by the US Department of Energy, also found that Australia’s reserves of shale oil are much higher than existing oil reserves. It estimates shale oil reserves to be around 17,500 million barrels, over 12 times greater than existing known oil reserves of 1,433 million barrels."

EIA's Report; Technically Recoverable Shale Oil and Shale Gas Resources:
An Assessment of 137 Shale Formations in 41 Countries Outside the United States (730 Pages)- By EIA (US Energy Information Administration)

According to the tables of attachment pages (35,36,37 and 38) on the report, Canning Basin has;

Risked Gas In-Place: 1,227 TCF
Technically Recoverable: 235 TCF

Risked Oil In-Place: 244 Billion Barrel
Technically Recoverable: 9.7 Billion Barrel

Goldwyer shale of Canning Basin is being the 5th largest shale formation in the world (outside US) by its 235 TCF recoverable GAS in-place.

1-Mexico.....Burgos Basin..Eagle Ford Shale...... 343 tcf
2-Argantina..Neuquen Basin.Vaca Muerta Shale.. 308 tcf
3-China......Sichuan Basin.Longmaxi Shale......... 287 tcf
4-Argantina..Neuquen Basin.Los Molles Shale..... 275 tcf
5-Australia..Canning Basin.Goldywer Shale......... 235 tcf

Also, Goldwyer shale of Canning Basin is being the 5th largest shale formation in the world (outside US) by its 9.7 Billion Barrel of recoverable OIL in-place.

1-Russia..W.Siberian Central..Bazhenov Shale.... 57.9b barrel
2-Russia..W.Siberian North...Bazhenov Shale..... 16.7b barrel
3-Argantina..Neuquen Basin.Vaca Muerta Shale...16.2b barrel
4-Libya..Sirte..Sirte/Rachmat Shale.................... 16.2b barrel
5-Australia..Canning Basin.Goldywer Shale....... 9.7b barrel

You can find a brief assestment of the report here: Analysis & Projections


"This report provides an initial assessment of shale oil resources and updates a prior assessment of shale gas resources issued in April 2011. It assesses 137 shale formations in 41 countries outside the United States, expanding on the 69 shale formations within 32 countries considered in the prior report (World Shale Gas Resources (2011))

There were two reasons for pursuing an updated assessment of shale resources so soon after the prior report.

- First, geologic research and well drilling results not available for use in the 2011 report allow for a more informed evaluation of the shale formations covered in that report as well as other shale formations that it did not assess.

- Second, while the 2011 report focused exclusively on natural gas, recent developments in the United States highlight the role of shale formations and other tight plays as sources of crude oil, lease condensates, and a variety of liquids processed from wet natural gas."

The new report covers the most prospective shale formations in a group of 41 countries that demonstrate some level of relatively near-term promise and that have a sufficient amount of geologic data for a resource assessment.

Page 5 of EIA Report;

We can see on this table that Australia is ranked at 6th level for its shale oil resources after Libya, and at 7th level for its shale gas resources.

Page 10 of EIA Report;

Table of Australian Shale GAS Resources (Page 164);
You can see on this table that 19,620 sq.mile of Goldwyer shale has wet-gas (with 1.15% Ro, Low clay content at ave. 2700m depth, which was the level Gibb Maitlbad-1 well hit the wet-gas IMO!!!)

Table of Australian Shale OIL Resources (Page 166);
You can see on this table that the same 19,620 sq.mile (with 1.15% Ro and at 2700m ave. depth) of Goldwyer shale which is shown on the gas resources table above is also given here. This part of shale offers 2.4b barrel of oil on this table.

Page 191;
"Resource Assessment
ARI identified a prospective area in the Kidson sub-basin in the southern portion of the Canning Basin. Here, the Goldwyer Shale is thick, deep (7,200-16,500 feet), and thermally mature. An estimated 22,860-mi2 area may be prospective for dry gas development with a second 19,620-mi2 area prospective for wet gas and condensate. A smaller 14,900-mi2 area appears prospective for shale oil. The boundaries and depth contours for the undrilled deep trough areas were extrapolated from information at adjoining uplifts.

In the dry and wet gas prospective areas, the Goldwyer Shale has resource concentrations of 109 Bcf/mi2 and 67 Bcf/mi2, respectively. Including associated gas, the Goldwyer Shale in the Canning Basin has a risked shale gas in-place of 1,227 Tcf, with risked, technically recoverable shale gas of 235 Tcf.

The prospective areas for oil and condensate for the Goldwyer Shale have resource concentrations of 41 million barrels/mi2 and 10 million barrels/mi2, respectively. Including both the oil and condensate prospective areas, the Goldwyer Shale, has risked shale oil/condensate in-place of 244 billion barrels, with risked, technically recoverable shale oil/condensate resources of 9.8 billion barrels."

Now, we can see EIA's new map for prospective shale oil and gas resources of Canning Basin on Page 188. Then we will compare it with the tenement map which I have made before.

This is the tenement map I have done and posted here before. You will see on the next map that I have made an overlay of of both EIA'as and my map to see the prospective areas on the tenements map.

Now we can see on this map that EIA's map is overlaying the tenements map. The most important thing here is NSE is holding the most prospective part of the basin both for Shale oil and wet-gas parts (Yellow and green parts). The carbonate built-up conventional playes are located on the Sahara Shelf (which is not shown in detail here). Sahara Shelf is the most important and prospective part of the basin. I believe we were drilling one of these conventional plays in GB-1 well on Sahara Shelf.

This is the same thing tenements-basement-EIA's maps all together.