Australia’s production of coal seam gas has risen exponentially since 1995, going from zero to 30% of the country’s overall gas production in 2015-16.

This boom has been led by development in Queensland, with only a small number of wells in New South Wales contributing to production on the east coast of Australia.

In the following map, you can see CSG wells added by the date of drilling, and how it has spread across the east coast, with concentrations in the Bowen and Surat basins in Queensland:

The rise of coal seam gas in eastern Australia Showing the location of coal seam gas-related boreholes in NSW and Queensland (dots mark location only and are note to scale) over time. Each well is categorised by its purpose, including exploration , appraisal/pilot , development/production , and other boreholes, such as for water. Loading... , QLD Government Source: NSW Government

However, not all of the wells drilled are producing gas – here’s the current status of all wells, according to data from the NSW and Queensland governments:

Coal seam gas production in eastern Australia Showing the status of coal seam gas-related boreholes in NSW and Queensland (dots mark location only and are note to scale). Each well is either producing , or suspended/capped/shut-in , or plugged and abandoned . Loading... , QLD Government Source: NSW Government

The difference in development between NSW and Queensland is stark.

Queensland’s CSG industry was helped along by a government scheme introduced in 2000 that required 13% of all power supplied to the state electricity grid to be generated by gas by 2005.

In contrast, NSW governments have had a much more cautious approach amid heated opposition to CSG development from farmers and environmentalists. The NSW government temporarily froze new CSG exploration licences from March 2014, introduced exclusion zones where CSG development cannot occur, and has bought back exploration licences. The freeze on exploration has now been lifted, but no new licences have been granted.



While not all coal seam gas wells require fracking, or hydraulic fracturing, to extract the gas, some do.

Victoria has had a moratorium on onshore unconventional gas exploration and development since 2012. The vast majority of land in both the NT and South Australia is covered by either current tenements for petroleum exploration and development, or applications for exploration and development:

Gas production and exploration in Australia Showing petroleum tenements in Australia, which includes areas of exploration and production for unconventional gas such as coal seam gas, shale gas and tight gas Guardian Graphic | Data courtesy Energy & Resource Insights

In the NT and Western Australia, the unconventional gas reserves are primarily shale, which requires fracking.

The moratorium on unconventional gas development has just been lifted in the NT, leading to community protests and assurances from the NT government that the risks of fracking could be reduced to levels that are acceptable.