2.3.4.1 Developing the coal resource development pathway

The coal resource development pathway (CRDP) is informed by companion product 1.2 for the Maranoa-Balonne-Condamine subregion (Sander et al., 2014) and based on the judgment of the Assessment team. The Assessment team used all publicly available evidence and followed the approach outlined in companion submethodology M04 (as listed in Table 1) for developing a coal resource development pathway (Lewis, 2014) to evaluate the potential for each coal resource development to proceed to future commercial production. The CRDP is based on information available as of July 2015 and was finalised after feedback provided at the CRDP workshop that was held in December 2014 in Toowoomba. Representatives from the Commonwealth Office of Water Science, state government departments and agencies, regional councils, and industry attended the workshop.

In bioregional assessments (BA) the CRDP includes all baseline plus any additional coal resource developments (ACRD) continuing into the future. The baseline is defined as a future that includes all coal mines and CSG fields that are commercially producing as of December 2012. The ACRD is defined as all coal mines and coal seam gas (CSG) fields, including expansions of baseline operations, that are expected to begin commercial production after December 2012. However, to ensure consistency with the groundwater modelling approach for the subregion, the definition of baseline includes all CSG developments in the Maranoa-Balonne-Condamine subregion that are reported in the 2014 Annual Report for the Surat cumulative management area (OGIA, 2014), which was prepared using the Office of Groundwater Impact Assessment (OGIA) numerical groundwater model (QWC, 2012). Groundwater modelling for the Maranoa-Balonne-Condamine subregion is described in more detail in companion product 2.6.2 for the Maranoa-Balonne-Condamine subregion (Janardhanan et al., 2016).

Five baseline coal mines, five baseline CSG fields and two coal mine project proposals are included in the CRDP for the Maranoa-Balonne-Condamine subregion. The location of each coal resource development in the Maranoa-Balonne-Condamine subregion is shown in Figure 27. Table 11 summarises baseline and additional coal resource developments included in the CRDP for the Maranoa-Balonne-Condamine subregion.

Figure 27 Baseline and additional coal resource developments included in the coal resource development pathway in the Maranoa-Balonne-Condamine subregion

Some of the coal seam gas (CSG) tenures are located outside the subregion, but are included in the coal resource development pathway (CRDP) as they contain gas fields located partially within the subregion boundaries.

All petroleum tenures shown are part of the baseline.

The maximum extent of the coal resource developments in CRDP is equal to the union of extents for baseline and additional coal resource development (ACRD). The mines in the CRDP are the sum of those in the baseline and in the ACRD.

Data: Bioregional Assessment Programme (Dataset 1), Department of Natural Resources and Mines (Dataset 2)

Table 11 Summary of baseline and additional coal resource developments (ACRD) included in the coal resource development pathway. The existing operations and proposed developments in the coal resource development pathway (CRDP) are the sum of those in the baseline and the ACRD

The primary activity in bioregional assessments (BAs) is the comparison of two potential futures: (i) the baseline coal resource development (baseline), a future that includes all coal mines and coal seam gas (CSG) fields that are commercially producing as of December 2012; and (ii) the coal resource development pathway (CRDP), a future that includes all coal mines and CSG fields that are in the baseline as well as those that are expected to begin commercial production after December 2012. The difference in results between CRDP and baseline is the change that is primarily reported in a BA. This change is due to the additional coal resource development (ACRD) – all coal mines and CSG fields, including expansions of baseline operations, that are expected to begin commercial production after December 2012.

Name of existing operation or proposed development	Coal mine or coal seam gas (CSG) operation	Company	Included in baseline?	Included in CRDP?	Start of mining operations or estimated project start	Projected mine life or estimated project life	Tenement(s)	Total coal resources (Mt)^a (for coal mines) or 2P^b gas reserves (for CSG) (PJ)	Comments
Cameby Downs Mine	Open-cut coal mine	Owned and operated by Syntech Resources Pty Ltd, managed by Yancoal Australia Ltd	Yes – model	Yes – model	2010	Expected mine life: 45 years	ML 50233	688 Mt	Operating mine
Commodore Mine	Open-cut coal mine	Majority owned by InterGen Australia Pty Ltd and Marubeni Corporation, mining services provided by Downer EDI Limited	Yes – model	Yes – model	2002	Expected mine life: 30 years	ML 50151	177 Mt	Operating mine
Kogan Creek Mine	Open-cut coal mine	Abadare Collieries Pty Ltd (subsidiary of CS Energy Ltd)	Yes – model	Yes – model	2007	Contracted operation until 2018	ML 50074	400 Mt	Operating mine. Life of mine unclear, operated by Golding Contractors
New Acland Coal Mine Stage 2	Open-cut coal mine	New Hope Group	Yes – model	Yes – model	2002	Reserves to be depleted by 2017	ML 50170, ML 50216	64 Mt product coal	Operating mine
Wilkie Creek Mine	Open-cut coal mine	Peabody Energy Inc.	Yes – model	Yes – model	1994	2013	ML 5908, ML 50208, ML 50214, ML 50215, ML 50276, ML 55004	NA	Mine operational 1994–2003, but mine has since been sold (as of July 2015). The transaction is expected to be finalised in the third quarter of 2015. This could indicate that the mine may be re-opened and expanded at some point in the future.
New Acland Coal Mine Stage 3	Open-cut coal mine (5,069 ha lease area, including 957 ha of proposed pits)	New Hope Group	No	Yes – model	Construction start: 2015	Production: 2017–2029 (12 years)	ML 50170, ML 50216	441 Mt	EIS approved note further EIS information has become available since companion product 1.2 for the Maranoa-Balonne-Condamine subregion (Sander et al., 2014) was written (see DSD, 2014) operating life planned to approx 2029. Plans available for progressing mining are noted in companion product 1.2 for the Maranoa-Balonne-Condamine subregion (Sander et al., 2014).
The Range	Open-cut coal mine (5,226 ha lease area, including 1,845 ha of proposed pits)	Stanmore Coal Limited	No	Yes – model	Construction start: 2014; production start: 2016	Mine life: 26 years	MLA 55001	287 Mt (approximately 157 Mt of ROM coal is proposed to be extracted)	EIS approved by Queensland Government (Stanmore Coal, 2013), waiting for Commonwealth approvals (Stanmore Coal, 2015)
Australia Pacific LNG Project	Coal seam gas wells (6,100 km² area with 6,500 wells at 800 m (minimum) spacing)	Australia Pacific LNG Pty Limited	Yes – model	Yes – model	Construction start: 2011	30 years; forecast end: 2035	PL 209, PL 215, PL 226, PL 265, PL 266, PL 267, 272, 297, PL 404, PL 408; ATP 606, ATP 663, ATP 692, ATP 972, ATP 973	9846 PJ (as of 31 December 2014)	gas fields in production included in the OGIA numerical groundwater model gas supply for two LNG trains with a capacity of 4.5 Mt/y each project construction more than 90% complete (as of 31 March 2015) first gas delivered to Curtis Island in February 2015 first LNG delivery scheduled for mid-2015.
Santos Gladstone LNG Project + GLNG Gas Field Development) Project	Coal seam gas wells (64,140 ha area with up to 600 wells)	Santos GLNG Pty Ltd	Yes – model	Yes – model	Construction start: 2011	Well life: 5–15 years; project life: 30 years; forecast end: 2045	PL 3, PL 6, PL 7, PL 8, PL 9, PL 13, PL 93, PL 309, PL 310, PL 314, PL 315, PL 10, PL 11; ATP 336, ATP 631	3,041 PJ (as of 31 December 2014)	gas fields in production, including extension to approved GLNG Project within already approved and additional tenements included in the OGIA numerical groundwater model gas supply for two LNG trains with a combined capacity of 7.8 Mt/y construction of project about 95% complete (as of 30 June 2015) first LNG production expected end of third quarter 2015.
Queensland Curtis LNG Project	Coal seam gas wells	QGC Pty Limited (BG Group)	Yes – model	Yes – model	Construction start: 2010; first gas to Curtis Island: 2013	Well life: 15–20 years; project life: 20–50 years	PL 179, PL 180, PL 201, PL 211, PL 212, PL 228, PL 229, PL 247, PL 257, PL 262, PL 273, PL 274, PL 275, PL 276, PL 277, PL 278, PL 279, PL 442, PL 443, PL 474, PL 458, PL 459, PL 461, PL 466, PL 472; ATP 574, ATP 621, ATP 632, ATP 648	10,067 PJ (as of 31 December 2014)	gas fields in production included in the OGIA numerical groundwater model gas supply for two LNG trains with a combined capacity of 8.5 Mt/y first gas for LNG production delivered December 2013 first train commenced LNG production December 2014, second train in May 2015 LNG plateau production anticipated by mid-2016.
Surat Gas Project	Coal seam gas wells	Arrow Energy Pty Ltd	Yes – model	Yes – model	2014	Well life: 15–20 years; project life; 35 years	PL 194, PL 198, PL 230, PL 238, PL 252, PL 258, PL 260; ATP 676, ATP 683, ATP 746, ATP 474, ATP 747, ATP 810	7,490 PJ (as of 31 December 2014)	gas fields in production included in the OGIA numerical groundwater model no financial commitment as of July 2015 Arrow Energy looking at multiple opportunities, including collaboration with one or more of the existing LNG projects, to develop its gas resource likely markets are the three other CSG to LNG projects currently under construction.
Ironbark Project	Coal seam gas wells	Origin Energy Limited	Yes – model	Yes – model	2016	Up to 40 years	ATP 788	259 PJ (as of 31 December 2014)	included in the OGIA numerical groundwater model EIS in preparation project currently consists of a number of pilot production, appraisal and monitoring wells to evaluate the gas resource.

^aIndicates the different resource classes that may combine to form the total resource tonnage – typically these are reported in accordance with the Joint Ore Reserves Committee (JORC) Code. For example, the different JORC resource classes of measured, indicated and inferred resources could be shown (or whichever combination of resource classes is applicable for each project).

^bProved plus probable reserves

ROM = run-of-mine, OGIA = Office of Groundwater Impact Assessment, LNG = liquified natural gas, ATP = authority to prospect, PL = petroleum lease, ML = mining lease, NA = not available

Last updated:

16 October 2018

2.3.4.1 Developing the coal resource development pathway

Product Finalisation date

Numbered headings

ASSESSMENT

PRODUCT DATA