The CSG industry is a rapidly expanding resource industry in Queensland located primarily in the Surat, Bowen and Galilee Basins.

For more information about CSG, landholder rights and where to go for advice, please see the links at the left.

What is CSG?

CSG is a gas mainly consisting of methane that is held in water pressurised coal seams. In the Surat Basin the CSG target area is the Walloon Coal Measures, which are typically between 300m-900m underground. In the Bowen and Galilee Basins the target area can be up to 1250m deep.

CSG involves drilling hundreds of meters underground to the coal seams and pumping out water and gas. These seams are pressurised, so water must be pumped out to allow the gas to flow to the surface. When the water and gas are brought to the surface, a separator directs the gas to a central processing facility through a gathering system and the water is generally sent into a holding dam or tank onsite temporarily to determine quality before being directed to a central facility for processing or treatment. Most of the gas will eventually be pumped to liquefied natural gas (LNG) facilities being built at Gladstone for export.

Companies obtaining access and landholder rights

Most Queensland deeds/titles contain a clause stating that all minerals and resources found under the surface of the earth remain the property of all Queensland people and that the Queensland Government reserves the rights to manage these for the benefit of all Queenslanders. Once a resource company has met certain legislative requirements, the government provides authority to that company to extract the resource and access private land.

Before a gas company can obtain a permit for exploration or production of CSG, environmental and rehabilitation performance requirements are set as conditions that must be addressed. One such permit is an Environmental Authority (EA) from the Queensland Government. The EA defines what authorised activities (drilling wells, building pipelines, dams etc.) a resource company can carry out under Queensland legislation. To obtain this authority a resource company must submit (depending on the project classification) an Environmental Management Plan (EMP) and/or Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to the Department of Environment and Heritage Protection (DEHP). The EMP or EIS must address the social, physical and environmental effects of the project, as well as the potential cumulative impacts of the already approved projects and how these will be managed and minimised.

To find more about the approvals companies must obtain, the land access process, laws involved and landholder rights, visit the rights and responsibilities page.