Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) is a critical technology to deliver step change de-carbonisation, or reduction of Carbon Dioxide (CO2), for industrial economies that are implementing climate change mitigation objectives. According to the European Commission Directive “Geological storage of CO2 in saline aquifers is considered a key option because of their widespread distribution and large theoretical storage capacity”.

The South West Hub Project led by the Department of Energy, Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety (DEMIRS) in Western Australia has been investigating and characterising the Lesueur sandstone as a potential target injection and storage formation since 2007. As expected with an unconfined saline aquifer, the project started with limited data, particularly when compared to sites based in oil and gas field areas. Working with research institutions and private sector expertise the project has judiciously acquired data on a stage gated decision basis. Starting with a 2D seismic over 110 line-km in 2011 and a deep well to 2,945 metres in 2012 the project was able to move through various modelling stages and uncertainty tables, before undertaking a complex 3D seismic over 115km2 in 2014 and then drilling three “shallow to intermediate depth wells” (1,350m, 1,550m and 1,800m) in 2015 that gave good areal coverage, significant core and logging data on targeted critical sub-surface formations. As more information became available, so did the level of sophistication and granularity of the models: 2010: Generation 1 Models - >100 layers -10 million cells; 2013: Generation 2 Models –> 357 layers - 30 million cells; 2016: Generation 3 Models- >1,100 layers - 214 million cells; 2018: Generation 4 Models -> 1,100 layers - 256 million cells and 1.96 million active cells for dynamic modelling.

The SW Hub is unique insofar as it relies on proving primary containment through “Migration Assisted Trapping” (MAT - sometimes referred to as Migration Assisted Storage or MAS) in the Wonnerup Member of the Lesueur Formation, a 1,500 metre thick relatively homogenous sandstone layer. Security of secondary containment is considered through the overlying paleosol packages in the Yalgorup Member, a 800 metre thick sequence of sand and paleosol deposits

The data, information and modelling produced as part of the SW Hub Project is publicly available through the WAPIMS system. Each of the sections below on this spreadsheet refers to one of the activities undertaken as part of the SW Hub project. Please click on the project activity link to go direct to the WAPIMS report.

Some raw data, such as that obtained by the seismic survey and modelling, is too large to download and is therefore not available through the normal WAPIMS system. However, this material can be requested through the link on the appropriate tab.

A range of non-technical background material, research, articles and papers can be found on our web site at www.dmp.wa.gov.au/ccs. This site is recommended for people with a general interest in the project.

The Department of Energy, Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety expresses its thanks and appreciation to the Commonwealth Department of Industry, Innovation and Science for the funding of the South West Hub project through the CCS Flagships Program.