As a result of increased and improved exploration in recent years, significant oil and gas discoveries were made in 15 of the 25 main sedimentary basins in Australia and in Papua.
Altogether 1,269 wells totalling 5,343,200 feet were drilled to 30th September, 1966; 47 wells were completed for oil production and 93 for gas; of these, 23 oil and 2 gas wells are currently producing. The cost of this effort to the end of 1965 was $US. 414.33 million including $US. 90 million spent in Papua.
Proved and probable gas reserves found to date are of the order of 7 trillion (million million) CU ft.
Natural gas will make a significant contribution to the Australian primary energy consumption in competition with coal and petroleum products. Potential markets for gas are few, but they will grow and indigenous natural gas may capture the share of the market presently dominated by petroleum products, including residual fuels.
Gas reservoirs are predominantly sandstones, ranging in age from the Lower Ordovician (Amadeus Basin), through Middle Devonian (Adavale Basin), Permian (Perth, Cooper, Bowen Basins), Jurassic (Perth, Surat, Papuan Basins), Cretaceous (Papuan, Gippsland, Carnarvon Basins) to Tertiary (Gippsland Basin); limestone forms the reservoirs in the Tertiary of the Papuan Basin.
The structures are essentially anticlinal; some are modified by faulting. Stratigraphic traps in silty sands which have rapid permeability variations are common in the Surat Basin.
Most of the reservoirs are in marine Sediments, but reservoirs are essentially non-marine in the Cooper, Surat, and Gippsland Basins.
EXPLORATION AND DISCOVERIES (Fig. 1) The discovery of natural gas in Australia dates back to 1900 when a water well at Roma in Queensland by J. N. CASEY and M. C. KONECKI Bureau of Mineral Resources, Geology and Geophysics, Department of National Development, Canberra, Australia
Grâce à l'accroisement et à l'amélioration de l'exploration dans ces dernières années, des découvertes importantes d'huile et de gaz ont été faites dans 15 des 25 principaux bassins sédimentaires d'Australie et de Papua.
En tout, 1269 puits totalisant 5.343.000 pieds ont été forés au 30 Septembre 1966; 47 de ces puits étant productifs d'huile et 93 de gaz; sur ce total 23 puits sont actuellement exploités pour l'huile et 2 pour le gaz. Le prix de cet effort à la fin de 1965 était de U.S.$414,33 millions dont U.S. $90 millions pour la Papua.
Les réserves de gaz prouvées et probables à ce jour sont de l'ordre de 7 trillion de pieds cubes.
Le gaz naturel apportera une contribution importante dans la consommation d'énergie primaire en Australie, en compétition avec le charbon et les produits pétroliers. Le marché potentiel pour le gaz est actuellement faible mais il va croître et le gaz naturel local peut capturer l
