Onshore Energy Security Program - Five year Work Plan

Geothermal Project
January 2007–June 2011

This project aims to improve our knowledge of the type and location of geothermal resources in Australia on a national scale, and encourage investment, exploration & exploitation of this energy source through provision of precompetitive geoscience datasets relevant to geothermal energy. Objectives of the Geothermal Project are:

• Collect new heat flow data across Australia to better define and locate geothermal resources.
• Complete source and trap modelling to identify potential ‘hot rock’ geothermal systems.
• Compile national datasets for use by the geothermal industry, such as bottom-of-hole temperatures, groundwater temperatures, granite and sediment geochemistry and heat production, rock thermal conductivities, locations of recent volcanic activity and hot springs, and thermal-IR imaging of shallow hydrothermal circulation systems.
• Build a geothermal information system to effectively store new heat-flow data and make this data easily accessible to the public, industry and researchers.
• Use these new datasets to produce a revised estimate of Australia's total contained geothermal resource.

A gravity survey (4 x 4km spacing) to identify granites beneath parts of the Cooper Basin in southwest Queensland was completed in June 2007.

Visit the Geothermal Energy project page for more information.

Uranium Systems Project
July 2007-June 2011

The Uranium Systems Project will focus in 2007-2008 on documenting the spatial distribution of uranium-rich rocks and uranium occurrences in Australia, commencing in the regional project areas of the OESP. Other work on uranium mineral systems will address the mineralogical siting of uranium within U-rich igneous rocks, and the processes of uranium transport and deposition, including numerical modelling of U mineralising processes.

In future years of the OESP the Uranium Systems Project in conjunction with the regional projects will progressively focus on regional prospectivity analysis of uranium as results begin to flow from the regional projects (e.g. seismic, AEM). The results will be synthesised at both regional and national scales. GA will carry out this work in consultation and collaboration with the State and NT geological surveys.

The radiometrics datum survey (AWAGS2, commenced March 2007) and National Geochemical Survey will provide key datasets for the Uranium Systems Project.

Visit the Uranium Systems project page for more information.

Thorium Project
July 2007-June 2008

Limited resource data indicate that Australia probably holds at least 15% of the world’s thorium resources that could constitute a cleaner nuclear fuel alternative for power generation some time in the next 15 to 20 years. This project will provide informed advice on thorium resources to the Government and the power generation industry, and maintain a strategic watch-brief on developments in thorium fuel for nuclear power generation. It will include an initial report on Australia's thorium resources and the geochemical processes controlling the distribution of thorium in the Earth’s crust. Following the initial report, it is planned to upgrade the available data on Australia ’s thorium resources for publication in Australia’s Identified Mineral Resources.

Visit the Thorium project page for more information.

Onshore Hydrocarbons Project
July 2007-June 2011

The Onshore Petroleum Project will involve a staged program of dataset acquisition involving the collection of airborne magnetics and radiometrics and where appropriate gravity followed by seismic reflection data. Three areas have been identified for potential investigation:

• Sub-salt plays in the Kidson Sub-basin (WA).
• Eromanga, Cooper, Pedirka, and Warburton Basins (SA, Qld , NT) — A whole-of-crust geodynamic framework study is required to better understand the geodynamic and petroleum system evolution. This area contains some of the oldest and poorest quality magnetics datasets in onshore Australia. Basement structures beneath many parts of these basins are poorly defined.
• Lander Trough (NT) — Deep crustal seismic survey proposed.
• Darling Basin (Rankin Springs Trough, NSW) — identify potential source rocks for a Darling Basin petroleum system, and seismic acquisition.

An aeromagnetic survey (800m line spacing) of the Kidson Sub-basin in northern WA commenced in April 2007. Additionally, seismic data from surveys carried out in the 1980s in the Canning Basin have been transcribed to modern digital formats, and will be available from GSWA in late 2007.

Mt Isa-Georgetown Project
Commenced October 2006

This project builds on earlier GA/AGSO/BMR work in the Mt Isa region. GA’s continuing involvement in this region centres on interpretation of a seismic reflection survey carried out jointly with GSQ in late 2006 as the first seismic survey in the OESP (results due for public release in March 2008) and the compilation of regional datasets to support this interpretation. Under the OESP a major new seismic dataset is being acquired, from the Mt Isa region to Georgetown thence to Charters Towers. These data will be integrated with existing and new geological, geochemical and geochronological data to define the uranium and geothermal energy potential of northern Queensland, as well as potential for other mineral commodities.

Gawler-Curnamona Project
Commenced July 2007

This project will collect geological and geophysical datasets and synthesise existing information to reduce the risk associated with exploration for uranium, geothermal energy, and other mineral systems in the Curnamona Province, Mt Painter region, and Gawler Craton of South Australia, and to identify areas with untested potential. The Project will be undertaken in collaboration with PIRSA. Activities for 2007-08 include a data compilation and analysis phase, including scoping of the key science questions, and the planning and commencement of acquisition of seismic reflection data.

Visit the Gawler-Curnamona project page for more information.

Northern Territory Project
Commenced July 2007

This project will collect geological and geophysical datasets and synthesise existing information to reduce the risk associated with exploration for uranium, thorium and other mineral systems in the Northern Territory, and to identify areas with untested potential. This will involve close linkages with the Northern Territory Geological Survey. Main activities for 2007-08 include a data compilation and analysis phase, scoping of the key science questions, and commencing acquisition of geological data to assist in the interpretation of future seismic and AEM data sets.

Visit the Northern Territory project page for more information.

Northern Western Australia
Commenced July 2007

This project will collect geological and geophysical datasets and synthesise existing information to reduce the risk associated with exploration for uranium, thorium, geothermal energy, and other mineral systems in the northern part of Western Australia, and to identify areas with untested potential. This will involve close linkages with the Geological Survey of Western Australia. Main activities for 2007-08 include a data compilation and analysis phase, scoping of the key science questions, and acquisition, processing and preliminary interpretation of an AEM dataset in the Paterson Province.

Visit the Northern Western Australia project page for more information.