Cool Energy investigates plant potential for Cooper Basin

UNLISTED Western Australian energy research company, Cool Energy Ltd, has teamed with Sydney-based petroleum explorer, Great Artesian Oil and Gas Ltd, to investigate the potential for a CryoCell gas processing plant in South Australia’s Cooper Basin. Great Artesian Oil and Gas said the proposed plant would produce sales gas, LPG and condensate, as well as capture and store carbon dioxide (geo-sequestration). “We are excited that this could offer the potential to commercialise our existing gas discoveries and to create value from existing and future carbon credits in a carbon-aware market,” Great Artesian managing director Andy Carroll said. The two companies envisage a plant capable of treating 20 million standard cubic feet of gas per day. It would be one of the first project’s to use pioneering greenhouse gas reduction technology developed by Cool Energy and proven in tests and field trials over the past two years at Arc Energy Ltd’s Xyris gas field in the Perth Basin. Cool’s technology was initially developed at Curtin University, with backing by Shell, which later became a shareholder. Woodside Petroleum has also been involved in the field trials. The potential project development would involve production wells, a gathering system to feed gas and condensate into a central facility, processing the gas by dehydration, capture and sequestering of CO2, followed by separation of condensate and LPG, before sales gas compression and transmission via the main gas pipelines to Adelaide and Sydney. Cool managing director Jessie Inman said her company was excited about the potential for its proprietary CryoCell gas processing technology. “It not only has the potential to unlock previously uneconomic gas reserves, but ultimately will give natural gas very strong ‘green’ credentials in a decarbonised energy future,” she said.