South West Hub

The department led and managed the South West Hub Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) research project. It was funded by the Australian Government’s CCS Flagships program. This project aimed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in Western Australia by investigating whether carbon dioxide (CO₂) could be safely stored deep underground in the Lesueur Sandstone formation. Between 2011 and 2015, the South West Hub CCS research project gathered data and core samples through seismic surveys in the Harvey and Waroona Shires and stratigraphic wells in the Harvey Shire, north-west of the Harvey townsite. The Lesueur Sandstone formation, a highly saline aquifer, is closer to the surface compared to areas south of Australind and north of Pinjarra. Importantly, the Yarragadee freshwater aquifer is not present in this region. Analysis of the data and samples, using four generations of computer modelling between 2010 and 2018, confirmed the Lesueur Sandstone’s suitability as a permanent storage reservoir for CO₂ under various scenarios. This provided confidence in meeting the project’s success criteria: injecting 800,000 tonnes of CO₂ per year for 30 years and ensuring it stayed within the reservoir for at least 1000 years. Confidence in the suitability of the Lesueur Sandstone as a CO₂ storage reservoir increased following the latest modelling by Odin Reservoir Consultants. Their 2018 report, Dynamic Model of the Harvey Area, showed that the Lesueur met the project’s success criteria and that injected CO₂ stopped migrating through the formation after 500 years. This modelling was designed to guide future investment decisions about carbon capture and storage (CCS) in the South West.