Annual Research Review

The Gas & Energy Transition Research Centre Annual Research Review is our showcase event. It's an opportunity for Research Chairs and chief investigators to provide valuable insights into the current status of the Centre's research program, highlights from throughout the year and future perspectives.

In addition to an overview of Centre research, the Review includes concurrent workshops on research developments, poster presentations and a lively panel discussion.

The event is attended by industry, government, university and community stakeholders alike.

Annual Research Review 2024

We are pleased to present the UQ Gas & Energy Transition Research Centre’s 2024 Annual Research Review.

The half-day event will showcase the multidisciplinary research undertaken across the Centre this year and provide insights into what the Centre's priorities will be in 2025 and beyond.

Time: 1:00 pm - 6:00 pm (registration from 12:30pm; canapes and drinks from 4:30pm)
Date: Thursday 28th November 2024
Location: Advanced Engineering Building, The University of Queensland

Register
Registrations close 15 November 2024

Program

12:30pm

Registration 

1:00pm

Welcome and overview 
Professor David Close, Gas & Energy Transition Research Centre Director

1:20pm

Research updates and panel discussion with theme leaders

  • Dr Joe Lane, Decarbonisation and Energy Transition themes leader
  • Associate Professor Phil Hayes, Environment and Decarbonisation themes leader
  • Associate Professor Kathy Witt, Communities & Coexistence theme leader

2:30pm

Afternoon tea and research poster session

3:10pm

Guest speaker address

3:30pm

Panel discussion: Transition technology acceptance and the CTSCo CCS experience

  • Darren Greer
  • Associate Professor Kathy Witt
  • Dr Julie Pearce

4:20pm

Closing remarks
Professor David Close, Gas & Energy Transition Research Centre Director

4:30pm

Networking session with canapes and drinks

6:00pm

Event concludes

Directions

The event will be held on The University of Queensland's St Lucia Campus. For information about the campus, including public transport and parking options, visit this page

Annual Research Review 2023

The Centre is pleased to present its 2023 Research Review, which covers activities and outcomes from our research focus areas, and a look forward to 2024.

Thursday 23rd November 2023
UQ Advanced Engineering Building, Room 301 - 1:00 pm - 5:00 pm

Program

1:00pmRegistration 
1:30pmWelcome and overview
Assoc. Professor Phil Hayes, Acting Director, UQ Centre for Natural Gas
1.55pmPanel discussion on: ‘The social license challenges for Queensland’s Energy Transition’ to include:
  • A/Prof Kathy Witt, Centre for Natural Gas 
  • Warwick Squire of GasFields Commission Queensland 
  • Dana Boxall, GM Community and Delivery Services, Powerlink QLD
  • Dr. Joe Lane, Centre for Natural Gas 
3.10pmAfternoon tea and posters presentations 
3.45pmConcurrent workshops

OPTION A - Room 316
Depletion geomechanics and coal shrinkage

 

OPTION B - Room 313
Lessons learnt in Queensland’s gas industry - 10 years on from LNG exports

 

OPTION C - Room 316A
Challenges in Methane attribution

Led by
A/Professor Chris Leonardi

 

Led by
A/Prof Kathy Witt 

 

Led by
Dr Sebastian Hoerning, Mr. Iain Rodger, Dr. Joe Lane
 

04:50 pm          Closing remarks

05:00 pm        Canapes (Level 5, Advanced Engineering Building) 

Centre research is only possible due to funding provided by the industry (Arrow Energy, APLNG and Santos) and The University of Queensland.

In 2022 the Centre was pleased to present its Research Review, after a three year break.

Annual Research Review 2022
UQ Advanced Engineering Building, Room 301
8 December 2022, 12:30 pm - 5:00 pm

Program

12:30pmRegistration and Lunch
1:00pm

Welcome and overview
Professor Andrew Garnett, Director, UQ Centre for Natural Gas

1.15pmThe role of the Independent Expert Scientific Committee on Coal Seam Gas and Large Coal Mining Development
Assoc. Professor Phil Hayes, UQ Centre for Natural Gas
1.20pmAn overview of the Strategic Regional Environmental and Baseline Assessment in the Beetaloo Basin
Dr Kathy Witt, UQ Centre for Natural Gas
1.25pmA review of co-existence principles and institutions
Ms Rachael Hanna, QLD Dept of Resources
1:45pmConcurrent workshops

OPTION A - Room 316
Ground motion in the Surat Basin: Extents, Magnitudes and Mechanisms

 

OPTION B - Room 316A
Unpacking ESG ratings and their impact on business

 

OPTION C - Room 317
Using drones to measure fugitive emissions

Led by
Associate Professor Phil Hayes and Sarah Brennand

 

Led by
Dr Kathy Witt and Drs Janny Spilsbury-Schakel

 

Led by
Dr Sebastian Hoerning

 
2:45 pm          Afternoon tea & poster presentations

3:30 pm          Presentation and discussion:  How the Russian invasion of Ukraine is impacting the global energy transition (with a focus on Queensland)

04:30 pm        Closing remarks

04:45 pm        Canapes (Level 5, Advanced Engineering Building)

Centre research is only possible due to funding provided by the industry (Arrow Energy, APLNG and Santos) and The University of Queensland.

Posters

Energy Supply

Decarbonisation

Environment, Social and Governance

The presentation deck and copies of the research posters are available for download below. Scroll down to the bottom of this page for the program for this year's event.

Presentations & summaries

1. Research Review: presentation deck (pdf)
2. Research Review: panel session summary
3. Concurrent workshops: workshop summaries (pdf)

Posters

Research challenge #1: Reducing operating expenditure

Research challenge #2: Heterogeneity and connectivity

Research challenge #3: Converting contingent resources to commercially recoverable resources

Social

Program

Annual Research Review 2019
UQ Advanced Engineering Building, Conference Room 200
12 December 2019, 12:30 pm - 6:00 pm
12:30 pmWelcome  
 

Address from the Executive Dean

Prof Vicki Chen
Executive Dean, UQ Faculty of Engineering, Architecture & Information Technology

01:10 pm        The year in review

 

Achievements & traction throughout 2019

Prof Andrew Garnett
Director, UQ Centre for Natural Gas

01:30 pm         Research portfolio

Geosciences

Prof Suzanne Hurter
Energi Simulation Chair in Onshore Gas Modelling, UQ Centre for Natural Gas

Water

Assoc Prof Phil Hayes
Chair of Water Resources and Gas Development,  UQ Centre for Natural Gas

Petroleum Engineering

Dr Christopher Leonardi
Advance Queensland Fellow,
UQ School of Mechanical and Mining Engineering

Social

Dr Kathy Witt
Research fellow,
UQ Centre for Natural Gas

02:10 pm         Panel:  What is the role of gas in the transition (and for that matter what is the transition)

Statutory authority
Ian Langdon
Commissioner and Chair,
Gasfields Commission

Industry
Georgy Mayo
Queensland Director,
APPEA

Industry
Richard Jeffery

General Manager Commercial Strategy,
Stanwell Corporation Limited

Energy research expert
Prof Tapan Saha
Professor, UQ School of Information Technology and Electrical Engineering

02:50 pm        Afternoon tea & student posters

03:20 pm        Concurrent workshops

OPTION A
Challenges in the communication of technical information

 

OPTION B
Walloons Springbok interface: when is an aquifer not an aquifer?

 

OPTION C
What’s new in understanding the Great Artesian Basins – the research is in, what’s next?

 

Led by
Dr Kathy Witt

 

Led by
Prof Suzanne Hurter

 

Led by
Ass Prof Phil Hayes

04:30 pm        Closing

04:45 pm        Canapes on level 5

 

The research into Australian natural gas is only made possible by vital funding provided by the industry (Arrow Energy, APLNG and Santos) and the University of Queensland.

The University of Queensland Centre for Natural Gas (formerly known as the Centre for Coal Seam Gas) conducts real-world research focussed on optimising Australia’s natural gas industry terms of environmental performance, social performance, and optimisation of cost of operation and production (which in turns affect both availability and market price). With natural gas flagged to play a major role in reducing emissions over the next 20-30 years as the world transitions to renewables and low carbon energy solutions, the role of research and innovation in gas has a key part to play in the portfolio of other growing energy sources. Australia’s abundant gas resources create the potential for the country to be a major global supplier of natural gas to help meet the increasing demand for cleaner, affordable energy over the transition decades to lower emissions. The UQ Centre for Natural Gas provides cutting-edge, multi-disciplinary research and advice in the sustainable development and management of Australia's abundant natural gas resources.

Event:   Annual Research Review 2018
Date:     7th December 2018

Posters

Water

Petroleum Engineering

Geoscience

Carbon Capture & Storage (CCS)

Independent

 

Annual Research Review 2016

9 December 2016

Posters

Water

The Centre’s water related research addresses the impacts of natural gas extraction on groundwater and surface water resources; the hydraulic connectivity of natural gas and agricultural aquifers; and the development of adaptive water and environmental management strategies.

Social Performance

The Centre seeks to provide new knowledge to help government and industry manage social and economic impacts at a regional scale, develop strategies that enhance the social performance capacity of the industry and deliver positive, long-term development outcomes for communities impacted by natural gas. Researchers design and apply innovative community engagement methodologies, examine issues associated with the management of cumulative impacts and develop evidence-based contributions to policy debate about the regulation of the sector.

Petroleum Engineering

Research in the area of Petroleum Engineering includes aspects of reservoir characterisation, development and dynamic behaviour, drilling, well completions as well as stimulation and enhancement technologies. Other research examines aspects of the techno-economics of gas exploitation and recovery and field related engineering including optimisation, process control and site rehabilitation.

Geoscience

The Centre’s significant expertise in geoscience includes geology, geophysics and geochemistry. Research is seeking to provide new knowledge on basin analysis and characterisation, the origins of natural gas, exploration targeting within the geological setting, and natural factors that establish the nature of the reservoir for natural gas.

 

Annual Research Review 2015

7 December 2015

Posters

Water

The Centre’s water related research addresses the impacts of CSG extraction on groundwater and surface water resources; the hydraulic connectivity of coal seam and agricultural aquifers; and the development of adaptive water and environmental management strategies.

Social Performance

The Centre seeks to provide new knowledge to help government and industry manage social and economic impacts at a regional scale, develop strategies that enhance the social performance capacity of the industry, and deliver positive, long term development outcomes for communities impacted by CSG. Researchers design and apply innovative community engagement methodologies, examine issues associated with the management of cumulative impacts and develop evidence-based contributions to policy debate about the regulation of the sector.

Petroleum Engineering

Research in the area of Petroleum Engineering includes aspects of reservoir characterisation, development and dynamic behaviour, drilling, well completions, and stimulation and enhancement technologies. Other research examines aspects of the techno-economics of gas exploitation and recovery, and field related engineering including optimisation, process control and site rehabilitation.

Geoscience

The Centre’s significant expertise in geoscience includes geology, geophysics and geochemistry. Research is seeking to provide new knowledge on basin analysis and characterisation, the origins of coal seam gas, exploration targeting within the geological setting, and natural factors that establish the nature of the reservoir for CSG.

Independent PhD and Masters Research

These research projects cover a broad range of issues including regional geological structures, geological modelling, produced water treatment, communication tools, community investment, community health, business innovation and gas emissions. A few of these students’ projects are featured in this book, providing insight into the great diversity of research being undertaken. While some of the featured research is well-advanced, other projects are in their initial phases and the specific research questions are still being developed.