Responsible and transparent management of coal seam gas (CSG) brine is needed to avoid the erosion of industry social acceptance, according to research from the UQ Gas & Energy Transition Research Centre.
The research, which was recently presented at the AEP 2026 Conference, saw Centre researchers conduct a series of focus group discussions with participants in towns across the Surat basin and online with participants across the broader southeast Queensland region. In addition to the focus group discussions, the researchers analysed 57 news articles referring to CSG brine from the last 10 years to better understand the public attitudes towards brine produced by CSG operations and how it should be managed in the long term.
Brine is created from the water treatment process when CSG production water is treated and reused in agriculture and other purposes. Studies have shown that salt encapsulation facilities (SEF) are currently the most viable mid- to long-term method for safely managing brine.
Long-term management remains a major concern
Researchers met in-person with community leaders and landholders from Roma, Miles, Wandoan, Chinchilla, and Dalby, as well as online with broader Western Downs and Maranoa residents and a representative sample from across Southeast Queensland.
The focus group discussions involved expert technical presentations on brine and its management options, as outlined in the Queensland Government’s Coal Seam Gas Brine Management Action Plan 2023–2033, with a focus on eliciting responses to the SEF option.
Lead researcher Associate Professor Katherine Witt said the discussions revealed a wide range of responses to SEF as the most likely brine management solution. While many expressed concerns about local environmental and agricultural land protection, the main point of discussion was about which entities would be responsible for maintenance and monitoring of the facilities in the long term, and how they would be held accountable over the life span of the facility.
“Brine management remains one of the most visible and enduring environmental issues associated with CSG development.”
Associate Professor Katherine Witt
Centre Director
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“In particular, there was concern over how brine will be managed in the long term once gas fields have been decommissioned and the operators have left.”
“There is also concern that establishing a SEF would disincentivise further innovation and research into alternative solutions and beneficial reuse options for the salt and brine products, especially if new technologies and opportunities to use the salt products could bring mutual benefits for existing or future industries in the region."
“Residents in the local area want to be engaged early in the preliminary planning stages for CSG brine solution options, not when the SEF is already a “done deal. Residents less proximate (broader SEQ) said they would accept a SEF “if the local residents were OK with it."
“Both groups want to see that research on alternative uses for brine continues, and options to recover the encapsulated salt for beneficial use remain open.”
If you’d like to learn more about this topic or arrange a meeting with the lead researcher, contact gas-energy@uq.edu.au.
