The Queensland Department of Environment and Science (DES) has conditionally approved Arrow’s amendment application for Environmental Authority (EA) 0001401, which covers Petroleum Lease 253.
Our application was granted after a thorough review by DES which considered advice on Arrow’s groundwater model provided by the Commonwealth Science and Investigative Research Organisation (CSIRO) and the Office of Groundwater Impact Assessment (OGIA).
The review by both independent science agencies supported Arrow’s assessment of a low short-term risk of groundwater contamination from the proposed 55-well development. The CSIRO recommended an expansion to the proposed monitoring and reporting program. This advice has been incorporated into the project’s conditions, to provide an additional level of confidence that the site will be properly managed.
What happens next?
As part of the conditions of the EA approval, Arrow is required to undertake additional groundwater monitoring within the Hopeland area.
Site preparation work commenced in December 2023, with new groundwater monitoring bores to be installed from mid-February 2024.
Arrow will collect a minimum of 12 months of additional groundwater monitoring information, before commencing development in the area.
What does the EA allow?
Under the Environmental Protection Act 1994 (EP Act), resource activities such as coal seam gas must be issued with an EA before operations start. The approval of the EA amendment allows Arrow to increase the number of wells within PL253 from the current six up to a total of 61 (55 new wells).
The extra wells are planned to be drilled from 34 pads in the south-east corner of the lease. The amendment also includes construction and operation of 100km of water and gas pipelines, access tracks and temporary construction camps.
The former Linc Energy underground coal gasification site is located within the boundaries of PL253. Arrow have no plans to drill coal seam gas wells there and will continue to monitor groundwater movement from the site.
To read the full EA amendment application and the government’s decision, visit the DES website at EA0001401 | Queensland Government (des.qld.gov.au).