Environment

Natural gas (CSG) is widely considered to be the cleanest and most environmentally acceptable fossil fuel. There are well understood and proven benefits of CSG vs coal in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Coal based power generation emits nearly 50% more CO2 than gas fired technology.

Greenhouse reporting has been mandatory under the National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting Act 2007 (Cth) since 2008/9 as part of the national framework for the reporting of information about greenhouse gas emissions, greenhouse gas projects, and energy use and production of corporations.

AGL has voluntarily reported its greenhouse gas emissions in its annual Sustainability Report since 2004 and this has incorporated the emissions from our operated CSG projects since 2006/7.

Our sustainability performance has been recognised domestically and internationally by independent experts. AGL is included in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index World and Asia Pacific Index, the FTSE4Good Index Series, and the Australian SAM Sustainability Index.

In Australia, concerns about the environment sometimes go hand-in-hand with concerns about water. AGL takes every precaution including monitoring to ensure the protection of the shallow aquifers that are so vital to the communities in which it operates:

• Drilling is a regulated activity that must be carried out to set government and industry standards, and completed by qualified drilling contractors. AGL exceeds the standards imposed by government requirements.
• Every CSG well drilled by AGL has steel casing cemented in place, sealing it and the water contained in the coal seam from any possible connectivity between beneficial aquifers used by other stakeholders.
• AGL monitors to ensure no impact on water levels in beneficial aquifers and surface water bodies that are used by other stakeholders.
• AGL will work with stakeholders to identify beneficial re-uses of produced water from its CSG projects, as appropriate to the water and the environment.

The quantity of produced water resulting from the Hunter Project will likely be minimal due to the low permeability of the coal seams. Produced water quality is mostly slightly salty

Groundwater Monitoring

In 2009, the Broke Groundwater Monitoring program was established to help the local community understand what impacts, if any, there might be on groundwater resources as a result of exploration for natural gas. The groundwater investigation and monitoring program was developed by Parsons Brinckerhoff (PB), AGL and the former Bulga Community Consultation Committee (BCCC). Professor Garry Willgoose from the University of Newcastle was engaged by the BCCC as an independent expert to peer review the program.

AGL and PB have been carrying out a comprehensive monitoring and investigation program around the Broke and Bulga areas on local groundwater systems since early 2009. The monitoring program covers both shallow alluvium associated with Wollombi Brook and its tributaries, and shallow fractured rock.

The program involves identifying the current groundwater resources, baseline monitoring to understand natural fluctuations, then water level and water quality testing to see what happens to the groundwater systems when water is extracted from the deep coal seams. AGL is committed to continuing the baseline program, and building on what we have learned already.

Click here to learn more about AGL's ongoing Groundwater Monitoring Program in the Hunter.

CSIRO Report

AGL Upstream Gas, as part of its CSG exploration and production programs in NSW and QLD, commissioned a desktop study on the occurrence of naturally occurring hydrocarbons in groundwater from Permian coals measures and associated sedimentary rocks. The report prepared by CSIRO and Earth Science and Resource Engineering - Petroleum and Geothermal Research Portfolio Group concluded that most of the detected total petroleum hydrocarbons, PAH (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons) and BTEX (benzene, toluene, ethyl benzene and xylenes) compounds appear to be naturally occurring. The complete report is available here.

The AGL Weather Station

Weather affects the agricultural activities of and tourism in the Hunter Valley. It also affects the way AGL conducts its operations. Understanding the weather helps AGL manage the environmental concerns, such as noise, that are associated with our activities. That's why we have the AGL Weather Station located at Spring Mountain Vineyard on Oakley Lane in Broke. Its coordinates are:

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For your convenience and interest, we have added real time monitors to the weather station so you can see the weather over Broke at regular intervals throughout the day. We have also captured the historical weather data. This information can be accessed by clicking the button below.