Australian carbon capture trial drilling starts

The Australian Department of Mines and Petroleum has begun drilling in Harvey, south of Perth, to find out whether carbon emissions can be stored underground.

The South West Hub project will collect data and samples at the Harvey One Well up to a 3km depth.

The AUD8.5m project is the first non-commercial one of its kind in Western Australia and the second in Australia. An experimental well has been operating in Victoria for the past three years.

According to the department’s carbon strategy coordinator Dominique Van Gent, the trial will take up to three years. Its successful completion will mean that carbon can be stored commercially. “Then there is a brighter future for industry in the area and it’ll make a very significant contribution to lowering the amount of greenhouse gases in Western Australia and particularly in the South West,” Mr Van Gent said.