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What is Natural Gas?
Natural Gas as the name suggests is a naturally occurring gas that is found deep underground. It is extracted via wells drilled into the ground, and is ready for use in homes and businesses following a simple filtering and separation process.
Natural Gas consists mainly of methane, the most greenhouse friendly fossil fuel. It is a non-toxic and odourless gas. Natural Gas is lighter than air and easily disperses in the event of a gas leak. An odorant is also added for added safety.
Australia has abundant supplies of Natural Gas, equal to about 91 years of supply at current production levels. Natural Gas accounts for 18.1% of primary energy use in Australia and has been forecast to increase this share as a result of the drive to lower Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions.
Where does it come from?
Historically the vast majority of Australian Natural Gas has come from three major basins, Cooper/Eromanga Basins in central Australia, the Gippsland Basin in Bass Strait and the Carnarvon Basin off the North West Shelf of Australia. Over the past decade a significant new source of Natural Gas has developed, coal seam methane. Coal seam methane is extracted from the extensive coal resources in NSW and Queensland, and is forecast to become a significant proportion of Natural Gas produced in Australia.
How does it get to my home or business?
Natural Gas in Australia is generally found in isolated regions long distances from major population centres, it is transported to our cities through a grid of 20,000km of high pressure cross-country pipelines. At the cities the pressure is reduced and the gas is transported to homes and businesses via a network of feeder and distribution mains. Australia’s gas distributors supply gas to over 3.5 million households and businesses, through over 75,000km of distribution networks.
