New non-fracking technology close to market but scientists and farmers need more convincing
The jury is out on new non-fracking technology, which is close to commercialisation, as critics still need more convincing.
A new water-jet drill, developed by a Brisbane-based company, uses a small amount of water compared to traditional fracking and uses a radial (horizontal) drilling technique in existing holes.
The chair of the Australian Dairy Farmers (ADF) council, Daryl Hoey, said the group would need independent advice before endorsing a drill that uses high-pressure water instead of fracking.
"We'd rely on experts out of organisations like the CSIRO and state government departments to guide our policy position on this," he said.
"I would always be very wary of commercial operations making a sales pitch along these lines."
Fracking is the common term used for the hydraulic fracturing of rocks in shale deposits and coal seams to release methane gas.
The process uses large amounts of water, some sand and chemicals, and concern about the practice and its long-term effects have led some states and territories to place moratoria on fracking or ban it outright.
At the top of that list for farmers is the unknown adverse impacts on both groundwater and aquifers.
Mr Hoey said the concerns go beyond the farm gate and have potential to affect Australia's international reputation as a clean, green producer of dairy products.
"Companies like Fonterra, Murray Goulburn, Burra Foods are very export-orientated, particularly into Europe and Asia," he said.
"They want our products over there, [but] we have to maintain and prove our sustainability credentials and be able to stand by them."
Dairy farming is particularly energy-intensive with the need for pasture irrigation, twice-a-day milking, and refrigeration.
Mr Hoey said like many farmers, his electricity bill has almost doubled and greater access to gas may help drive those prices down.
The ADF supports the ban on fracking but does not support the Victorian State Government ban on onshore gas drilling, which it labels a "political fix" that could be feeding into the price rises.
Water drill developers welcome scrutiny
The Brisbane-based company developing the water drill is the Australian arm of V2H International.
CEO Doug Henderson said recent trials in coal-bearing regions of Queensland had reinforced the ability of the water-jet drill to be accurate enough to ensure it was able to drill above or below aquifers with no damage.
He conceded that even if it could, it did not alleviate the concerns of many that gas released by the process could migrate into groundwater and aquifers.
"Geologically speaking there can be a series of connections between different parts of geology in an area and there's no guarantees anywhere," Mr Henderson said.
"All we can do is work to try to mitigate any potential for any damage, so we work with operators to give them some tools to increase the likelihood of recovering the resource without damaging anything."
It is a sentiment not likely to find favour with those against any forms of gas extraction, but Mr Henderson welcomed the scrutiny.
"It's fair enough if they've got concerns and they need to air them — that's the good part about being in Australia — you get a chance to air your concerns and have a think about it and be part of a debate," he said.
"And to be clear, the water-jet drill isn't going to fix every problem everywhere, that's for sure. It's a niche tool with certain applications in areas it works within."
Independent scientist sees merit but questions commerciality of water-jet drill
The University of New South Wales is one of the many academic and private institutes working to develop new gas extraction techniques.
The head of the School of Petroleum Engineering at UNSW is Professor Klaus Regenaur-Lieb who comes from a specialist background in geothermal energy.
Professor Regenaur-Lieb has looked into some of the claims by V2H International about the water-jet drill.
"The technology certainly is something that looks promising, and it's a step in the right direction to look at alternatives to classical hydraulic fracturing," he said.
"And absolutely, as you can control it directly, it's much better in terms of its environmental impacts and it's certainly a way forward.
"The question is, however, is it something that can be scaled up, that can be made commercial at the [gas] reservoir level?"