Government inspectors head to Beetaloo gas site after saline pump-off

Damaged vegetation alerted Beetaloo workers to a leak at the site. Find out what happened.

Empire Energy gas processing plant.

Beetaloo gas player Empire Energy has self reported a saline pump-off incident at its Carpentaria Five well pad that caused vegetation damage to a contained area at the site.

Empire reported to the Department of Lands, Planning and Environment that rainwater was being pumped-off the lid of an enclosed above-ground wastewater storage tank from late last year at the Carpentaria Five well.

The statement said the rainwater was being channelled through an earthen drain to a vegetated area which had been slated for future clearing and well pad expansion on the south side of the Carpentaria Five well pad.

About 2000 litres - or about 12 barrels - was discharged from the well site over more than a fortnight.

The incident took place at the Carpentaria 5 well. Picture: Empire Energy

Empire said the rainwater had been sampled prior to pump-off and the water was confirmed to have met the discharge criteria for electrical conductivity and pH.

Sampling and rainwater pump-off commenced on December 24 and continued until January 8, when the vegetation where the fluid was being released was visually identified as being stressed.

Pumping was stopped and water sampled and identified to have high salinity indicating potential mixing with flowback fluid stored under the lid for re-use.

When vegetation stress was identified, Empire stopped the rainwater pump-off and rainwater and saline fluid in the earthen drain was removed.

The company made provision that flowback fluid stored under the storage tank lid be transferred back to an alternative tank to manage future levels and an investigation into the cause of the increased salinity was initiated.

Empire’s report to the Department said that going forward, the company would continually test removal of rainwater from tank lids to verify the fluid remained within the discharge criteria.

“The Regulator is making preliminary enquiries in response to the incident report,” a department spokesman said. “At this stage, no offences are alleged. As the incident notification has been received and inspectors are on site it would be premature to comment further.”

Empire Energy said the salinity had impacted several small trees and other vegetation in an area adjacent to a well site. In a statement Empire said the area had environmental approval to be cleared for additional operations on the site.

“The inadvertent release should not have happened,” the statement said. “Empire is investigating the cause and taking steps to ensure it is not repeated.”

Originally published as Government inspectors head to Beetaloo gas site after saline pump-off