CEDA's latest research, Australia's Unconventional Energy Options, reveals the economic opportunities and  environmental challenges for unconventional energy in Australia.

Unconventional energy sources, called this because of the non-traditional and more difficult geological rocks the gas is extracted from, include three main types: coal seam, tight and shale gas.

Australia has significant reserves of energy and utilising these resources could have substantial economic benefit to Australia while also helping to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, if they are used to replace higher emission sources currently used such as coal.

In addition to examining the economic opportunities unconventional energy presents in Australia, this policy perspective makes policy recommendations on:

• Water management;
• The current regulatory regime for unconventional energy sources;
• Property rights issues between landowners and mining companies; and
• The critical lessons that Australia can learn from the unconventional energy developments in the US.

Australia's Unconventional Energy Options is the final of three policy perspectives in CEDA's Australia's Energy Options research series. 

Chapters and authors

Challenges and opportunities for Australian unconventional gas production

Professor Quentin Grafton

Unconventional gas and produced water

Rebecca Nelson

Property rights, agriculture and the coal seam gas industry

Deborah Kerr

Australia's unconventional gas resources

Dr Tina Hunter 

International implications of expanded shale gas production

Dr Kenneth Barry Medlock III 

Report overview: CEDA's perspective

Challenges and opportunities

Water management

Australia's Energy Options project supported by: