A COMPLEX PROCESS FOR TREATING PRODUCTION WATER
QGC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of BG Group, one of the world's leading oil and gas companies, has awarded Veolia a 20-year contract to manage its three coal gas water treatment facilities in Queensland, eastern Australia. The facilities are on the sites of QGC in Kenya, Wolebee Creek and Windibri. Veolia was chosen for its unique expertise in managing the complete production water treatment cycle in the complex field of unconventional oil and gas. The company’s strong local presence was a decisive selling point.
WATER FOR INDUSTRY AND AGRICULTURE
The gas field operated by QGC spans 4,500 square kilometers. Plans call for drilling 6,000 wells by 2030 and Veolia will treat the production water of each new well brought on stream. In all, close to 200,000 cubic meters will be treated per day – the volume of 80 Olympic swimming pools - and a very high-quality end product will be guaranteed on a long-term basis. The production water – which is pumped up from the wells at the same time as the methane – has high salt content and must undergo complex treatment before it can be reused in industry or agriculture.
97% OF THE TREATED WATER WILL BE REUSED
The water storage and transfer system consists of a number of aggregation ponds that allow blending of the associated water from the wells. This produces a consistent water quality.
The water treatment systems are a robust series of mainly physical processes that progressively clean the water to a pure, safe and consistent standard. The efficient reverse osmosis treatment process will convert almost 97% of produced water into treated water suitable for beneficial use.
Doug Dean
Managing Director, Australia and New Zealand, Veolia Environnement
"Australia has the world’s third biggest coal gas deposits after the US and Canada. The unconventional gas market will be one of the most active sectors in coming years."
Customer benefits
- Strict regulatory compliance
- Smaller environmental footprint
- Improved social acceptability
Solution
- Water treatment and recycling: operation and maintenance of treatment units
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Capacity
to treat
200,000 m³
of production water per day
Strict regulatory compliance