In 2008, the Government of Western Australia amended the onshore Petroleum Act to include rights to explore for and produce geothermal energy. The first geothermal exploration rights under this legislation were offered for application by tender in the Perth Basin adjacent to the coast and where most of Western Australia’s population and infrastructure is located. This favourable location close to markets together with the Basin’s geological potential to contain extensive geothermal resources presents the opportunity to supply energy for electricity production and direct use including air-conditioning and desalination of water.

The Perth Basin is a 1,000 kilometre long geological rift or half graben containing a thick sequence of sediments in places up to 15 kilometres deep. The rift was initiated when Australia split from India. The Basin has potential for both hydrothermal energy resources hosted in thick permeable aquifers and for enhanced geothermal systems in basement rocks. With many heat flows determined to be over 100 mW/m2 from deep petroleum wells, the Perth Basin contains some of the highest heat flows found on the Australian continent. The source of the heat flows is uncertain but is expected to be crystalline basement rocks underlying the Basin. The EGS potential is unproven but drilling for petroleum and water has shown the sedimentary sequences have the potential to contain large volumes of geothermal water with sufficient temperature and water flow capacity at depths considered to be economic for commercial uses.

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