PGS supports National Energy Resources Australia's Collaborative Seismic Environmental Plan, which seeks to achieve fundamental and long-term improvements to the way that seismic activities are planned with consideration for commercial fishing activities across the North West Shelf of Australia.
In 2018, National Energy Resources Australia (NERA) established an industry consortium to create a common framework for seismic exploration in northwestern Australia, known as the CSEP project.
Aims of the CSEP Project
- A Commercial Fishing Industry Adjustment Protocol to provide a standardized, evidence-based process to understand monetary adjustment to offset the loss of catch, gear damage/loss, and displacement of fishing effort in areas where fishing occurs at the same time as a seismic survey conducted under the CSEP
- A Spatio Temporal Protocol to provide guidance regarding the repetition of seismic activities within the CSEP area
- A single overarching approvals framework for seismic activities within the CSEP area
- A consistent assessment of environmental features, potential impacts, and management strategies for seismic activities within the CSEP area
- Improved understanding of potential cumulative impacts of seismic activities across the CSEP area
If approved, the common Environment Plan framework will be valid for a period of at least five years and will enable consistent assessment of environmental impacts when applying for and conducting seismic acquisition activities in the CSEP project area. The benefits of a successful project could include improved certainty for both fishing and energy industries, greatly reduced consultation burden for all stakeholders, and a strategic assessment of impacts across northern Australia.
