Case Study: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO)
Location: Cookernup
The Harvey Region is widely known for agriculture, food production and industry — but it is also home to world-leading scientific research.
Located near Cookernup, the CSIRO In-Situ Laboratory (ISL) is a unique research facility helping scientists better understand how carbon dioxide can be safely stored deep underground. The project brings together Australian expertise with international collaboration, particularly with research partners from Japan.
Led by CSIRO scientists, the site provides a real-world environment where researchers can test and monitor how carbon behaves beneath the Earth’s surface. The knowledge gained here is helping advance global solutions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Why Cookernup?
Choosing the Harvey Region for this research was no accident.
The site sits above a major geological feature known as the F10 fault, part of the Lesueur Sandstone formation in the southern Perth Basin. This natural structure provides a rare opportunity for scientists to study how carbon dioxide interacts with underground rock layers and fault systems.
By observing how carbon moves and behaves in these formations, researchers can better understand how carbon storage sites perform over the long term.
It is this unique geology that makes the Harvey Region an ideal location for world-leading research.
Global Collaboration, Local Impact
While the research has global importance, its impact is also being felt locally.
The ISL has worked with more than 55 suppliers, including 33 small-to-medium enterprises from the Harvey Region and Perth, supporting regional contractors and businesses throughout the project.
The facility is also part of the Japan–Australia Partnership on Decarbonisation through Technology, which brings Australian and Japanese researchers together to develop technologies that help reduce global emissions.
This collaboration highlights how regional Western Australia can play an important role in international research and innovation.
“Projects like the In-Situ Laboratory show that regional Western Australia can play a vital role in developing global climate solutions.”
Connecting Science with the Community
CSIRO has made community engagement a key part of the project.
Local residents, schools and community groups have been invited to learn more about the research through site tours, information sessions and interactive displays at events such as the Harvey Agriculture Show.
By making the science accessible, the project helps build understanding of carbon storage technologies and their role in addressing climate change.
Research for a Low-Carbon Future
The work undertaken at the In-Situ Laboratory contributes to global efforts to safely store carbon dioxide and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
It also supports the Western Australian Government’s CCUS Action Plan, which aims to establish Western Australia as a leader in carbon capture and storage technologies.
As countries around the world look for ways to reduce emissions, the research taking place in the Harvey Region is helping provide the knowledge needed to make carbon storage a safe and reliable solution.