The Asia Pacific region holds some of the world’s most promising unconventional resource plays and has a significant role in energy supply to the global market. Majority of the exploration efforts are centred in Australia, China, Indonesia and India which have attracted international investments through large discoveries in recent years. Unconventional resources such as shale gas, tight oil, coal seam gas (CSG and CBM), and other forms of natural gas are becoming progressively important owing to technological advancements that have made them more accessible and economical.

The unconventional resource plays in the Asia Pacific region do however present a unique set of challenges including infrastructure constraints, access to capital, cost structures, availability of specialised technology due to dissimilarity in geological formations as well as regulatory (e.g., non-technical risks, emissions mandate) and environmental challenges (e.g., carbon offset, CCUS, social license to operate). As the industry continues to expand, it is critical for the operators, governments, businesses, researchers and other stakeholders to develop strategic approaches and innovative solutions to overcome these hurdles.