Crews recently returned to  decommission the site almost two years after Dart Energy announced it would not proceed with the pilot project following a mass community protest.

The decommissioning process involves plugging and abandoning the pilot wells and undertaking rehabilitation works on the site.

The work is expected to be completed this week.

Fullerton Cove was regarded as a test case for several other coal seam gas  projects in the state at the time of a nine-day community blockade in August 2012.

Dart Energy blamed the introduction of new state government exclusion zones around housing for its decision to abandon the project.

It had been forced to fend-off a resident-led court challenge to its exploration program several months earlier.

Fullerton Cove Residents Action Group secretary Sue Walker said on Monday the abandonment had brought a sense of closure for those who fought against the project.

‘‘It was big fight. Hopefully we have stopped them on this [Fullerton Cove] site. But they still have another site at Cabbage Tree road which has a question mark over it.’’ Dart Energy merged with UK-based IGas Energy last year. Attempts to contact IGas Energy about the Fullerton Cove project were unsuccessful.

An Office of Coal Seam Gas spokeswoman said the IGas Energy must comply with the CSG Well Integrity Code of Practice. 

‘‘Page 24 of the code states: ‘the titleholder must ensure that an abandoned well is sealed by filling the near vertical section from total depth to top with cement or other sealing program as approved by the department.’’