June 2014 - Department of Industry, Innovation and Science

June 2014

 Exploration opportunities currently available
 2013 Acreage Release – Round 1 and 2 Re-release Areas
 2014 Acreage Release

 2015 Acreage Release
 nominations – closing 30 June 2014
 request for images

 Further award of Petroleum Exploration Permits from Round 1 of the 2013 Acreage Release
 Are you on our distribution list?

2013 Round 1 and 2 Re-release Areas

Closing date Thursday 2 October 2014

In addition to the re-release areas from Round 1 of the 2013 Offshore Petroleum Exploration Acreage
Release, three areas from Round 2 have now been included for re-release bidding; W13-8, W13-19 and
W13-20.

The Australian Government invites work program bids for six exploration permits as re-release areas
from the 2013 Offshore Petroleum Exploration Acreage Release as follows:

Area Basin Sub-Basin

W13-8, W13-15 Northern Carnarvon Exmouth Plateau, Investigator

W13-16 and W13-17 Northern Carnarvon Exmouth

W13-19, W13-20 North Perth Houtman and Abrolhos

Areas NT13-2, NT13-3, NT13-4 and W13-14 have not been re-released and have reverted to vacant
acreage.

Further information is available in the Commonwealth Gazette Notice.

Exploration opportunities currently available –2014 Acreage Release

On 8 April 2014, the Minister for Industry, the Hon Ian Macfarlane MP launched the 2014 Offshore
Petroleum Exploration Acreage Release.

This release comprises 30 areas across four basins in Commonwealth waters offshore the Northern
Territory, Western Australia and the Territory of Ashmore and Cartier Islands. Twenty six areas are
available for work program bidding and four areas are available for cash bidding.

Geoscience Australia provides precompetitive geological data associated with the release areas at the
cost of transfer; the data package can be ordered by emailing [email protected].

Please note the website contains the most up to date information.

Rounds Areas Bid Close

Round 1 work NT14-1, NT14-2, NT14-3, AC14-2, Thursday 2 October 2014
program AC14-3, AC14-4, W14-2, W14-3, W14-4,
(14 areas) W14-5, W14-7, W14-14, W14-15, W14-16.

Cash Bid Round W14-20, W14-21, W14-22, W14-23 Prequalification:
(4 areas) Thursday 30 October 2014

Cash Bid*:
Thursday 5 February 2015

Round 2 work AC14-1, W14-1, W14-6, W14-8, W14-9, Thursday 2 April 2015
program
(12 areas) W14-10, W14-11, W14-12, W14-13, W14-17,

W14-18, W14-19.

* Only prequalified applicants will be invited to submit a cash bid.

2015 Acreage Release – Nominations of areas

Closing date Monday 30 June 2014

In previous editions, Industry stakeholders were invited to nominate vacant offshore areas to be
considered for release in 2015. The area nomination process for the 2015 Acreage Release closes on
Monday 30 June 2014.

Nominations are treated as commercial-in-confidence and should be submitted electronically on the
approved template to [email protected]. A factsheet on nominating an area is
also available and the Australian Government encourages all potential nominees to review the
factsheet.

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2015 Acreage Release – Request for images

Closing date Monday 30 June 2014

As part of the Offshore Petroleum Exploration Acreage Release, the Australian Government compiles
an information package containing supporting geological and regulatory information. The information
package contains industry images of offshore petroleum and production related activities in Australia.
If your organisation has any images that you would like considered for use in promotional material,
please submit these images in jpg format to: [email protected].

Examples of images sought—in Australian waters—include drilling rigs, seismic vessels and seismic
data. Your organisation will be acknowledged on any image selected for use in each document it is
used. Images will not be provided for use to parties outside of the Department of Industry and
Geoscience Australia.

Further Award of Petroleum Exploration Permits from Round 1 2013 Acreage Release

The Hon Ian Macfarlane MP announced the award of nine Petroleum Exploration Permits from
Round 1 of the 2013 Offshore Petroleum Exploration Acreage Release on 29 May 2014; since this
announcement, a further permit has been granted:

WA-504-P (released as W13-3) located offshore Western Australia in the Caswell sub-basin of the
Browse Basin, has been awarded to Santos Offshore Pty Ltd and Inpex Browse E&P Pty Ltd. The
joint venture proposed a guaranteed work program of licensing 80km² of 3D seismic data,
geological and geophysical studies, including seismic interpretation and updating depositional
model with regional data totaling $1.53 million. The secondary work program comprises acquiring
a new airborne gravity and magnetic survey and geological and geophysical studies, including
interpretation of gravity and magnetics survey, totaling $1.6 million. There was one other bidder
for this area who declined an offer to take-up the Permit.

Offers have been made concerning Petroleum Exploration Permits for release areas AC13-1,
AC13-2 and AC13-3, acceptance is pending.

Are you on our distribution list?

This newsletter is prepared by the Offshore Exploration Section, Resources Division, Department of
Industry.

If you or your colleagues would like to receive this newsletter, please send your email address to:
[email protected] alternatively, if you would like to be removed from the
distribution list, please email with the subject line ‘Remove’.

If you change your email address please notify the Offshore Exploration Section.

There is no charge for this service. This distribution list is not used for purposes other than notifying
registered parties of relevant petroleum issues.

Postal Address: GPO Box 1564, CANBERRA ACT 2601, AUSTRALIA
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: www.petroleum-acreage.gov.au

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