2011 offshore petroleum exploration acreage release
Australia has abundant natural gas reserves and is presently the world's fourth largest exporter of LNG. New projects and strengthening demand, led by rising energy consumption in China and India, is expected to increase Australia’s ranking to second by 2015. The discovery of new petroleum reserves also has the potential to reduce Australian energy import dependence and increase supply certainty.With sustainable development and energy security in mind, the Department of Resources, Energy and Tourism is leading the development of the Government’s resources policy to facilitate investment in Australia’s upstream petroleum industry.The 2011 Australian Offshore Petroleum Exploration Acreage Release offers the global petroleum exploration industry a variety of investment opportunities. Release areas are located across nine basins, vary in size and level of existing geological knowledge, are located in a range of water depths, and are supported by pre-competitive and open-file geological and geophysical data.The Acreage Release is underpinned by a stable economic environment and well established regulatory framework, which seeks to balance environmental, social and economic considerations during the development of Australia’s natural resources.The detailed Acreage Release information package is available at online at www.petroleum-acreage.gov.au or by visiting the Commonwealth Government’s booth at the APPEA conference.