2018 offshore petroleum exploration acreage release

2018 ◽  
Vol 58 (2) ◽  
pp. 465
Author(s):  
Lisa Schofield
Keyword(s):  
Oil And Gas ◽  
South Australia ◽  
Regulatory System ◽  
Petroleum Exploration ◽  
Central Component ◽  
Multiple Use ◽  
Consultation Process ◽  
Responsible Investment ◽  
Petroleum Potential ◽  
Offshore Petroleum

The Australian Government’s 2018 offshore petroleum exploration acreage release was announced by the Commonwealth Minister for Resources and Northern Australia, Senator the Hon Matthew Canavan at the 2018 APPEA conference. This paper provides insights into the processes that the Australian Government has undertaken to select the final release areas and goes into detail on the ongoing petroleum related activities of the Department of Industry, Innovation and Science (the Department). The annual acreage release is a central component of ensuring ongoing, sustainable and responsible investment in Australia’s offshore petroleum sector. The annual acreage release remains the primary mechanism for securing investment in offshore oil and gas exploration in areas of known petroleum potential and new geological frontiers. Continued exploration for oil and gas in Commonwealth waters is a central component of ensuring Australia’s future energy security. Australia’s well established and independent environmental regulator, NOPSEMA (the National Offshore Petroleum Safety and Environmental Management Authority), ensures all petroleum activities in Commonwealth waters are performed safely and in an environmentally responsible manner. Combined with NOPTA’s (National Offshore Petroleum Titles Administrator) leading practice titles administration, Australia remains an attractive investment destination while offering industry leading environmental protections and ensuring safe working conditions industry-wide. Australia offers investors access to data, secure tenure, a stable economic environment and a well-established transparent regulatory system for offshore petroleum activities. A key driver for sustainable activity in Australia is the acceptance of multiple use access to Australia’s marine resources. Recognising this, the department consults with a range of stakeholders on the areas it proposes to release for petroleum exploration. This consultation process provides an opportunity for all interested parties to provide comments and feedback on the areas proposed and in particular highlight how interested parties or the areas might be impacted by exploration activities. The 21 areas in the 2018 offshore petroleum exploration acreage release are located in the offshore areas of Western Australia, South Australia, Victoria and the Ashmore-Cartier Islands. These areas will enable the next wave of investment in the Australian resources sector, and the prospect of new oil, gas and condensate production.

2021 Offshore petroleum exploration acreage release

2021 ◽  
Vol 61 (2) ◽  
pp. 291
Author(s):  
Paul Trotman
Keyword(s):  
Manufacturing Industry ◽  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Domestic Demand ◽  
Liquefied Natural Gas ◽  
Petroleum Exploration ◽  
Demand Growth ◽  
Regulatory Frameworks ◽  
The Future ◽  
Policy Work ◽  
Offshore Petroleum

In 2020, the liquefied natural gas (LNG) trade saw a modest increase of 1%, which is in contrast to the strong growth of previous years. Recently, the global LNG trade has picked up following the easing of impacts from the pandemic and demand growth in Asia. An increase of 6% in the global LNG trade is expected in 2021 and 2022. Domestic demand for gas remains high, with gas being used both for residential supply and also as an essential feedstock for the manufacturing industry. With a projected domestic gas shortfall, the future exploration and development of oil and gas will play a key role in ensuring access to secure, reliable and affordable energy in the future as well as assisting economic recovery from the pandemic. The importance of remaining an attractive investment destination is essential. Our challenge is to not only strike the balance of being agile and adaptive to market disruptions but also provide robust policy and regulatory frameworks to underpin future investment in the sector. Against this backdrop, this paper provides details of the 2021 offshore petroleum exploration acreage release and information about the ongoing policy work of the department.

PETROLEUM EXPLORATION IN THE PROTEROZOIC BEETALOO SUB-BASIN, NORTHERN TERRITORY

1994 ◽  
Vol 34 (1) ◽  
pp. 674 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kevin Lanigan ◽  
Shane Hibbird ◽  
Sandy Menpes ◽  
John Torkington
Keyword(s):  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Northern Territory ◽  
Petroleum Exploration ◽  
Hydrocarbon Potential ◽  
Petroleum Potential ◽  
Drill Stem ◽  
Gas Potential ◽  
Unknown Sequence

Exploration over Roper Group outcrop in the McArthur Basin prompted Pacific Oil & Gas to investigate the petroleum potential of the Beetaloo Sub-basin, a 15 000 km2 Proterozoic depression concealed beneath Phanerozoic cover. Since 1989 drilling and seismic has identified a broadly flat-lying sequence with uplifted, eroded margins. A 3 500 m composite Proterozoic section consisting of three sandstone-to-mudstone sequences has been drilled. The lower two sequences comprise conformable units of the Mesoproterozoic upper Roper Group and unconformably overlying them is a previously unknown sequence comprising the informally labelled 'Jamison Sandstone' and 'Hayfield Mudstone', probably of Neoproterozoic age.Organic-rich intervals in the Roper Group mudstones range one to three per cent TOC in the Kyalla Member, and two to seven per cent TOC in the 'Middle' Velkerri Formation. Across most of the sub-basin the oil window lies within the Kyalla Member around 900–1350 m, while the 'Middle' Velkerri Formation is around 2 500 m and well into overmaturity, but may still have potential for gas. Potential reservoirs in the Bessie Creek, Moroak and 'Jamison' Sandstones, and in sandy units within the mudstones, are compromised by diagenesis, but porosities of up to 20 per cent and permeabilities of tens and rarely hundreds of millidarcies have been measured. Encouraging shows were observed in many of these intervals, and small quantities of oil and gas have been recovered in drill stem tests. With only a few targets drilled to date, this frontier area requires more exploration before its hydrocarbon potential can be adequately assessed.

PESA Australian exploration review 2018

2019 ◽  
Vol 59 (2) ◽  
pp. 493
Author(s):  
D. Lockhart ◽  
D. Spring
Keyword(s):  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Petroleum Exploration ◽  
3D Seismic ◽  
The North ◽  
Second Year ◽  
Gippsland Basin ◽  
2D And 3D ◽  
Conventional Oil ◽  
Exploration Activity ◽  
Offshore Petroleum

Available data for 2018 indicates that exploration activity is on the rise in Australia, compared to 2017, and this represents a second year of growth in exploration activity in Australia. There has been an increase in area under licence by 92 000 km2, reversing the downward trend in area under licence that commenced in 2014. Since 2016, exploratory drilling within Australia has seen a continued upward trend in both the number of wells drilled and the percentage of total worldwide. Onshore, 77 conventional exploration and appraisal wells were spudded during the year. Offshore, exploration and appraisal drilling matched that seen in 2017, with five new wells spudded: two in the Roebuck Basin, two in the Gippsland Basin and one in the North Carnarvon Basin. Almost 1500 km of 2D seismic and over 10 000 km2 of 3D seismic were acquired within Australia during 2018, accounting for 2.4% and 3.9% of global acquisition, respectively. This represents an increase in the amount of both 2D and 3D seismic acquired in Australia compared with 2017. Once the 2017 Offshore Petroleum Acreage Release was finalised, seven new offshore exploration permits were awarded as a result. A total of 12 bids were received for round one of the 2018 Offshore Petroleum Exploration Release, demonstrating an increase in momentum for offshore exploration in Australia. The permits are in Commonwealth waters off Western Australia, Victoria and the Ashmore and Cartier islands. In June 2018, the Queensland Government announced the release of 11 areas for petroleum exploration acreage in onshore Queensland, with tenders closing in February/March 2019; a further 11 areas will be released in early 2019. The acreage is a mix of coal seam gas and conventional oil and gas. Victoria released five areas in the offshore Otway Basin within State waters. In the Northern Territory, the moratorium on fracking was lifted in April, clearing the way for exploration to recommence in the 2019 dry season. With the increase in exploration has come an increase in success, with total reserves discovered within Australia during 2018 at just under 400 million barrels of oil equivalent, representing a significant increase from 2017. In 2018, onshore drilling resulted in 18 new discoveries, while offshore, two new discoveries were made. The most notable exploration success of 2018 was Dorado-1 drilled in March by Quadrant and Carnarvon Petroleum in the underexplored Bedout Sub-basin. Dorado is the largest oil discovery in Australia of 100 million barrels, or over, since 1996 and has the potential to reinvigorate exploration in the region.

ACCESS TO LAND FOR EXPLORATION — THE ADOPTION OF MULTIPLE LAND USE PRINCIPLES IN SOUTH AUSTRALIA

1988 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
pp. 325
Author(s):  
O. Morozow
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
National Parks ◽  
State Government ◽  
South Australia ◽  
Careful Consideration ◽  
Petroleum Exploration ◽  
Petroleum Potential ◽  
Multiple Land Use ◽  
Legislative Changes ◽  
Surface Mineral

The continued access to land for exploration by the petroleum and mineral industries in Australia has been increasingly impeded by State and Commonwealth legislation aimed at dedicating Crown Land for single land uses.In September 1986, South Australia's Minister for Mines and Energy, Ron Payne, announced a Cabinet decision for 'a package of recommendations designed to foster multiple land-use concepts and to ensure that no land is alienated from exploration without careful consideration of the sub-surface mineral/petroleum potential, relevant economic factors and the existing and potential sub-surface rights'.In this one innovative and potentially far-reaching move, the South Australian Government has:provided a framework to reconcile conflicting interests;indicated a willingness to listen and act upon the expressed legitimate concerns of industries of vital economic importance to the State;made it necessary for the proponents of reserve areas such as National Parks to be more accountable and to provide balanced, scientific substantiation;indicated its intention to make legislative changes to allow for the adoption of multiple land-use principles; andredressed the imbalance where, in the words of the Minister, 'Legislation providing for Aboriginal land rights, the creation of national and conservation parks, and State Government heritage areas have, to varying degrees, created unforeseen consequences for the resources industry'.The first practical test of this new Government policy is the proposed declaration of the Innamincka Regional Reserve, currently a 14 000 sq km pastoral lease within some of the most productive areas of PELs 5 & 6 held jointly by Santos Ltd. and Delhi Petroleum Pty. Ltd.It is intended that this new form of reserve will allow for the protection of specific areas of environmental sensitivity and of cultural, scientific and historic value, while still allowing for the continuation of pastoral, tourist and petroleum exploration/ production activity within the major part of the reserve area.

Multiple Use and Nature Conservation in South Australia's Arid Zone.

1992 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 205 ◽  
Author(s):  
B Cohen
Keyword(s):  
Nature Conservation ◽  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Arid Zone ◽  
Favourable Outcome ◽  
Petroleum Exploration ◽  
Multiple Use ◽  
Resource Exploitation ◽  
Natural Systems ◽  
Exploration And Production ◽  
Reserve System

Public interest in the arid zone has led to a huge expansion of South Australia's arid conservation reserve system since the early 1980s. As the arid reserve system expanded, there was accommodation of other land users under existing legislation. Other uses are tourism and recreation, exploration and mining, Aboriginal land uses and grazing. Expansion of the reserve system into the State's rangelands and into the oil and gas rich Cooper Basin led to the designation of a new reserve category, known as the Regional Reserve, which explicitly affords resource exploitation a place alongside conservation. The multiple use concept has allowed some key areas to be brought into South Australia's reserve system with relative ease. Innamincka was the first Regional Reserve and, to date, is the most complex of the multiple use reserves; tourism, petroleum exploration and production, and grazing take place in it. The multiple use concept assumes that more than one use can be managed in space and time without significant detriment to conservation values. It implies an acceptance of human-induced changes to natural systems, but does not resolve concerns about the acceptable limits to change. The question of who bears the cost of management and monitoring of multiple use reserves remains unresolved. There is an opportunity for conservation objectives to play a more central role in the management of arid lands which fall outside the reserve system. Careful, conservative management regimes in multiple use reserves will greatly increase the chances of a favourable outcome for nature conservation.

Review of the 2008 offshore petroleum exploration release areas

2008 ◽  
Vol 48 (1) ◽  
pp. 359
Author(s):  
Marita Bradshaw
Keyword(s):  
Shallow Water ◽  
Sedimentary Basins ◽  
Water Area ◽  
Petroleum Exploration ◽  
Adjacent Area ◽  
Petroleum Potential ◽  
North West ◽  
The North ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Offshore Petroleum

Each year the Australian Government releases new offshore opportunities for petroleum exploration. Thirty-five new exploration areas located across five of Australia’s offshore sedimentary basins are offered in the 2008 Release. All the areas are available through a work program bidding system with closing dates for bids at six and 12 months from the date of release. Acreage in the first round closes on 9 October 2008 and includes the more explored areas. The second closing round on 9 April 2009 comprises acreage located in less well explored and frontier regions. The 2008 exploration areas are in Commonwealth waters offshore of Western Australia and the Northern Territory, and in the Territory of the Ashmore and Cartier Islands adjacent area. The 2008 Release focusses on the North West Shelf, as well as offering two new exploration areas in the Vlaming Sub-basin in the offshore Perth Basin. Seven of the new release areas are located in Australia’s major hydrocarbon producing province, the Carnarvon Basin. They include a shallow water area in the western Barrow Sub-basin and another on the Rankin Platform, three areas in deeper water in the Exmouth Sub-basin and two on the deepwater Exmouth Plateau. Six areas are available for bidding in the Browse Basin and another five in the Bedout Sub-basin of the Roebuck Basin. In the Bonaparte Basin, the 15 Release areas are located in shallow water and represent a range of geological settings, including the Vulcan and Petrel sub-basins, Ashmore Platform and Londonderry High. The 2008 Offshore Petroleum Exploration Release of 35 areas in five basins covers a wide range in size, water depth and exploration maturity to provide investment opportunities suited to both small and large explorers. The Release areas are selected from nominations from industry, the States and Territory, and Geoscience Australia. The focus of the 2008 Release is on the North West Shelf where there is strong industry interest in the producing Carnarvon and Bonaparte basins and in the Browse Basin, the home of super-giant gas fields under active consideration for development. Also included in the 2008 Release is the Bedout Sub-basin, in the Roebuck Basin, located on the central North West Shelf, between the hotly contested Carnarvon and Browse basins. In addition, the Release show-cases the southern Vlaming Sub-basin, Perth Basin, where recent studies by Geoscience Australia provide a new understanding of petroleum potential (Nicholson et al, this volume).

Shining the spotlight on the petroleum resource rent tax

2018 ◽  
Vol 58 (2) ◽  
pp. 643
Author(s):  
Kenneth Wee
Keyword(s):  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Petroleum Exploration ◽  
Consultation Process ◽  
Resource Rent ◽  
Petroleum Resource ◽  
Petroleum Resources ◽  
Recent Developments ◽  
Pros And Cons ◽  
Policy Direction ◽  
Resource Taxation

The petroleum resource rent tax (PRRT), a 40% profits-based upstream tax that applies to Australian oil and gas projects, has come under significant scrutiny as to its effectiveness in providing an appropriate return to the community for the exploitation of Australia’s petroleum resources. The April 2017 independent Callaghan review into the design and operation of the PRRT found that it remained the preferred way of achieving a fair return to the community from petroleum exploration and recovery, without discouraging investment into the sector. However, the Callaghan review recommended possible changes to the regime to improve its sustainability and compatibility with the current state of the industry, while ensuring fiscal stability for existing investments. In response to the findings and recommendations of the Callaghan review, Australian Treasury embarked on a consultation process to investigate potential reform options to the PRRT. Government has yet to announce its decision on the way forward. What the future holds for the PRRT and the consequential impact on existing and new or proposed projects remain to be seen pending the Government’s chosen policy direction. This paper covers the following: • a survey of the economic rent theory underpinning the framework of the PRRT regime, including its pros and cons compared with other forms of resource taxation • a review of key recent developments in the administration and interpretation of the PRRT law, and • how the PRRT regime is anticipated to change and the associated repercussions on the after-tax economics and practical compliance for existing and future projects.

2015 Offshore Petroleum Exploration Acreage Release

2015 ◽  
Vol 55 (1) ◽  
pp. 67
Author(s):  
Demus King
Keyword(s):  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Petroleum Exploration ◽  
Regulatory Regime ◽  
Good Standing ◽  
Challenges And Opportunities ◽  
Petroleum Resources ◽  
Australian Economy ◽  
Under Construction ◽  
High Level ◽  
Offshore Petroleum

The oil and gas sector is a key contributor to the Australian economy, contributing $30.8 billion in commodity export earnings in 2013–14 (Department of Industry and Science, 2015). Underpinning future growth in the value of oil and gas to the Australian economy is the almost $200 billion of investment in seven LNG projects under construction. Australia relies on foreign capital to continue to explore for, and develop, its natural resources. New challenges and opportunities are arising for the sector. Increased international competition, advancing technology, and increasing risks and volatile costs associated with the development of fields are features of the current offshore operating environment. Australia’s legislative and policy settings must be sufficiently robust and flexible to support the continued development of Australia’s offshore resources into the future. To this end, the Australian Government is undertaking a high-level strategic review of the resource management framework for offshore petroleum resources in Commonwealth waters. The review will test the robustness of the policy, legal and regulatory regime to ensure the framework remains flexible enough to keep pace with the evolving environment and continues to attract investment. The annual Offshore Petroleum Exploration Acreage Release facilitates new investment in offshore petroleum exploration. The 2015 Acreage Release is accompanied by an updated exploration guideline. The guideline increases flexibility in permit management and clarifies competitive work program bidding expectations and good standing as well as providing more flexibility in the way good standing agreements may be discharged. This will enable industry to undertake exploration with increased autonomy and reduce the administrative burden. It accommodates changing technological capacity and encourages increased exploration in Australia’s offshore waters.

scholarly journals An ABC-optimized fuzzy ELECTRE approach for assessing petroleum potential at the petroleum system level

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 580-597
Author(s):  
Mohamad Hamzeh ◽  
Farid Karimipour
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Data ◽  
Spatial Models ◽  
Model Performance ◽  
Essential Elements ◽  
Petroleum System ◽  
Petroleum Exploration ◽  
System Level ◽  
Data Sets ◽  
Petroleum Potential ◽  
Spatial Data Sets

AbstractAn inevitable aspect of modern petroleum exploration is the simultaneous consideration of large, complex, and disparate spatial data sets. In this context, the present article proposes the optimized fuzzy ELECTRE (OFE) approach based on combining the artificial bee colony (ABC) optimization algorithm, fuzzy logic, and an outranking method to assess petroleum potential at the petroleum system level in a spatial framework using experts’ knowledge and the information available in the discovered petroleum accumulations simultaneously. It uses the characteristics of the essential elements of a petroleum system as key criteria. To demonstrate the approach, a case study was conducted on the Red River petroleum system of the Williston Basin. Having completed the assorted preprocessing steps, eight spatial data sets associated with the criteria were integrated using the OFE to produce a map that makes it possible to delineate the areas with the highest petroleum potential and the lowest risk for further exploratory investigations. The success and prediction rate curves were used to measure the performance of the model. Both success and prediction accuracies lie in the range of 80–90%, indicating an excellent model performance. Considering the five-class petroleum potential, the proposed approach outperforms the spatial models used in the previous studies. In addition, comparing the results of the FE and OFE indicated that the optimization of the weights by the ABC algorithm has improved accuracy by approximately 15%, namely, a relatively higher success rate and lower risk in petroleum exploration.

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