PETROLEUM EXPLORATION AND EVELOPMENT IN SOUTH AUSTRALIA

1986 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
pp. 77
Author(s):  
R. Frears
Keyword(s):  
South Australia ◽  
Petroleum Exploration

SELECTING THE WINNING BID

2002 ◽  
Vol 42 (1) ◽  
pp. 523
Author(s):  
E. Alexander ◽  
J. Morton
Keyword(s):  
Scoring System ◽  
Net Present Value ◽  
South Australia ◽  
Petroleum Exploration ◽  
3D Seismic ◽  
Management Philosophy ◽  
Work Program ◽  
Single Target ◽  
2D And 3D ◽  
Selection Of

Work program bidding is established as the favoured method of allocating petroleum exploration tenements in offshore Australian waters and most of onshore Australia. However, the selection of winning bids can be complicated by the ranking of 2D versus 3D seismic, seismic versus drilling, program timing issues etc. On occasion the selection of the winning bids has been contentious. This paper summarises the process developed by the Petroleum Group in South Australia to select the winning work program bids for prospective onshore blocks for which bids have been gazetted. No other Australian jurisdiction has yet publicly released their detailed bid assessment processes.Onshore acreage releases with work program bidding have been used in South Australia since the 1980s by Petroleum Group to:focus industry onto specific prospective areas of the State (e.g. the Cooper Basin post expiry of PELs 5 and 6 in 1999); maximise exploration commitments; and achieve competition policy.The South Australian Petroleum Act 2000 allows cash or work program bidding to be used depending on the acreage. Acreage releases are announced by Ministerial press release. Associated clear bid assessment criteria are published together with promotional material to aid applicants. The date and time for close of bidding are also established, usually allowing a 6–9 month acreage evaluation period, the timeframe depending on the volume of data involved, i.e. the exploration maturity of the area.Applications received as a result of a gazettal process (i.e. competing bids) are assessed by a process designed to ensure probity and to achieve the over-arching aim of the bidding process i.e. the suitability of the applicants proposed work program for evaluating the prospectivity of the licence area and discovering petroleum.A scoring system has been developed which establishes, for each bid what is effectively a risked net present value in well equivalents. In this system, guaranteed work scores higher than non-guaranteed work; early work scores higher than later work; wells with multiple targets are scored higher than single target wells; 2D and 3D seismic and other exploration activity is converted into well equivalents; and loading of the later, non-guaranteed years of work programs are heavily discounted.The scoring system may also take into account differences in the amount and density of exploration data and minor variations may be made to the system to take this into account. It is intended that details of the scoring system to be used in bid assessment will be published each time bids are sought to ensure transparency and a level playing field.Comparisons are made with acreage management philosophy and processes used by other regulatory regimes in Australia and internationally.

Review of the 2009 offshore petroleum exploration release areas

2009 ◽  
Vol 49 (1) ◽  
pp. 465
Author(s):  
Thomas Bernecker
Keyword(s):  
Deep Water ◽  
South Australia ◽  
Northern Territory ◽  
Data Availability ◽  
Petroleum Exploration ◽  
Release Date ◽  
North West ◽  
The North ◽  
Release Area ◽  
Block Sizes

The Australian Government formally releases new offshore exploration areas at the annual APPEA conference. This year, 31 areas plus two special areas in five offshore basins are being released for work program bidding. Closing dates for bid submissions are either six or twelve months after the release date (i.e. 3 December 2009 and 29 April 2010), depending on the exploration status in these areas is and on data availability. The 2009 release areas are located in Commonwealth waters offshore Northern Territory, Western Australia, South Australia and Victoria, comprising intensively explored areas close to existing production as well as new frontiers. As usual, the North West Shelf features very prominently and is complimented by new areas along the southern margin, including frontier exploration areas in the Ceduna Sub-basin (Bight Basin) and the Otway Basin. The Bonaparte Basin is represented by one release area in the Malita Graben, while five areas are available in the Southern Browse Basin in an under-explored area of the basin. A total of 14 areas are being released in the Carnarvon Basin, with eight areas located in the Dampier Sub-basin, three small blocks in the Rankin Platform and three large blocks on the Northern Exmouth Plateau (these are considered a deep water frontier). In the south, six large areas are on offer in the Ceduna Sub-basin and five areas of varying sizes are being released in the Otway Basin, including a deep water frontier offshore Victoria. The special release areas are located in the Petrel Sub-basin, Bonaparte Basin offshore Northern Territory, and encompass the Turtle/Barnett oil discoveries. The 2009 offshore acreage release offers a wide variety of block sizes in shallow as well as deep water environments. Area selection has been undertaken in consultation with industry, the states and Territory. This year’s acreage release caters for the whole gamut of exploration companies given that many areas are close to existing infrastructure while others are located in frontier offshore regions. As part of Geoscience Australia’s Offshore Energy Security Program, new data has been acquired in offshore frontier regions and have yielded encouraging insights into the hydrocarbon prospectivity of the Ceduna-Sub-basin.

ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT OF SEISMIC OPERATIONS IN THE OTWAY BASIN, SOUTH AUSTRALIA

1994 ◽  
Vol 34 (1) ◽  
pp. 741 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. L. Williams ◽  
A. J. Boulton ◽  
M. Hyde ◽  
A. J. Kinnear ◽  
C. D. Cockshell
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Management ◽  
Environmental Impact ◽  
Vegetation Structure ◽  
South Australia ◽  
Petroleum Exploration ◽  
Seismic Exploration ◽  
Native Vegetation ◽  
Seismic Line ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Seismic Lines

The Department of Mines and Energy, South Australia (DME) contracted Michael Williams and Associates Pty Ltd to audit the environmental management of seismic exploration operations in the South Australian Otway Basin. The audit was carried out in early 1992 and covered petroleum exploration operators and DME environmental management systems. An innovative field sampling technique was developed to compare the environmental impact of two different seismic line clearing techniques. Recovery of native vegetation as measured by vegetation structure was also quantified.The audit found DME to have a dynamic and integrated environmental management system while company systems varied in standard. Wide consultation assisted the audit process.As a result of clearing for agriculture, native vegetation covers only six per cent of the Otway Basin. With the strict limitations to broad-scale vegetation clearance since the mid-1980s and the cessation since 1991, the greatest environmental impact of seismic exploration is the clearance of native vegetation for access by seismic vehicles. Native vegetation structure and associated abiotic variables on seismic lines and adjacent control sites, were subject to a classification and ordination analysis which compared the impact of seismic lines constructed by bulldozer or Hydro-ax (industrial slasher). Post-seismic recovery rates of three different vegetation associations were also determined. This analytical technique permits the effects of seismic line clearance to be compared with the natural variability of specific vegetation associations within a region. In interpreting the results however, there is a confounding effect of line type and year as most of the more recent seismic lines were constructed using a Hydro-ax. Results indicate that Hydro-ax clearing affects vegetation structure less than bulldozing. Most Hydro-ax sites recovered within a few years whereas some sites, bulldozed as early as 1971, particularly tussock grasslands, have not yet recovered.This study provides a significant break-through in the debate about the persistence of seismic impacts on native vegetation. As a rapid preliminary assessment, sampling vegetation structure rather than floristics, provides a cost-effective audit and monitoring technique which can be used by non-specialists in a range of petroleum exploration environments. Any significant structural differences may require more detailed analysis to determine if floristic composition also differed.

New insights into the stratigraphy of the Otway Basin

2020 ◽  
Vol 60 (2) ◽  
pp. 691
Author(s):  
Betina Bendall ◽  
Anne Forbes ◽  
Dan Revie ◽  
Rami Eid ◽  
Shannon Herley ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
South Australia ◽  
Petroleum Exploration ◽  
Hydrocarbon Production ◽  
Sedimentary Sequences ◽  
Structural Relationships ◽  
Geochemical Variation ◽  
Complex Structural ◽  
Geochemical Analyses ◽  
Stratigraphic Nomenclature ◽  
The Antarctic

The Otway Basin is one of the best known and most actively explored of a series of Mesozoic basins formed along the southern coastline of Australia by the rifting of the Antarctic and Australian plates during the Cretaceous. The basin offers a diversity of play types, with at least three major sedimentary sequences forming conventional targets for petroleum exploration in the onshore basin. The Penola Trough in South Australia has enjoyed over 20 years of commercial hydrocarbon production from the sandstones of the Early Cretaceous Otway Group comprising the Crayfish Subgroup (Pretty Hill Formation and Katnook sandstones) and Eumeralla Formation (Windermere Sandstone Member). Lithostratigraphic characterisation and nomenclature for these sequences are poorly constrained, challenging correlation across the border into the potentially petroleum prospective Victorian Penola Trough region. The Geological Survey of Victoria (GSV), as part of the Victorian Gas Program, commissioned Chemostrat Australia to undertake an 11-well chemostratigraphic study of the Victorian Otway Basin. The South Australia Department for Energy and Mining, GSV and Chemostrat Australia are working collaboratively to develop a consistent, basin-wide schema for the stratigraphic nomenclature of the Otway Basin within a chemostratigraphic framework. Variability in the mineralogy and hence inorganic geochemistry of sediments reflects changes in provenance, lithic composition, facies changes, weathering and diagenesis. This geochemical variation enables the differentiation of apparently uniform sedimentary successions into unique sequences and packages, aiding in the resolution of complex structural relationships and facies changes. In this paper, we present the preliminary results of detailed geochemical analyses and interpretation of 15 wells from across the Otway Basin and the potential impacts on hydrocarbon prospectivity.

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.

LEGAL DEVELOPMENTS IN 2000

2001 ◽  
Vol 41 (2) ◽  
pp. 73
Author(s):  
J. Fahey ◽  
D. Perks
Keyword(s):  
Biodiversity Conservation ◽  
Competition Policy ◽  
South Australia ◽  
Petroleum Exploration ◽  
Environment Protection ◽  
Paper Briefly ◽  
Work Program ◽  
The Past ◽  
Exploration And Production ◽  
Production Industry

This paper briefly describes a number of legal developments in 2000 which may be of significance to participants in the petroleum exploration and production industry.There has been a number of varied legal developments in this field during the past year, and this paper is not an exhaustive account of all of them. Instead, an attempt has been made to provide an overview of selected developments during 2000 which are noteworthy. With this mind, this paper deals with the following matters:prospective East Timorese independence and the Timor Gap Treaty (focussing on practical arrangements);changes to the work program bidding system;commencement of the Petroleum (Submerged Lands) Legislation Amendment Act No 1 2000 (Cth);review of federal and state petroleum (submerged lands) legislation against competition policy principles;commencement of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (Cth);reform of petroleum legislation in South Australia and Queensland; andgreenhouse reforms.In respect of the matters noted above, we have attempted to outline the implications for participants in the petroleum exploration and production industry.

Re-evaluation of depositional models for the lower Permian Patchawarra Formation, Cooper Basin, South Australia: implications for petroleum exploration

2020 ◽  
Vol 60 (2) ◽  
pp. 794
Author(s):  
Carmine Wainman ◽  
Peter McCabe
Keyword(s):  
Cold Water ◽  
South Australia ◽  
Petroleum Exploration ◽  
Lower Permian ◽  
Time Intervals ◽  
Fine Grained ◽  
Coal Beds ◽  
Hyperpycnal Flows ◽  
Lenticular Bedding ◽  
Cooper Basin

The Late Carboniferous–Triassic Cooper Basin is Australia’s most prolific onshore petroleum province. The lower Permian Patchawarra Formation, which is up to 680 m thick and consists of up to 10% coal, is a major exploration target in the basin. Eighteen cores through the formation have been logged to re-evaluate the existing fluviolacustrine depositional model. The siliciclastics form fining- and coarsening-upward sequences that are 1–10 m thick. They are predominately fine-grained with abundant lenticular bedding, wavy bedding and thinly interlaminated siltstones and clays resembling varves. Granules and pebbles, interpreted as dropstones, are present throughout the formation. Coal beds are up to 60 m thick and rich in inertinite. Other than the coal beds, there is little evidence of the establishment of terrestrial conditions: roots are rare and there are no siliciclastic palaeosols. The siliciclastics are interpreted as the deposits of a large glaciolacustrine system, with the fining-upward successions deposited in subaqueous channels cut by hyperpycnal flows and the coarsening-upward successions deposited as overbank splays between those channels. Hyperpycnal flows may have resulted from sediment-laden cold water emanating from glacially-fed rivers, similar to those seen in many large glacial lakes in high latitudes and altitudes today. Much of the coal is interpreted as the accumulation of peats from floating mires that covered large parts of the glaciolacustrine system at certain time intervals. The high inertinite content of many coals is interpreted as the decay of organic matter within the floating mire. These new interpretations have the potential to enhance reservoir characterisation within the basin.

The 2010 Australian offshore release for petroleum exploration

2010 ◽  
Vol 50 (1) ◽  
pp. 5
Author(s):  
Tom Bernecker
Keyword(s):  
South Australia ◽  
Northern Territory ◽  
Data Availability ◽  
Petroleum Exploration ◽  
Release Date ◽  
North West ◽  
The North ◽  
New Frontier ◽  
Release Area ◽  
Block Sizes

The Australian Government formally releases new offshore exploration areas at the annual APPEA conference. In 2010, thirty-one areas in five offshore basins are being released for work program bidding. Closing dates for bid submissions are either six or twelve months after the release date—i.e. 11 November 2010 and 12 May 2011—depending on the exploration status in these areas and on data availability. The 2010 release areas are located in Commonwealth waters offshore Northern Territory, Western Australia and South Australia, comprising intensively explored areas close to existing production as well as new frontiers. The Westralian Superbasin along the North West Shelf continues to feature prominently, and is complimented by a new frontier area in offshore SW Australia (Mentelle Basin), as well as two areas in the Ceduna/Duntroon sub-basins in the eastern part of the Bight Basin. The Bonaparte Basin is represented by three areas in the Petrel Sub-basin and two areas in the Vulcan Sub-basin. Further southwest, four large areas are being released in the outer Roebuck Basin—a significantly under-explored region. This year, the Carnarvon Basin provides 16 release areas of which three are located in the Beagle Sub-basin, five in the Dampier Sub-basin, five in the Barrow Sub-basin, three on the Exmouth Plateau and three in the Exmouth Sub-basin. The largest singular release area covers much of the Mentelle Basin in offshore SW Australia, and two areas are available in the Ceduna and Duntroon sub-basins as part of South Australia’s easternmost section of the Bight Basin. The 2010 Offshore Acreage Release offers a wide variety of block sizes in shallow as well as deep water environments. Area selection has been undertaken in consultation with industry, the States and the Northern Territory. As part of Geoscience Australia’s Offshore Energy Security Program, new data has been acquired in offshore frontier regions parts of which are being published on the Mentelle Basin (Borissova et al, this volume).

HYDROCARBON POTENTIAL OF THE ARCKARINGA REGION, CENTRAL SOUTH AUSTRALIA

1982 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 237 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. S. Moore
Keyword(s):  
Source Rock ◽  
South Australia ◽  
Petroleum Exploration ◽  
Hydrocarbon Generation ◽  
Large Area ◽  
Entire Area ◽  
Central Platform ◽  
Active Exploration ◽  
Central South ◽  
Eromanga Basin

The Arckaringa region is a large area which lies between the Officer Basin and the Peake and Denison Ranges in central South Australia. It includes sedimentary rocks of Jurassic-Cretaceous, Permo-Carboniferous and ?Cambrian ages. The thickest sequence of sediments (about 2000m) occurs in the Boorthanna Trough, located immediately to the west of the Peake and Denison Ranges. Cretaceous sediments of the Eromanga Basin form a veneer over much of the area. Oil shows at very shallow depths in immature sediments at Oodnadatta 1 raise speculations about the possibility of shallow generation of hydrocarbons in the Eromanga Basin. However, most of the petroleum exploration in the region has been aimed at delineating the underlying Permo-Carboniferous Arckaringa Basin sequence. The Arckaringa Basin is not a simple sedimentary depression but rather a series of peripheral depressions surrounding a central platform region. Unlike the Cooper and Pedirka Basins, it contains some marine sediment, suggesting the possibility of an oil-prone rather than a predominantly gas-prone province. Due to the thin nature of the sequence and its shallow depth of burial, most of the Arckaringa Basin is predicted to be immature for hydrocarbon generation in traditional terms. However, source-rock and vitrinite studies in the Boorthanna Trough indicate that the basal units are marginally mature to mature in this area. Early Cambrian carbonates are interpreted to extend southeastwards in an arc from Byilkaoora 1 in the Officer Basin, through the Boorthanna Trough, and onto the Stuart Shelf. In the Boorthanna Trough these carbonates are named the Cootanoorina Formation. They are of varied lithology and are associated with terrigenous clastics and minor evaporites. Vugular porosity occurs sporadically in the sequence, which may be thicker than 1000m in some of the deeper parts of the trough. Source-rock studies suggest that the sequence is immature to marginally mature in Weedina 1 and Cootanoorina 1.It is emphasised that the Arckaringa region is largely unexplored for hydrocarbons, with only two wells drilled on structural targets in the entire area of about 60 000 sq km. This report presents source-rock and maturation data which suggest that the sequence is more mature than originally predicted, and that the deeper parts of the Boorthanna Trough may have a modest potential for oil, both in the basal Permo-Carboniferous and in the ?Cambrian Cootanoorina Formation. An active exploration programme has begun, with several hundred kilometres of seismic surveys planned for 1982.

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