October 2015
Key dates for upcoming petroleum exploration opportunities
Opportunity
Closing date
2015 Offshore Petroleum Exploration Acreage Release prequalification of the cash-bid round
Thursday 15 October 2015
2015 Offshore Petroleum Exploration Acreage Release –
round 1 work program bidding
Thursday 29 October 2015
2014 Offshore Petroleum Exploration Acreage Release –
re-release areas
Thursday 29 October 2015
Award of permits from the 2014 Offshore Petroleum Exploration Acreage
Release
The Minister for Resources, Energy and Northern Australia, the Hon Josh Frydenberg MP
has announced the award of the final permits from the 2014 Offshore Petroleum Acreage
Release.
Round 2 of the Acreage Release resulted in the award of four new exploration permits
totaling $297 million of expenditure over the next six-years.
Overall, the 2014 Acreage Release has resulted in ten new exploration permits being
awarded. This has secured guaranteed expenditure of $101 million over the next threeyears and a total of $473.6 million over the six-year life of the permits.
Details of all permits awarded from the 2014 Acreage Release are as follows:
Round One
AC/P59 (released as AC14-2) located approximately 750 km west of Darwin was awarded
to Murphy Australia Oil Pty Ltd and Mitsui E&P Australia Pty Ltd. The joint venture proposed
a $3.9 million guaranteed work program comprising of 316 km² new multi-client 3D
broadband seismic acquisition, 2D reprocessing with broadband workflow of existing 2D
seismic data, geological and geophysical interpretation of datasets and AvO analysis. The
secondary work program comprises well planning, geological and geophysical studies, one
AUSTRALIAN PETROLEUM NEWS | www.industry.gov.au
1
exploration well and post well geotechnical studies totaling $60.3 million. There were four
other bids for this area.
WA-510-P (released as W14-15) located approximately 7 km northwest of Barrow Island
and 100 km north of Onslow, was awarded to Apache Northwest Pty Ltd. Apache proposed
a $10 million guaranteed work program comprising of geotechnical studies, acquisition and
processing of 3D broadband data, rock physics/quantitative interpretation and 3D inversion
studies. The secondary work program comprises geotechnical studies, one exploration well
and post well studies totaling $20.6 million. There was one other bid for this area.
WA-513-P (released as W14-4) located in the Caswell sub-basin 200-270 km from the
northwest coast of Western Australia was awarded to Santos Offshore Pty Ltd and Inpex
Browse E&P Pty Ltd. The joint venture proposed a $5.65 million guaranteed work program
comprising of the licensing of multi-client 3D datasets, pre-stack depth migration of the 3D
datasets and geological and geophysical studies. The secondary work program comprises
seismic acquisition planning, 3D seismic acquisition and processing and geological and
geophysical studies totaling $3.6 million. There was one other bid for this area.
WA-514-P (released as W14-5) located in the Caswell sub-basin; 200- 270 km from the
northwest coast of Western Australia was awarded to Santos Offshore Pty Ltd and Inpex
Browse E&P Pty Ltd. The joint venture proposed a $4.8 million guaranteed work program
comprising of the licensing of multi-client 3D data and geological and geophysical studies.
The secondary work program comprises geological and geophysical studies, one
exploration well and post drilling studies totaling $30.8 million. There was one other bid for
this area.
WA-515-P (released as W14-7) located on the Rankin Trend within the Dampier sub-basin
approximately 140 km northwest of Dampier was awarded to Tap Oil Limited. Tap proposed
an $800,000 guaranteed work program comprising of the reprocessing 415 km² of 3D
seismic data, rock physics and geotechnical studies. The secondary work program
comprises acquiring 160 km² of 3D seismic data, geotechnical studies and one exploration
well totaling $17.7 million. There were no other bids for this area.
WA-516-P (released as W14-16) located close to the western edge of the Barrow subbasin approximately 100 km north-northeast of Onslow was awarded to Tap Oil Limited.
Tap proposed an $800,000 guaranteed work program comprising of the reprocessing of 415
km² of 3D seismic data, rock physics and geotechnical studies. The secondary work
program comprises acquiring 160 km² of 3D seismic data, geotechnical studies and one
exploration well totaling $17.7 million. There was one other bid for this area.
Round Two
WA-517-P (released as W14-19) located approximately 400 km east of Esperance was
awarded to Santos Offshore Pty Ltd and JX Nippon Oil and Gas Exploration (Australia) Pty
Ltd. The joint venture proposed a $3.1 million guaranteed work program comprising of
2,000 km 2D seismic reprocessing, a seepage survey and geological and geophysical
studies. The secondary work program comprises of 2,000 km² 3D seismic acquisition,
geological and geophysical studies and one exploration well totaling $104.1 million. There
was one other bidder on this area.
WA-518-P (released as W14-10) located approximately 250 km offshore of Onslow,
Western Australia has been awarded to Hess Australia (Karratha) Pty Ltd. Hess proposed a
$61.75 million guaranteed work program comprising of purchasing 885 km² of 3D seismic
data, reprocessing and inversion studies and one exploration well and geological and
geophysical studies. The secondary work program comprises of well data analysis,
geological and geophysical studies and one exploration well totaling $53 million. There were
no other bids for this area.
AUSTRALIAN PETROLEUM NEWS | www.industry.gov.au
2
WA-519-P (released as W14-12) located approximately 200 km offshore of Onslow,
Western Australia has been awarded to Hess Australia (Pilbara) Pty Ltd. Hess proposed a
$4.5 million guaranteed work program comprising of 257 km² of 3D seismic data
reprocessing and inversion studies and geological and geophysical studies. The secondary
work program comprises one exploration well and geological and geophysical studies
totaling $33.8 million. There were no other bids for this area.
WA-520-P (released as W14-17) located approximately 100 km north of Exmouth, Western
Australia has been awarded to Finder No 10 Pty Ltd. Finder proposed a $6 million
guaranteed work program comprising of 1,280 km² 3D broadband seismic data acquisition,
processing and interpretation and geological and geophysical studies. The secondary work
program comprises 500 km² of 3D seismic data inversion, geological and geophysical
studies and one exploration well totaling $31 million. There were three other bids for this
area.
The following areas did not receive bids and have reverted to vacant acreage: NT14-1,
NT14 2, NT14-3, AC14-3, AC14-4, W14-3, W14-8, W14-9, W14-11, W14-13, W14-14, W1418, W14-20, W14-21, W14-22 and W14-23.
Areas W14-1 and W14-2 attracted one bid each; no offer of a permit was made.
Areas AC14-1, W14-1, W14-2 and W14-6 are open for bidding as a re-release areas closing
29 October 2015.
2015 Operational Review of NOPSEMA
The former Minister for Industry and Science, the Hon Ian Macfarlane MP, commissioned
the 2015 Operational Review of the National Offshore Petroleum Safety and Environmental
Management Authority (NOPSEMA) in March 2015 in accordance with the Offshore
Petroleum and Greenhouse Gas Storage Act 2006 (the Act). This is the first review of
NOPSEMA, covering the three-years since its transition from NOPSA. Subsequent reviews
of NOPSEMA are to be undertaken every five-years.
The review report was tabled in both Houses of Parliament by the former Minister on
16 September 2015. The Government Response to the review report is currently being
prepared.
More information and the full review report is available on the department’s website.
2015 Operational Review of NOPTA
The former Minister for the Industry and Science, the Hon Ian Macfarlane MP,
commissioned the 2015 Operational Review of the National Offshore Petroleum Titles
Administrator (NOPTA) in March 2015 in accordance with the Act. Under section 695P of
the Act, the Minister was required to initiate the first review of NOPTA three-years after its
commencement. Subsequent operational reviews will relate to successive five-year periods.
The review report was tabled by the former Minister in both Houses of Parliament on 16
September 2016. The Government Response to the review is currently being prepared.
The full review report is available on the department’s website.
Are you on our distribution list?
This newsletter is prepared by the Offshore Exploration Section, Resources Division,
Australian Government Department of Industry, Innovation and Science.
AUSTRALIAN PETROLEUM NEWS | www.industry.gov.au
3
If you or your colleagues would like to receive this newsletter, please send your email
address to: petroleum.exploration@industry.gov.au.
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
Email
Website
GPO Box 9839, Canberra ACT 2601, Australia
petroleum.exploration@industry.gov.au
www.petroleum-acreage.gov.au
AUSTRALIAN PETROLEUM NEWS | www.industry.gov.au
4