April 2014
· 2014 Offshore Petroleum Exploration Acreage Release
· Preparing a bid for an acreage release area
· 2015 Acreage Release nominations – open
· 2013 Acreage Release:
Ø Round 1 re-release areas
Ø Round 2 exploration opportunities - open
· Are you on our distribution list?
2014 Offshore Petroleum Exploration Acreage Release
Today the Minister for Industry, the Hon Ian Macfarlane MP, launched the 2014 Offshore Petroleum Exploration Acreage Release at the 2014 APPEA Conference in Perth. TheRelease 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.
The areas vary in size from one graticular block—80 km2—to 360 graticular blocks—25,765km2—are located in a range of water depths and vary in size and level of existing geological knowledge. All release areas are supported by precompetitive geological and geophysical data and analysis undertaken by Geoscience Australia and information on third party rights or other considerations that may impact upon future petroleum activities in a release area.
In 2014, the Acreage Release includes select areas for cash bidding. Cash bidding aims to provide an equitable, economically efficient and administratively simple system of permit allocation for known and mature areas where only minimal further exploration may be required.
More information on cash bidding can be found in the legislation, the Commonwealth Gazettal Notice, the Cash Bidding Guideline and on the petroleum acreage website.
The 2014 Release Areas, rounds and dates:
Rounds / Areas / Bid CloseRound 1 work program
(14 areas) / NT14-1, NT14-2, NT14-3, AC14-2,
AC14-3, AC14-4, W14-2, W14-3, W14-4,
W14-5, W14-7, W14-14, W14-15, W14-16. / Thursday 2 October 2014
Cash Bid Round
(4 areas) / W14-20, W14-21, W14-22, W14-23 / Prequalification:
Thursday 30 October 2014
Cash Bid*:
Thursday 5 February 2015
Round 2 work program
(12 areas) / AC14-1, W14-1, W14-6, W14-8, W14-9,
W14-10, W14-11, W14-12, W14-13, W14-17, W14-18, W14-19. / Thursday 2 April 2015
* Only prequalified applicants will be invited to submit a cash bid.
Detailed information on the 2014 Acreage Release can be found online or by emailing . Information available contains:
- 2014 Release Areas and geological information
- guidance for exploring, bidding and investing in Australia
- fact sheets to assist in the bidding process
- supporting products, information and links
- 2015 Acreage Release nomination details.
Please note the website contains the most up to date information.
Geoscience Australia provides precompetitive geological data associated with the release areas at the cost of transfer; the data package can be ordered by emailing .
Preparing a bid for an acreage release area
To assist with preparing bids for acreage release areas, the offshore exploration guidelines, the Requirements of Bid and Renewal Applications Guideline and the Cash Bidding Guideline, can be found on the NOPTA website. The offshore exploration guidelines do not replace the Offshore Petroleum and Greenhouse Gas Storage Act 2006 and before preparing a bid, applicants are encouraged to review the legislation.
2015 Acreage Release Nominations - OPEN
Industry stakeholders are invited to nominate vacant offshore areas to be considered for release in 2015. The area nomination process for the 2015 Acreage Release will close on Monday 30 June 2014.
Nominations are treated as commercial-in-confidence and should be submitted electronically on the approved template to . A factsheet on nominating an area is also available and the Australian Government encourages all potential nominees to review the factsheet.
Release areas are carefully selected to offer a range of investment opportunities. Areas selected for inclusion in the Release will vary in size, known prospectivity, water depth and level of existing geological data and knowledge. Nomination of an area does not guarantee its inclusion; all nominations are subjected to a rigorous assessment and short listing process. This may take into account factors such as:
- previous interest in and exploration undertaken in the nominated areas
- whether there is a new geoscientific story or a new market development such as, domestic demand changes or an opportunity for early commercialisation of finds that might generate the interest of potential bidders
- any potential adverse impact on current offshore petroleum exploration acreage release areas bidding rounds
- ongoing precompetitive studies by Geoscience Australia - it is Government practice to allow precompetitive geoscientific data collection programs to conclude prior to the release of acreage
- international maritime boundary negotiations
- Commonwealth marine reserves network
- any matters deemed relevant by the state or territory within waters adjacent to the proposed release area(s), such as sensitive coastal areas or impacts on marine industries.
The Australian Government will determine if a nominated area is suitable for cash bidding or work program bidding.
2013 Round 1 Re-release Areas
The Australian Government invites work program bids for exploration permits in respect of three re-release areas from Round 1 of the 2013 Offshore Petroleum Exploration Acreage Release. The re-release areas are:
Area / Basin / Sub-BasinW13-15 / Northern Carnarvon / Investigator
W13-16 and W13-17 / Northern Carnarvon / Exmouth
Areas NT13-4 and W13-14 have not been re-released and have reverted to vacant acreage.
Work program bidding for re-release areas will close on Thursday 2 October 2014.
Further information is available in the Commonwealth Gazette Notice.
Current exploration opportunities
Round 2 of the 2013 Acreage Release closes Thursday 22 May 2014. This includes re-release areas from Round 2 of the 2012 Acreage Release. Entities that have entered into a Good Standing Arrangement with the Joint Authority are encouraged to review the re-release areas. It is the responsibility of entities that have entered into a Good Standing Arrangement to maintain good standing with the Joint Authority.
Geoscience Australia provides pre-competitive geological data associated with the release areas at the cost of transfer. Data packages can be ordered by emailing
Information packages are available online or by emailing
The areas currently available for bidding are as follows:
Area / Basin / Sub-BasinNT13-1, NT13-2 and NT13-3 / Bonaparte / Northern Petrel
W13-4 and W13-5 / Browse / Barcoo
W13-6, W13-7 and W13-8 / Northern Carnarvon / Exmouth Plateau
W13-19 and W13-20 / North Perth / Houtman and Abrolhos
V13-2 / Gippsland
T12-2 / Sorrell / Sandy Cape and Strahan
V12-3 / Gippsland
W12-7 / Browse / Scott Plateau
W12-11 / Northern Carnarvon / Exmouth Plateau
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: alternatively, if you would like to be removed from the distribution list, please email with the subject line ‘Remove’.
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Postal Address: GPO Box 1564, CANBERRA ACT 2601, AUSTRALIA
E-mail:
Website: www.petroleum-acreage.gov.au
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