Offshore Petroleum Exploration Acreage Release

AUSTRALIA 2012

Area nomination

This fact sheet has been developed as a guide only. It does not replace or amend information provided in the Offshore Petroleum Legislation, Regulations and Guidelines available at: In the event that there is a discrepancy between this fact sheet and the legislation, the legislation has precedence. Explorers should not rely solely on this information when making commercial decisions.

The sustainable annual release of quality petroleum exploration acreage, to provide the global petroleum industry with a variety of investment opportunities, is a key objective of the Australian Government. As part of the acreage selection process, stakeholders are invited to nominate vacant areas to be considered for inclusion in the annual Offshore Petroleum ExplorationAcreage Release (the Release).

Whilst nomination of an area does not guarantee its inclusion, all nominations are subjected to a rigorous assessment and shortlisting 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 pre-competitive studies by Geoscience Australia - it is Government practice to allow pre-competitive geoscientific data collection programs to conclude prior to the release of acreage; and
international maritime boundary negotiations.

The nomination period for the 2013 Acreage Release will open at the 2012 Australian Petroleum Production and Exploration Association (APPEA) Conference and will close on 31 July 2012. Whilst industry will be advised of shortlistedareas in the December 2012 issue of Australian Petroleum News, proposed areas remain subject to change until the Release is launched by the Commonwealth Minister for Resources and Energy. Thisgenerally occurs at the annual APPEA conference.

Nominations should include a map and detail of the proposed area, along with a brief geological justification for its inclusion.

A nomination template has been introduced to increase the efficiency of this process (available from the email below or at: Nominations must be submitted on this template to be considered for the 2013Release.

All nominations are treated as "Commercial-in-Confidence" and should be submitted electronically to the Joint Authority at . Received nominations will be acknowledged by return email. It is the responsibility of the nominee to follow up if confirmation is not received.

If you wish to be added to the distribution list of Australian Petroleum News or have any questions on this process, please email: .