Polda Basin Regulated Substances Exploration Acreage Release PO2025 RSEL-A
Latest update:
The successful bidder for Polda Basin acreage release block PO RESL-A was Koloma Australia Pty Ltd with an application targeting hydrogen.
The release sought competitive bids from companies wanting to explore opportunities for gas, natural hydrogen, gas storage and geothermal resources.
Bidding closed 31 October 2025 following a 5-month application period. One bid was received for the single block offered in the Polda Basin
Polda Basin Energy Rescources Licences
Download the Polda Basin Energy Resources Licences map (PDF, 287.4 KB)
The offer
The Polda Basin is a competitive tender region, and vacant acreage must be gazetted and offered for work program bidding. Following a recent acreage relinquishment, one new Regulated Substances Exploration Licence (RSEL) in the Polda Basin was offered as acreage release block PO2025 RSEL-A by the South Australian Government for competitive work program bidding.
This acreage release is a genuine greenfield opportunity for all regulated substances.
PO2025 acreage release brochure (PDF, 8.5 MB)
Application and award process
Winning bidders will be selected on the basis of a five-year work program bid. The work program must be completed within the overall area of the RSEL. It must include a statement of exploratory operations the applicant proposes to carry out in the first five-year licence term. The Minister is expected to announce the winning bidder(s), together with details of work programs, in early 2026.
In general, it is important to note that the timing of well drilling and seismic or other data acquisition will be taken into account. Key assessment criteria include but are not necessarily limited to:
- the number of exploration wells to be drilled in the RSEL, their nature of subsurface targets to be drilled and their timing
- the extent to which proposed wells are supported by existing or new programmed seismic data
- the amount and nature of seismic surveying (i.e. 2D versus 3D) to be carried out and its timing
- other data acquisition (e.g. gravity, aeromagnetic, magneto-telluric surveys, soil gas sampling or other geochemical surveys)
- seismic reprocessing to be carried out
- the adequacy of the applicant’s financial resources and technical expertise to satisfactorily undertake the proposed work program and overall regulatory compliance.
PO2025 application and award procedures (PDF, 243.9 KB)
PO2025 bid assessment policy (PDF, 224.9 KB)
PO2025 RSEL-A application form (DOCX, 999.7 KB)
Applications closed 31 October 2025.
Data and information
A data package has been prepared including selected well completion reports and data, onshore and offshore hardcopy seismic line data, a GIS shapefile dataset and ESRI ArcGIS project, the acreage release block tenement map, and other selected references.
PO2025 acreage release data package
Useful links
Rock-Eval pyrolysis data from the Polda Basin, South Australia
The geology of South Australia. Volume 2: The Phanerozoic
Petroleum Exploration and Production System (PEPS-SA)
Energy Resources Regulations 2013
Environmental Impact Assessment Criteria
Holders of energy resources tenements in South Australia
Natural hydrogen in South Australia
Contact and enquiries
Comments and enquiries for the exploration block should be addressed to:
Director, Geological Survey of South Australia, Department for Energy and Mining
Email DEM.EnergyResourcesAcreageRelease@sa.gov.au
