Changes to petroleum, geothermal energy and gas storage licensing.
Currently, applications for exploration licences in South Australia may be made in 2 ways – in response to the Minister's invitation for licence applications for areas in a competitive tender region or via over-the-counter applications for areas outside a competitive tender region.
Three new competitive tender regions have been gazetted in the Polda, Arckaringa and Arrowie basins (Fig. 1). These regions are no longer available for over-the-counter applications. The Department for Energy and Mining has also re-designated existing competitive tender regions in the Cooper and Otway basins to include a requirement for competitive tenders for geothermal energy and gas storage exploration, in addition to petroleum exploration.
Figure 1 Competitive tender regions in South Australia under the Petroleum and Geothermal Energy Act 2000.
Explorers and geophysical service companies that acquire new data now have the option of nominating areas for acreage release in competitive tender regions. The Minister retains the option to invite licence applications for areas in a competitive tender region at any time.
More about the acreage releases and bid assessment process
– Lee Kinnear, December 2022
