Notice of Invitation for Cash Bid Petroleum Exploration Permit Application

Administered by Department of Industry, Science and Resources

Legislation au C2017G00538 In force Gazette

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COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA

Offshore Petroleum and Greenhouse Gas Storage Act 2006

NOTICE OF INVITATION FOR CASH BID PETROLEUM EXPLORATION PERMIT APPLICATION

I, GRAEME ALBERT WATERS, the National Offshore Petroleum Titles Administrator (the NOPTA), on behalf of the Commonwealth-Western Australia Offshore Petroleum Joint Authority (the Joint Authority), pursuant to section 110 of the Offshore Petroleum and Greenhouse Gas Storage Act 2006 (the Act), hereby invite prequalification applications for the grant of a cash bid petroleum exploration permit in respect of the blocks and within the area described below.

Applicants must submit a prequalification application in order to be invited to make a cash bid for a release area.

Prequalification applications must be received, in the manner prescribed below, by 4:00 pm Australian Western Standard Time on Thursday 5 October 2017.

Applicants that satisfy the prequalification criteria will be invited by the Joint Authority to submit a cash bid for the area. The invitation will provide details on how to submit the cash bid.

A cash bid exploration permit awarded from the release area will not be subject to any work program conditions or legal obligations other than those contained within the Act and associated Regulations or within directions issued in accordance with the Act or Regulations.

SCHEDULE OF AREAS: Graticular Block ListingS

Release Area W17-6

Dampier Sub-basin, Northern Carnarvon Basin, Western Australia

Map Sheet SF50 (Hamersley Range)

0030

0031

Assessed to contain two (2) full blocks

A cash bid exploration permit awarded in respect of release area W17-6 cannot be renewed.

PREQUALIFICATION APPLICATIONS

In accordance with subsection 110(6) of the Act, Prequalification applications must be accompanied by details of:

the technical qualifications of the applicant and of the applicant’s employees; and
the technical advice available to the applicant; and
the financial resources available to the applicant.

Matters that the Joint Authority will take into account in deciding under section 111 of the Act whether to invite an applicant to make a cash bid

In deciding whether to invite an applicant to make a cash bid, the Joint Authority will take the following matters into account:

a) whether the applicant has financial resources available and the ability to continue as a going concern, and

b) whether the applicant has access to a range of technical skills to satisfy the Joint Authority of its technical competence to explore for petroleum in offshore areas. The Joint Authority will also consider the technical capacity and experience of key personnel and/or sub-contractors.

For further details of the expectations of the Joint Authorities in relation to the content of applications or the prequalification criteria, please refer to section 110 of the Act and the Cash Bidding Guideline available at http://www.nopta.gov.au/legislation/guidelines.html.

FEE

A prequalification application must be accompanied by payment of an application fee paid by way of electronic funds transfer. The amount of the fee is prescribed in Regulations under the Act and at the time of printing was $A7,500.00 which is GST free.[1]

If paying by electronic funds transfer, please make payment to the following account:

Bank Name	Reserve Bank of Australia
Account Name	Industry Official Administered Receipts Account (RET) Resources
BSB	092-009
Account Number	119585
Swift Code	RSBKAU2S

SUBMISSION OF APPLICATIONS

One prequalification application is to be submitted for the acreage release area which the applicant intends to bid on. The applicant may be a joint venture comprised of more than one company.

The prequalification application must be completed and submitted using the prescribed prequalification application form and signed by all applicants. The prescribed prequalification application form is available at http://www.nopta.gov.au/forms/forms.html.

One electronic copy in text search format of the prequalification application, together with evidence of payment of the application fee, must be submitted to the NOPTA by email to: cash.bidding@nopta.gov.au.

Email attachments must not exceed 10MB in size. Should the attachments exceed 10MB, applicants are required to split into numerous emails with a clear subject line reference to indicate that a group of emails should be considered as multiple parts of the one application (e.g. part 1 of 2, part 2 of 2). Please note that hard copy applications are not required. A receipt of prequalification application will be issued by NOPTA to the applicant.

The email subject line must clearly state “Prequalification Application for Cash Bid Area, Commercial-in-Confidence”.

Prequalification opens on Monday 15 May 2017 and closes on Thursday 5 October 2017 at 4:00 pm Australian Western Standard Time. Applications submitted after this time will not be accepted.

Please check the NOPTA website prior to submitting an application for further updates on submissions.

For more information or assistance relating to the lodgement of applications, please contact NOPTA:

Telephone (Perth Office): +61 8 6424 5317

Email: cash.bidding@nopta.gov.au

Website: www.nopta.gov.au

[1] Please note that application fees are subject to change. Applicants should refer to the application fee stated in Schedule 6, Part 1 of the Offshore Petroleum and Greenhouse Gas Storage (Resource Management and Administration) Regulations 2011 or confirm with NOPTA prior to submitting an application - http://www.nopta.gov.au/cost.html.

Overview

The Offshore Petroleum and Greenhouse Gas Storage Act 2006 was enacted to establish a framework for the exploration and exploitation of offshore petroleum resources and greenhouse gas storage in Australian waters, addressing the need for a comprehensive legislative approach to offshore resource management. This Act provides the legislative basis for the regulation of activities related to offshore petroleum exploration and production, as well as the storage of greenhouse gases. The policy objective of the Act is to ensure the sustainable and environmentally responsible development of offshore petroleum resources while facilitating investment and economic growth in the sector. The Act was enacted by the Parliament of Australia, reflecting a national approach to the management of offshore resources. The Act outlines the processes for the granting of petroleum exploration permits, including the requirement for prequalification applications to be submitted to the National Offshore Petroleum Titles Administrator (NOPTA) on behalf of the relevant authority, as exemplified in the invitation for cash bid petroleum exploration permit applications for specified offshore areas.

Scope and Application

The Offshore Petroleum and Greenhouse Gas Storage Act 2006 applies to entities and individuals involved in the exploration, production, storage, and transportation of petroleum and greenhouse gas in Australian offshore areas. The Act establishes the regulatory framework for the management and administration of offshore petroleum activities, including the granting of exploration permits. The geographic reach of the Act extends to Australian Commonwealth waters, which are defined in the Act and include territorial waters and the continental shelf of Australia. The Act applies to all activities related to offshore petroleum, including exploration, production, storage, and transportation, regardless of the location of the operator or the entity involved. The Act also applies to any greenhouse gas storage activities conducted in conjunction with offshore petroleum activities. The Act does not apply to activities conducted solely for scientific research purposes or to activities conducted on a Commonwealth or State/Territory installation. The Act may be extended or restricted through subordinate instruments, such as regulations and guidelines, which provide further detail on the administration and implementation of the Act. These instruments may include provisions on application fees, prequalification criteria, and bidding processes.

Key Provisions

The Offshore Petroleum and Greenhouse Gas Storage Act 2006 provides the legal framework for the management of offshore petroleum and greenhouse gas storage activities. Section 110 of the Act specifies the process for inviting applications for cash bid petroleum exploration permits. According to the notice, the NOPTA, on behalf of the Joint Authority, invites prequalification applications for a cash bid petroleum exploration permit in respect of certain blocks within the Dampier Sub-basin, Northern Carnarvon Basin, Western Australia. The prequalification process is crucial as it determines whether an applicant is invited to submit a cash bid for the release area. Section 111 of the Act details the criteria the Joint Authority will consider when deciding whether to invite an applicant to make a cash bid, including the applicant's financial resources and technical competence. The obligations imposed on applicants under the Act are clear and precise. Applicants must submit a prequalification application by the specified deadline, accompanied by details of their technical qualifications, technical advice available, and financial resources. The prequalification application must be submitted electronically in a text search format, with evidence of payment of the application fee, to the NOPTA. The application fee at the time of printing is $A7,500.00, which is GST-free, but applicants are advised to confirm the current fee through the NOPTA website or by contacting the NOPTA directly. Failure to meet these obligations may result in the applicant not being invited to submit a cash bid. The Act imposes certain consequences for non-compliance with its provisions. While the notice does not explicitly detail the penalties for failing to submit a compliant prequalification application, it is reasonable to infer that any breach of the Act's requirements could result in legal action, including potential fines or other civil penalties as prescribed by the Act or associated Regulations. Additionally, the Joint Authority retains the discretion to refuse to invite an applicant to make a cash bid if the prequalification criteria are not met, effectively barring the applicant from participating in the cash bid process for the specified release area. The specific penalties for breaches of the Act are detailed in the Offshore Petroleum and Greenhouse Gas Storage (Resource Management and Administration) Regulations 2011, which applicants should consult for comprehensive information.

Area of Law: Environmental Law
Instrument: Gazette Notice
Concepts: Definitions & Interpretation; Reporting & Disclosure Obligations; Regulatory Standards

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Sourced from the Federal Register of Legislation at 26 August 2026. For the latest information on Australian Government law please go to https://www.legislation.gov.au.

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