Notice of Invitation for Work Program Petroleum Exploration Permit Application

COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA

Offshore Petroleum and Greenhouse Gas Storage Act 2006

NOTICE OF INVITATION FOR WORK PROGRAM PETROLEUM EXPLORATION PERMIT APPLICATION

I, GRAEME ALBERT WATERS, the National Offshore Petroleum Titles Administrator (NOPTA), on behalf of the Territory of Ashmore and Cartier Islands Offshore Petroleum Joint Authority, the Commonwealth-Northern Territory Offshore Petroleum Joint Authority, the Commonwealth-Victoria Offshore Petroleum Joint Authority and the Commonwealth-Western Australia Offshore Petroleum Joint Authority (Joint Authorities), pursuant to section 104 of the Offshore Petroleum and Greenhouse Gas Storage Act 2006 (Act), hereby invite applications for the grant of work-bid petroleum exploration permits in respect of the blocks and within the areas described below.

Applications must be received, in the manner prescribed below, by TUESDAY 4:00 pm local time at the place of submission on 1 June 2021.

Graticular Block ListingS

Release Area AC20-1

Nancar Trough, Bonaparte Basin, Territory of Ashmore and Cartier Islands

Map Sheet SC51 (Kupang)

Assessed to contain 23 blocks (includes 13 full blocks and 10 part blocks)

Release Area AC20-2

Vulcan Sub-basin, Bonaparte Basin, Territory of Ashmore and Cartier Islands

Map Sheet SC51 (Kupang)

Assessed to contain 41 blocks (includes 35 full blocks and six part blocks)

Release Area AC20-3

Vulcan Sub-basin, Bonaparte Basin, Territory of Ashmore and Cartier Islands

Map Sheet SC51 (Kupang)

Assessed to contain 43 blocks (includes 38 full blocks and five part blocks)

Release Area AC20-4

Vulcan Sub-basin, Bonaparte Basin, Territory of Ashmore and Cartier Islands

Map Sheet SD51 (Brunswick Bay)

Assessed to contain 19 blocks

Release Area AC20-5

Vulcan Sub-basin, Bonaparte Basin, Territory of Ashmore and Cartier Islands

Map Sheet SD51 (Brunswick Bay)

Assessed to contain one block

Release Area AC20-6

Northern Caswell Sub-basin, Browse Basin, Territory of Ashmore and Cartier Islands

Map Sheet SD51 (Brunswick Bay)

Assessed to contain 27 blocks

Release Area NT20-2

Troubadour Terrace, Bonaparte Basin, Northern Territory

Map Sheet SC52 (Melville Island)

Assessed to contain 33 blocks

Release Area NT20-4

Troubadour Terrace, Bonaparte Basin, Northern Territory

Map Sheet SC52 (Melville Island)

Assessed to contain 52 blocks

Release Area NT20-5

Sahul Platform, Bonaparte Basin, Northern Territory

Map Sheet SC52 (Melville Island)

Assessed to contain 60 blocks (includes 41 full blocks and 19 part blocks)

Release Area NT20-6

Malita Graben, Bonaparte Basin, Northern Territory

Map Sheet SC52 (Melville Island)

Assessed to contain 89 blocks (includes 70 full blocks and 19 part blocks)

Release Area NT20-8

Petrel Sub-basin, Bonaparte Basin, Northern Territory

Map Sheet SC52 (Melville Island)

Map Sheet SD52 (Darwin)

Assessed to contain 78 blocks (includes 63 full blocks and 15 part blocks)

Release Area V20-1

Otway Basin, Victoria

Map Sheet SJ54 (Hamilton)

Assessed to contain 42 blocks (includes 35 full blocks and seven part blocks)

Release Area V20-3

Gippsland Basin, Victoria

Map Sheet SJ55 (Melbourne)

Assessed to contain seven blocks

Release Area V20-4

Gippsland Basin, Victoria

Map Sheet SJ55 (Melbourne)

Assessed to contain 24 blocks

Release Area W20-1

Petrel Sub-basin, Bonaparte Basin, Western Australia

Map Sheet SD52 (Darwin)

Assessed to contain 25 blocks (includes 23 full blocks and two part blocks)

Release Area W20-2

Malita Graben, Bonaparte Basin, Western Australia

Map Sheet SC52 (Melville Island)

Assessed to contain 137 blocks (includes 114 full blocks and 23 part blocks)

Release Area W20-3

Caswell Sub-basin, Browse Basin, Western Australia

Map Sheet SD51 (Brunswick Bay)

Assessed to contain 14 blocks (includes 11 full blocks and three part blocks)

Release Area W20-4

Caswell Sub-basin, Browse Basin, Western Australia

Map Sheet SD51 (Brunswick Bay)

Assessed to contain 86 blocks

Release Area W20-5

Caswell Sub-basin, Browse Basin, Western Australia

Map Sheet SD51 (Brunswick Bay)

Assessed to contain 29 blocks

Release Area W20-6

Caswell Sub-basin, Browse Basin, Western Australia

Map Sheet SD51 (Brunswick Bay)

Assessed to contain 41 blocks

Release Area W20-7

Caswell Sub-basin, Browse Basin, Western Australia

Map Sheet SD51 (Brunswick Bay)

Assessed to contain 60 blocks (includes 53 full blocks and seven part blocks)

Release Area W20-8

Barcoo Sub-basin, Browse Basin, Western Australia

Map Sheet SD51 (Brunswick Bay)

Assessed to contain 49 blocks (includes 44 full blocks and five part blocks)

Release Area W20-9

Barcoo Sub-basin, Browse Basin, Western Australia

Map Sheet SD51 (Brunswick Bay)

Assessed to contain 64 blocks

Release Area W20-10

Beagle Sub-basin, Northern Carnarvon Basin, Western Australia

Map Sheet SE50 (Rowley Shoals)

Assessed to contain 67 blocks

Release Area W20-11

Beagle Sub-basin, Northern Carnarvon Basin, Western Australia

Map Sheet SE50 (Rowley Shoals)

Assessed to contain 60 blocks

Release Area W20-12

Dampier Sub-basin, Northern Carnarvon Basin, Western Australia

Map Sheet SE50 (Rowley Shoals)

Assessed to contain five blocks

Release Area W20-13

Dampier Sub-basin, Northern Carnarvon Basin, Western Australia

Map Sheet SE50 (Rowley Shoals)

Assessed to contain three blocks

Release Area W20-14

Dampier Sub-basin, Northern Carnarvon Basin, Western Australia

Map Sheet SE50 (Rowley Shoals)

Assessed to contain two blocks

Release Area W20-15

Dampier Sub-basin, Northern Carnarvon Basin, Western Australia

Map Sheet SE50 (Rowley Shoals)

Map Sheet SF50 (Hamersley Range)

Assessed to contain 10 blocks

Release Area W20-16

Dampier Sub-basin, Northern Carnarvon Basin, Western Australia

Map Sheet SF50 (Hamersley Range)

Assessed to contain seven blocks (includes five full blocks and two part blocks)

Release Area W20-17

Barrow Sub-basin, Northern Carnarvon Basin, Western Australia

Map Sheet SF50 (Hamersley Range)

Assessed to contain five blocks

Release Area W20-18

Barrow Sub-basin, Northern Carnarvon Basin, Western Australia

Map Sheet SF50 (Hamersley Range)

Assessed to contain 13 blocks

Release Area W20-19

Exmouth Sub-basin, Northern Carnarvon Basin, Western Australia

Map Sheet SF50 (Hamersley Range)

Assessed to contain two blocks

Release Area W20-20

Exmouth Sub-basin, Northern Carnarvon Basin, Western Australia

Map Sheet SF49 (Cloates)

Map Sheet SF50 (Hamersley Range)

Assessed to contain 14 blocks

Release Area W20-21

Exmouth Plateau, Northern Carnarvon Basin, Western Australia

Map Sheet SE50 (Rowley Shoals)

Assessed to contain 10 blocks

Release Area W20-22

Exmouth Plateau, Northern Carnarvon Basin, Western Australia

Map Sheet SE50 (Rowley Shoals)

Assessed to contain 20 blocks

Release Area W20-23

Exmouth Plateau, Northern Carnarvon Basin, Western Australia

Map Sheet SE50 (Rowley Shoals)

Assessed to contain four blocks

Release Area W20-24

Exmouth Plateau, Northern Carnarvon Basin, Western Australia

Map Sheet SE50 (Rowley Shoals)

Assessed to contain two blocks

Release Area W20-25

Exmouth Plateau, Northern Carnarvon Basin, Western Australia

Map Sheet SE50 (Rowley Shoals)

Assessed to contain one block

Release Area W20-26

Exmouth Plateau, Northern Carnarvon Basin, Western Australia

Map Sheet SF49 (Cloates)

Map Sheet SF50 (Hamersley Range)

Assessed to contain eight blocks

Release Area W20-27

Exmouth Plateau, Northern Carnarvon Basin, Western Australia

Map Sheet SF49 (Cloates)

Assessed to contain seven blocks

Release Area W20-28

Exmouth Plateau, Northern Carnarvon Basin, Western Australia

Map Sheet SF49 (Cloates)

Assessed to contain two blocks

The Australian Government reserves the right to implement necessary measures under international law for resources that may be found to straddle international maritime jurisdictions. This position may affect exploration within potential acreage release areas NT20-5, NT20-6, W20‑2, AC20-1, AC20-2 and AC20-3.

When preparing a bid and planning exploration, explorers should:

• carefully consider the relevant maritime boundaries and international treaties
• take all relevant advice to inform decision-making

APPLICATIONS

In accordance with subsection 104(3) of the Act, applications must be accompanied by details of:

1. the applicant’s proposals for work and expenditure in relation to the block or blocks specified in the application;
2. the technical qualifications of the applicant and of the applicant’s employees;
3. the technical advice available to the applicant; and
4. the financial resources available to the applicant.

For further details of the expectations of the Joint Authorities in relation to the content of applications, please refer to the Offshore Petroleum Exploration Guideline: Work-bid (Effective 1 July 2019) available at https://www.nopta.gov.au/guidelines-and-factsheets/index.html.

FEE

An application must be accompanied by the appropriate application fee and evidence of payment.  The amount of the fee is prescribed in schedule 6 of the RMA regulations[1]. Details on how to pay the prescribed fee are on NOPTA’s website.

If paying by cheque, please write the full company name and Australian Business Number of each applicant and work-bid release area number on the back of the bank cheque. Cheques should be made payable to ‘NOPTA – Commonwealth of Australia’.

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

SUBMISSION OF APPLICATIONS

The application must be on the prescribed application form and signed by all applicants.  The application form is available for download from the NOPTA website at http://www.nopta.gov.au/forms/forms.html.

One bound paper copy and one electronic copy in text search format (on CD, DVD or USB) of the application, together with evidence of payment of the application fee, must be submitted to the NOPTA in the following manner:

• the application should be sealed and clearly marked as “Application for Area [Release Area Number as appropriate ] Commercial-in-Confidence” and
• this envelope or package should then be enclosed in a plain covering envelope or package and delivered by hand (couriers accepted) to the below address:

To submit an application please make an appointment with the NOPTA by emailing titles@nopta.gov.au or phoning 08 6424 5317. 

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

[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 https://www.nopta.gov.au/_documents/schedule-of-fees.pdf)