COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA

Offshore Petroleum and Greenhouse Gas Storage Act 2006

NOTICE OF INVITATION FOR EXPLORATION PERMIT APPLICATION

I, GRAEME ALBERT WATERS, the National Offshore Petroleum Titles Administrator, on behalf of the Commonwealth Offshore Petroleum Joint Authorities, pursuant to section 104 of the Offshore Petroleum and Greenhouse Gas Storage Act 2006 (the Act) of the Commonwealth of Australia, hereby invite applications for the grant of petroleum exploration permits in respect of the following blocks within the areas as described in the following schedule.

Applications for release areas NT13-1, NT13-2, NT13-3, V13-2, W13-4, W13-5, W13-6, W13-7, W13-8, W13-19, and W13-20 must be received, in the manner prescribed below,  by  4:00  pm  local  time  at  the  place  of  submission  (refer  to  the  “submission  of applications” section in this notice) on Thursday 22 May 2014.

Graticular Block ListingS

Release Area NT13-1

Northern Petrel Sub-basin, Malita Graben, Darwin Shelf, Bonaparte Basin, Northern Territory

Map Sheet SC 52 (Melville Island)

Assessed to contain 83 blocks (includes 83 full blocks)

Release Area NT 13-2

Northern Petrel Sub-basin, Malita Graben, Darwin Shelf, Bonaparte Basin, Northern Territory

Map Sheet SC 52 (Melville Island)

Assessed to contain 101 blocks (includes 75 full blocks and 26 part blocks)

Release Area NT13-3

Northern Petrel Sub-basin, Malita Graben, Darwin Shelf, Bonaparte Basin, Northern Territory

Map Sheet SC 52 (Melville Island)

Assessed to contain 99 blocks (includes 92 full blocks and 7 part blocks)

Release Area V13-2

Gippsland Basin, Victoria

Map Sheet SJ 55 (Melbourne)

Assessed to contain 31 blocks (includes 31 full blocks)

Release Area W13-4

Barcoo Sub-basin, Browse Basin, Western Australia

Map Sheet SD 51 (Brunswick Bay)

 Assessed to contain 94 blocks (includes 94 full blocks)

Release Area W13-5

Barcoo Sub-basin, Browse Basin, Western Australia

Map Sheet SD 51 (Brunswick Bay)

Map Sheet SE 51 (Broome)

Assessed to contain 78 blocks (includes 78 full blocks)

Release Area W13-6

Exmouth Plateau, Northern Carnarvon Basin, Western Australia

Map Sheet SE 49

Map Sheet SE 50 (Rowley Shoals)

Assessed to contain 168 blocks (includes 168 full blocks)

Release Area W13-7

Exmouth Plateau, Northern Carnarvon Basin, Western Australia

Map Sheet SE 49

Assessed to contain 20 blocks (includes 20 full blocks)

Release Area W13-8

Exmouth Plateau, Northern Carnarvon Basin, Western Australia

Map Sheet SE 50 (Rowley Shoals)

Assessed to contain 37 blocks (includes 37 full blocks)

Release Area W13-19

North Perth Basin, Western Australia

Map Sheet SG 49 (Carnarvon)

Map Sheet SH 49 (Houtman Abrolhos)

Assessed to contain 163 blocks (includes 163 full blocks)

Graticular Block Listing

Release Area W13-20

North Perth Basin, Western Australia

Map Sheet SH 49 (Houtman Abrolhos)

Assessed to contain 87 blocks (includes 87 full blocks)

APPLICATIONS

Applications for exploration permits in relation to the above areas must be made in an approved manner and 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;

Applicants should propose an exploration strategy that has the potential to significantly advance the assessment and understanding of the petroleum potential of the permit area.

The exploration strategy should be supported by a technical assessment of the release area and the detailed descriptions of the work activities proposed for each year in the six (6) year permit term.  It is expected that both the primary and secondary work programs will contain substantial new operational activities commensurate with the assessed petroleum prospectivity and understanding of the area. Expenditure should be categorised against each element of the work program and stated in Australian dollars. 

In developing work programs applicants must take account of any Notices or Special Notices in relation to the area as listed in the annual Commonwealth Offshore Petroleum Exploration Acreage Release information package, which is available at www.petroleum-acreage.gov.au, along with ability to comply with the requirements of the Act, its Regulations and any Directions issued under the Act, and with any special conditions associated with each area.  As well as the relevant provisions of the Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999, its Regulations and associated directions and documents when proposing petroleum operations.

b.     the technical qualifications of the applicant and of the applicant’s employees and / or the technical advice available to the applicant;

Details of the technical qualifications of the applicant and its key employees and/or details of the technical advice available to the applicant (by way of consultants or other providers) that will enable it to meet its work program commitments.

c.      the financial resources available to the applicant.

The financial resources available to the applicant, including evidence of the applicant's ability to fund the proposed work program, a statement of other exploration commitments over the next six years, and a copy of the latest annual and quarterly reports for each applicant company.

For further details of the expectations of the Commonwealth Offshore Petroleum Joint Authorities in relation to the content of applications, applicants should give due consideration to the content of the publically available guidelines: Requirements of Bid and Renewal Applications Guideline, the Assessment of Bid and Renewal Applications Guideline and the Application Checklist available at www.petroleum-acreage.gov.au and included as part of the annual Commonwealth of Australia Offshore Petroleum Exploration Acreage Release information package.

FEE

Applications must be accompanied by a fee payable to the “Department of Energy Resources and Tourism” through an Australian bank or bank cheque.  The amount of the fee is prescribed in Regulations under the Act, and at the time of printing was $A5,220.00 which is GST free.[1]  Please write your full company name, Australian Business Number (ABN) and Exploration Permit Work Bid Release Area Number on the back.

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 website of the National Offshore Petroleum Titles Administrator (NOPTA). (http://www.nopta.gov.au/forms/forms.html).

Three (3) bound paper copies and three (3) electronic copies in text search format (on CD or USB) of the application, along with the fee specified above, 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 NOPTA by emailing titles@nopta.gov.au or phoning 08 6424 5317 (NOPTA Titles phone number) or 08 6424 5300 (NOPTA WA reception phone number) or 03 8199 0300 (NOPTA VIC reception phone number). 

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.