The Australian Government today announced a call for area nominations for the 2021 Greenhouse Gas Acreage Release, covering Commonwealth waters across Australia. The release will provide companies the opportunity to explore for offshore greenhouse gas injection and storage locations.
This release will be a key component of the government’s strategy to support Australia’s resources sector. It will also aid global decarbonisation efforts.
Nominating a release area
Industry and other stakeholders are invited to nominate areas for inclusion in the release. Nominations for areas are now open via the online form on business.gov.au.
Your nomination indicates a genuine intent to bid in the release for the proposed area. You must include details on any potential sources of greenhouse gas for storage.
Non-contiguous areas require separate nominations.
Your nomination can include graticular blocks that:
- overlap active petroleum titles
- cross offshore state boundaries (but not enter state waters i.e. 3 nautical miles from the shoreline).
Timeframes
Nominations for this release are open for 4 weeks until 5 pm Wednesday 14 July 2021.
Answering your questions
Email your questions about the 2021 Greenhouse Gas Storage Acreage Release to ghgacreage@industry.gov.au.
We will post any updates, notices or other useful information on this page only.
We expect interest in the following topics:
What size should my nominated area be?
Nominations must be of a size that covers the entire proposed formation or any identified prospects.
Any proposed storage formation needs to fall wholly within the nominated area. This is the legislative definition of a greenhouse gas storage formation under the Offshore Petroleum and Greenhouse Gas Storage Act 2006.
Will there be public consultation on the release areas?
The government will undertake a consultation process before releasing nomination areas for bidding.
We seek feedback from anyone who can provide storage exploration information on a specific area.
This includes:
- government agencies
- community members
- conservation groups
- the broader public
- native title
- other marine users, like the petroleum, fishing, aquaculture and tourism industries.
The consultation will inform the release of nominated areas. It will also highlight considerations for companies working within them.
Where will I find bidding information?
The responsible Commonwealth Minister (RCM) will announce the release areas and open them for bidding at the end of 2021. The Australian Government Gazette publishes areas available for bidding and bid due dates.
Read more
- The Minister announced the 2021 Greenhouse Gas Acreage Release on 16 June 2021
- Subscribe to Australian Petroleum News for information on acreage consultation and bidding rounds.
- Find out more about how we regulate offshore greenhouse gas storage in Australian waters