2021 Offshore Petroleum Exploration Acreage Release: now open

Bidding is now open for the 2021 acreage release with 21 areas available for oil and gas investment.
Photo of an offshore resource exploration platform

The Australian Government has announced the 2021 Offshore Petroleum Exploration Acreage Release.

Bidding is now open for the 2021 Offshore Petroleum Exploration Acreage Release. Companies have the opportunity to bid on release areas until Thursday 3 March 2022.

The acreage release comprises 21 areas across 6 basins offshore:

  • Bonaparte
  • Browse
  • Carnarvon
  • Otway
  • Sorell
  • Gippsland.

All areas in this release are based on industry nominations and public consultation. They are all available for work-program bidding.

The annual acreage release is crucial to the Australian Government's gas-fired recovery plan. Continued exploration ensures we can provide reliable and affordable energy for the future.

See release area information and bidding instructions for the 2021 acreage release

Geoscience Australia partnered with us to provide geological information to support this release. 

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The Minister announced the 2021 acreage release on 15 June 2021