The Offshore Petroleum and Greenhouse Gas Storage Act 2006, which came into force on 21 November 2008, provides for a system of access and property rights for the geological storage of greenhouse gas in offshore waters under Commonwealth jurisdiction. As the first step in the process of providing these access and property rights, the Minister for Resources and Energy, the Hon Martin Ferguson AM MP, announced on 27 March 2009 the release of ten offshore areas for the exploration of greenhouse gas storage areas. These release areas are located in the following basins:
The document, Guidance Notes for Applicants [PDF, 1.2MB], sets out information for prospective applicants on:
- Application for an Assessment Permit, including what is required in application bids and the selection criteria used in assessing applications;
- Permit Conditions and Administration that apply once a permit has been granted; and
- Special Notices outlining the rights and interests of other parties in the release areas.
Please note the varied closing dates for applications for GHG assessment permits:
- Friday 30 September 2011 for release areas GIPP-01, GIPP-02 and GIPP-03; and
- Friday 30 March 2012 for the remainder of the release areas (TORQ-01, TORQ-02, OTWY-01, VLAM-01, VLAM-02, PTRL-01 and PTRL-02)
- In all other respects the original conditions for application and assessment accompanying the April 2009 Gazettal remain the same.
Well data and geophysical data are provided for release areas in:
The acreage release is the first step in the process whereby prospective CCS companies can obtain the necessary property rights and hence the investment certainty they need to proceed with commercial storage operations.
Any queries or requests for further information on the GHG Acreage Release can be e-mailed to: ccs@ret.gov.au.