The Queensland Government has released 10 prospective petroleum and gas areas totalling approximately 6636 km2 (2180 sub-blocks) via competitive tender for petroleum and gas exploration in Queensland’s Bowen and Surat basins.

All areas have been released via competitive tender without a cash bidding component for Authorities to Prospect (ATP).

To ensure a portion of the gas produced from these areas is supplied exclusively to the domestic market, any ATP for tender areas PLR2018-1-1 and PLR2018-1-4 (totalling approximately 917 km2) will be subject to an Australian market supply condition under the Petroleum and Gas (Production and Safety) Act 2004 (P&G Act) for the whole of the area of the ATP. In the event one or more petroleum leases (PL) are later granted over all or part of the areas of PLR2018-1-1 and PLR2018-1-4, the whole of the area of the PL(s) will also be subject to an Australian market supply condition under the P&G Act.

The Queensland Government has engaged with directly affected landowners, native title parties, overlapping resource tenure holders and local councils. Regional natural resource management groups along with agricultural, environmental and industry peak bodies have also been informed about this opportunity.

A preferred tenderer must meet environmental, native title and other approval requirements before an ATP may be granted for an initial term of six years under the P&G Act. On grant, the ATP-holder will also need to complete land access and potentially other approval requirements before commencing on-ground exploration.