The 2026 PESA Queensland Symposium, held on 7 September at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre, brought together petroleum and energy industry professionals, service providers, researchers and technical specialists for a full day of discussion, knowledge sharing and networking under the theme “Energy: Where to from Here?”
The symposium provided a valuable forum for the Queensland petroleum industry at a time when energy security, resource development and the energy transition are creating both challenges and new opportunities.
The keynote program set the scene for a day focused on the immediate and longer-term outlook for energy in Australia. Samantha McCulloch, Chief Executive of Australian Energy Producers, spoke about current and future energy requirements, while Peter Moore, National Geoscience Champion, provided a personal historical perspective on petroleum geoscience and the energy transition. Emeritus Professor Gregory Webb gave a fascinating presentation on Queensland geologist and palaeontologist Professor Dorothy Hill and her lasting contribution to Australian science.
Following morning tea, a technical session focused on CCS and advances in geothermal and digital technology. The session featured three high-quality presentations from Greg Channon (Australian Carbon Vault), David Lukas (AJ Lucas Services) and Simon Molyneux (Molyneux Advisors).
Both sessions after lunch focused on the Bowen Basin, with particular attention on recent exploration and appraisal activity in the Taroom Trough, which has received considerable media attention this year.
Greg Channon (Xstate Gas) and Faiz Mohinudeen (CSIRO) provided an overview of the regional geology, exploration and appraisal history, and the petroleum system model. Their presentations included insights supported by data from the increasing level of activity across the basin.
The final four presentations were delivered by active explorers in the basin: Nathan Parker (Omega Oil and Gas), Matthew Wright (Elixir Energy), Andrew Parker (OGT) and Chris Holmes (Denison Gas). Each company provided an overview of its acreage, geological setting and exploration history, along with the successes and challenges of recent exploration and appraisal activities.
The presentations highlighted the level of activity and potential within the Taroom Trough, with further exploration and appraisal work continuing across the region.
During the breaks, delegates had the opportunity to network, visit the student poster display and speak with exhibitors. The day concluded with the popular networking cocktail function, which was well attended.
The Queensland Branch would like to thank all our sponsors and exhibitors who helped make the day a success. We would also like to thank the students who presented posters on their current research projects. The strong attendance reflected the success of the event, with the symposium attracting its largest audience in a number of years.
The Best Poster award was presented to Parisa Tavoosiiraj from The University of Queensland for “Stress regime variations and fault stability: Cooper–Eromanga Basins implications for CO₂ geological storage in the Cooper Basin.”
The Best Presentation award was presented to Greg Channon for “Carbon Sequestration in the Arckaringa & Otway Basins, Onshore South Australia.” The project is of particular interest to Australian Carbon Vault, which holds eight gas storage exploration licences in South Australia and plans to undertake two pilot programs commencing this year.
The success of the event reinforces the importance of maintaining a strong, technically informed and collaborative Queensland energy community—one that can address today’s energy security requirements while preparing for the opportunities and challenges of tomorrow.
On behalf of PESA Queensland, we sincerely thank all our presenters, sponsors, exhibitors and attendees for contributing to the success of the 2026 PESA QLD Symposium.
We look forward to seeing you again in 2027 as we celebrate 50 years since the first PESA Queensland symposium in 1977.
