Sarah.Harris

2026 PESA QLD Symposium – A Must-Attend Event for Energy Industry Professionals!

13/07/2026 Posted by Sarah.Harris

Location: Brisbane Convention and Exhibition CentreDate: Monday 7th SeptemberTheme: Energy - Where to from Here?

The PESA QLD Symposium is a full day event focused on bringing togethermembers of the petroleum and energy exploration and production industry here inQueensland. Local and Interstate specialist speakers are invited to present a seriesof papers which address the industry activity within the state from a technical,economic, and social perspective.

This year’s theme will explore the opportunities and challenges surrounding energysecurity and resilience in Australia, particularly within the context of energyexploration, development, and supply.

The organising committee anticipates up to 100 industry delegates in attendancewith approximately 12 presentations scheduled over the day in the four sponsoredsessions.

Promote your business by advertising in the PESA Gazette

13/07/2026 Posted by Sarah.Harris

Looking to connect with Australia's petroleum and energy geoscience professionals?

Advertising in the PESA Gazette allows you to showcase your products, services, recruitment opportunities and events to professionals working across Australia's upstream energy sector.

Published monthly from February through November and distributed digitally on the second Tuesday of each month, the PESA Gazette reaches a highly engaged audience of geoscientists, petroleum engineers, academics, researchers, consultants, executives and industry decision-makers.

Whether you're promoting new technology, professional services, training courses, conferences, recruitment opportunities or industry events, advertising in the Gazette places your organisation in front of the people shaping Australia's energy future.

Red Sky Busy in the Cooper Basin

12/05/2026 Posted by Sarah.Harris

Red Sky Energy (Red Sky) have announced they have entered into binding agreement with JV partner Santos Ltd to drill 3 wells in the Cooper Basin.

On 1st April, Red Sky advised they had executed a binding Authority for Expenditure (AFE) with joint venture partner Santos Limited for two Yarrow wells within the Innamincka Dome, Cooper Basin, South Australia. This two-well program represents the next phase of development within the producing Yarrow field and follows the successful tie-in and commissioning of Yarrow 1 in November 2025.

Furthermore, on 13th April, they announced they were participating in the high-impact Willowie appraisal gas well also targeting the Innamincka Dome area.

Santos announces Alaska appraisal success and provides major projects update

12/05/2026 Posted by Sarah.Harris

On 8 April 2016, Santos announced the successful completion of the Quokka-1 appraisal well, which has further delineated the high-quality Nanushuk reservoir in the Quokka Unit on Alaska’s North Slope. Santos controls a 51 per cent operating interest in the unit, with Repsol controlling the remaining 49 per cent.

The Quokka-1 well was spudded on 1 January 2026 and drilled to a total depth of 4,787 feet (1,459 metres). The well successfully encountered a high-quality reservoir with approximately 143 feet of net oil pay in the Nanushuk formation, demonstrating an average porosity of 19 per cent.

Vale Farah Fazulah Abdullah

12/05/2026 Posted by Sarah.Harris

It is with great sadness that PESA Queensland shares news of the passing of our former colleague and friend, Farah Fazulah. Farah joined PESA when she moved to Australia and volunteered with the Queensland branch from 2023 before joining the PESA Queensland Committee in early 2024. Bringing her energy and enthusiasm to supporting with technical lunches and other committee events and helping to man the booth at AEP Brisbane in 2025, her energy was shared with the broader federal committee and PESA membership.

Farah moved to Australia and joined Central Petroleum as a geologist in 2021, focused on the Amadeus Basin in the Northern Territory.

Reminder: 2026 PESA Annual General Meeting

12/05/2026 Posted by Sarah.Harris

PESA members are reminded that the 2026 Annual General Meeting will be held on Monday, 18 May at the Adelaide Convention Centre. Drinks will be available from 4:30pm following PESA Deal Day, with the AGM commencing at 4:45pm.

The AGM provides members with an opportunity to hear updates on the Society’s activities, governance and future direction, while also recognising the contributions of volunteers and committee members across the organisation.

Members can access the AGM notice and related documents via the PESA website.

Commonwealth Government opens offshore exploration nominations for Gippsland and Bass basins

12/05/2026 Posted by Sarah.Harris

The Australian Government is seeking industry nominations for areas that may be included in a future offshore petroleum exploration acreage release across the Gippsland and Bass basins. The nomination round is open until 19 June 2026.

The proposed release forms part of the Federal Government’s Future Gas Strategy and is intended to support future domestic gas supply by encouraging exploration in proven producing basins with existing infrastructure. With production from several mature east coast gas fields continuing to decline, the acreage release is expected to generate strong industry interest.

The Gippsland Basin is one of Australia’s most significant offshore petroleum provinces and was home to Australia's first commercial offshore petroleum discovery at Barracouta-1 in 1965.

Queensland committee finalises John Draper Award nominees and Branch Honours/Masters Scholarship

06/04/2026 Posted by Sarah.Harris

Queensland committee finalises John Draper Award nominees and Branch Honours/Masters Scholarship

The 2025 John Draper Award nominees are Lara Picton (QUT), Natasha Scally (UQ) and Keely O’Mara (JCU). Congratulations to these students who were nominated by their respective lecturers for their academic achievements and geology related extra-curricular activities.

John Draper is a Queensland geologist who significantly contributed to understanding Queensland geology, particularly its sedimentary basins and their coal and hydrocarbon potential. John was awarded the Dorothy Hill medal in 2009, and the PESA Distinguished Member medal in 2013.

Balancing the Scales: Reflections from Queensland’s SPE, QUPEX, PESA and ASEG 2026 International Women’s Day Workshop

01/04/2026 Posted by Sarah.Harris

Brisbane March 2nd- a full room of industry professionals from graduates to seasoned leaders a delicious breakfast spread and flowing caffeine - the International Women’s Day Workshop and Networking Breakfast, hosted by SPE, QUPEX, PESA and ASEG, was officially sold out, already a great indication of the support and eagerness to drive change.

Setting the Tone: Equity Is Everyone’s Business

The morning opened with the Hon Fiona Simpson, Minister for Women and Women’s Economic Security. Her message was simple and powerful: raising women up raises everyone. Equity is not a women’s issue- it is a societal issue with shared responsibility.