Industry News

Carbon Loop #017

06/02/2026 Posted by Helen

Read the full newsletter here

Hello and welcome to The Carbon Loop — a newsletter by the CCUSNA dedicated to highlighting the Australian carbon capture, utilisation and storage industry

A quick plug to begin with.

On 19 and 20 February, the CCUSNA will host an invite-only, two-day workshop to consider the question: What are the opportunities and challenges associated with developing a multi-user CCUS hub in WA?

And in the lead up to the workshop in February the CCUSNA has been putting together a series of webinars to explore and set up the background to that central theme.

New GSWA publications on plays of the Canning and Perth Basins

05/02/2026 Posted by Rachel

These two GSWA Records provide a valuable resource, especially for potential new explorers, on the Canning and Perth Basins. The publications provide an introduction to the basins, their exploration targets and drilling results. Unforeseen new play commercial discoveries (Ungani oil in the Canning Basin and Waitsia gas in the Perth Basin) are testimony to undiscovered hydrocarbon potential in these basins.

These GSWA Records are based on historical petroleum exploration targets, covering formation by formation and including drilling results. Information was summarised from company well completion reports and relevant literature.

These new publications are found on the DMPE e-bookshop, linked to below.

Record 2025/9

A Summary of Geological Play Types for Energy Commodities in the Perth Basin, within Western Australian Jurisdiction

RH Bruce

Published August 2025

Record 2025/16

PESA Deal Day 2026

03/02/2026 Posted by Rachel

Monday 18th May sees the return of the PESA Deal Day, a regular event in the PESA calendar that brings together a range of exciting opportunities and the community keen to invest in them. Spots are available now for both presenters and event sponsors - read on to learn more from co-convenor Wal Muir.

The PESA 2026 Deal Day will bring high quality exploration, appraisal and development opportunities from Australia and beyond to the attention of the international oil and gas industry.

Offshore Otway Basin Federal offshore acreage release, NOPTA guidance note revisions and NOPIMS changes

03/02/2026 Posted by Rachel

With the long awaited offshore Otway Basin drilling campaign finally underway, the Federal Minister for Resources the Hon Madeleine King announced on 11 December 2025 the release of five areas for work program bidding. Application bids on the five release areas is due 30 June 2026. A public consultation process in parallel is open until 6 February 2026. More on the acreage release and details on how to bid can be found at https://www.industry.gov.au/publications/2025-otway-offshore-petroleum-exploration-acreage-release

This petroleum exploration acreage release is the first since 2022 and the release of the Governments Future Gas Strategy in May 2024 .

Federation University closing Geology Course

09/12/2025 Posted by Rachel

The former Ballarat School of Mines, now Federation University, is abruptly closing its Geology course, mid-stream, leaving students marooned with their courses incomplete (ABC News).

Source: https://www.federation.edu.au/about/locations/ballarat/smb/

As highlighted by VIC/TAS PESA President Nick Hoffman, “This is the end of well over a century of geological teaching and marks the continued degradation of Australia's geoscience capacity at the same time as it is becoming apparent that minerals are not just stuff to dig up and sell but are the foundations of energy and commercial independence in an increasingly troubled world.

Exploration Success in the Otway Basin

08/12/2025 Posted by Rachel

November saw the announcement from ConocoPhillips Australia and their JV partners, 3D Energi and Korea National Oil Corporation, the results of their recent drilling campaign in the Otway Basin. Read on below for their issued press release.

November 17th 2025:

ConocoPhillips Australia today announced a natural gas discovery in the Otway Basin (VIC/P79). Initial results from the Essington-1 well have detected the presence of natural gas in the two target reservoirs, Waarre A and Waarre C.

Preliminary estimates from logs and wireline results place the primary Waarre A target reservoir as a 62.6-metre gross hydrocarbon column.

Australia’s Energy Commodity Resources 2025 published by Geoscience Australia

10/11/2025 Posted by Rachel

Geoscience Australia’s latest edition of Australia’s Energy Commodity Resources (AECR) publication reinforces Australia’s position as a as a key global energy exporter and leader in emerging low carbon solutions.

Delivering a comprehensive assessment of the nation's emerging low-carbon technologies and non-renewable energy commodity resources, the 2025 edition shows the status of Australia’s energy resources as at the end of 2023 set against a backdrop of accelerating global decarbonisation, technological innovation, and shifting patterns of energy demand and trade.

For decades, Australia’s non-renewable resources have supported not only its own prosperity but also the economies of nations around the world.

Australian Natural Hydrogen Conference 2025

10/10/2025 Posted by Helen

It’s a crucial year for the potential commercialisation of natural hydrogen, and the second Australian Natural Hydrogen Conference October 21-23 in the Adelaide Hills promises to shed new light on this emerging energy source.

With a handful of companies worldwide having confirmed high levels of natural hydrogen in the ground, all are now racing to prove they can commercialise the zero-carbon resource, and the conference, put on by the Natural Hydrogen Association of Australia, has some of the industry’s heavyweights fronting attendees.

Since the inaugural Natural Hydrogen Association of Australia conference in 2024, the game has changed.

Carbon Loop #13

10/10/2025 Posted by Helen

Read the full newsletter here

Hello and welcome to The Carbon Loop — a newsletter by the CCUSNA dedicated to highlighting the Australian carbon capture, utilisation and storage industry

The Federal Government has dropped a suite of Net Zero strategies covering key parts of the economy: transport, resources, industry, built environment, agriculture and land, and electricity. Together with the overarching Net Zero Plan, these reports provide the most detailed picture yet of how Australia expects to meet its emissions commitments.

There’s a bajillion pages to get through and I’m a long way from having an informed opinion, but my initial hot take is a bit: Hmm.. really?

MGPalaeo Honour Australia’s most famous Palynologists with Artwork at New Lab

07/10/2025 Posted by Rachel

MGPalaeo are excited to announce their fully rebuilt laboratory offering significantly more space for an expanding suite of services. They have also taken the opportunity to decorate the place with a mural including selected palynomorphs honouring some of Australia’s most famous palynologists. Read on to learn more about their motivation and the palynologists their artwork honoured.

Time for a rebuild

The original lab was built in 2012 after relocating the main office from Maitland (South Australia) to Perth (Western Australia).