PESA NSW: June 2026 Technical Lunch

New opportunities for gas exploration in NSW – acreage available first time in a decade

On 29 April 2026 the NSW Minister for Natural Resources announced the release of new areas for exploration in the North West of NSW near the South Australian and Queensland borders. They are inviting companies to apply for the grant of exploration tenements over two specific areas (the Bancannia and Pondie Range Troughs) that have previously been identified as prospective for oil and gas.

Full details of the contents of the Minister’s Press Release are available on the NSW Ministerial media releases website and published on 29 April 2026. One of the key conditions for applicants will be the areas involved will be subject to requirements any gas produced from the areas covered by these newly released EL’s will be reserved for domestic consumption.

This is an exciting development and shows the NSW Government are aware of and are taking positive steps to relieve the coming gas shortage in NSW. Recent television interviews have also shown the Minister willingly talking over the Santos Narrabri Project and its progress through the Regulatory Regime, so discussions at our June 9 meeting are likely to expand beyond the newly released areas for exploration.