Some happy snaps from the booth (Sue Slater and Janny, and another one of Farah Fazulah, Talline Zarzavatjian and Janny)
Latest News
Unlocking Subsurface Insights: The Power of Spectral Decomposition in Geoscience
Spectral decomposition is a method that transforms seismic data into the frequency domain, revealing geological features that may not be visible in conventional seismic interpretation. This technique is widely used in hydrocarbon exploration, reservoir characterization, and geohazard identification.
It enhances thin bed detection, allowing geoscientists to resolve thin reservoirs and stratigraphic layers beyond conventional seismic resolution. The method can also serve as a direct hydrocarbon indicator, detecting frequency anomalies associated with hydrocarbons. Lastly, it supports lithology and facies mapping by differentiating rock types based on their spectral response, making it a valuable tool in subsurface exploration and reservoir studies.
The Mixer in Petrel allows users to compare and evaluate multiple seismic frequency volumes simultaneously using RGB/CMY blending.
PESA Year in Review Session at the 2025 AEP conference
Sue Slater, Ray Slater & Assoc, commenced with the 2024 Exploration and Appraisal Review. With relinquished exploration permits not being reissued, no new land releases, more restrictions on seismic acquisition and only new acreage releases in South Australia and WA (the latter with significant restrictions) the story is not promising from a reserves replacement point of view.
To everyone's surprise, after finishing this session, the Queensland Government announcement new onshore acreage releases.
Next was Martin Wilkes from RISC, who provided the 2024 Development and Production Review.
PESA 2025 Awards
The best bit about our AGM is being able to hand out the awards.
MSA Award
The 2025 PESA Meritorious Service Award (MSA), which recognizes individuals who voluntarily provide exceptional service to PESA at State or Federal level over a significant period of time, has gone to Andrew Riznyczok from the NSW Branch. He will be receiving his award at a Branch event later this year.
Barry Goldstein Award
We received several worthy nominations this year, with the final selection focussing on the key skills of innovation, collaboration and communication.
Of Firewalls and Spam Filters
If you receive this Gazette, you may just be lucky. Did you know that a large number of our members apparently never hear from us?
If you use your company email address, a hotmail or a gmail account, this likelyhood that correspondence from PESA is intercepted and lands in your SPAM folder, or never even makes it in, is rather high.
So, please check with your co-workers, friends and family, anyone who could (or should) be a PESA member, and get them to update their contact details to preferably a personal email account.
PESA QLD Lunch with Brendon Mitchell
The Queensland branch technical meeting for May was a presentation from Brendon Mitchell, Chief Geophysisct and Managing Director of Oceania Geo. PESA Queensland were pleased to welcome members of the Queensland ASEG branch to the event to hear about the challenges of seismic acquisition in New Zealand, during covid.
Brendon has significant experience working across New Zealand and Australia, with a focus on onshore data acquisition for unconventional and tight gas exploration and development.
East Coast Supply Project to boost gas supply to the Victoria domestic gas market
● Three-well drilling program approved for East Coast Supply Project in Otway Basin
● Exploration wells target Elanora, Isabella, and Juliet prospects with high gas discovery success rates
● Project phases include drilling, subsea development, and Athena Gas Plant modification
In March 2025, Amplitude Energy and joint venture partner O.G. Energy have approved a three-well drilling program in the offshore Otway Basin, Australia, for the East Coast Supply Project (ECSP).
AEP presentations to look out for
The Australian Energy Producers conference is only a few weeks away, so for those of you planning on attending we have prepared you a summary of papers written by PESA members that would be good to go and see presented.
Tues 27 May, session 3 - 2:02–2:20 pm
“Australia is still an attractive investment destination for exploration and development”
Joe Keith from S&P Global
Tues 27 May, session 5 - 2:02–2:20 pm
"Northern Territory gas development – How access to technology is unlocking resources"
Simon Molyneux from Molyneux Advisors
Tues 27 May, session 3 - 2:59 –3:17 pm
PESA Year in Review session for AEP
Wednesday, May 28, 2025
2:00 PM - 3:15 PM
Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre
Catch up on all the highlights of 2024 from across the Australian upstream industry in this session which is an annual conference staple.
2024 2024 Exploration year in reviewSue Slater (Consultant)2024 Development and Production ReviewMartin Wilkes (RISC Advisory)2024 Business Environment year in reviewAnne Forbes (Wood Mackenzie)
Ms Sue Slater
QLD Branch Vice President
PESA Energy Geoscience
2:02 PM - 2:26 PM
Abstract
Petroleum exploration expenditure increased both offshore and onshore compared to 2023 numbers, however this does not equate to a commensurate increase in activity.
Geological Survey of Western Australia’s Canning Basin and Perth Basin Deep Crustal Seismic Studies
The Geological Survey of Western Australia (GSWA) will be soon releasing a report on seismic mapping of the southern Canning Basin authored by Y. Zhan and a plate showing seismic interpretation of the Perth Basin section of three new deep-crustal seismic lines which were acquired by GSWA in 2023-24 interpreted by C. Thomas.
The southeastern Canning Basin represents one of the least explored sedimentary regions in onshore Australia, largely due to its remoteness and challenging access conditions.