exploration

Quarterly Updates Highlight Cooper Basin Activity

12/08/2026 Posted by Rachel

Reviewing the quarterly updates from operators in the Cooper Basin points to ongoing activity with some exciting results reported.

During the last quarter, Santos reported drilling 21 wells across the Cooper Basin including 17 gas and four oil wells with 14 of them connected for production. They continue their flood recovery works following last year’s unprecedented flood event, despite record local rainfall, with 10 flood-impacted wells returned to production during the quarter. A further 30 development wells are drilled but unconnected, awaiting access to be restored.

JV Partner Beach reports that the wells they participated in included exploration success at the Kwagga and Chinstrap fields, with Kwagga 1 discovering gas in both the primary Toolachee Fm target, and also the secondary Patchawarra Fm, whilst Chinstrap 1 discovered gas in the Callamurra Sst.

Constellation gets green light for Edmund–Collier gas exploration

12/08/2026 Posted by Rachel

Constellation Resources has been granted two Special Prospecting Authorities with Acreage Options (SPA-AOs) covering a combined 18,404 km² of Western Australia’s underexplored Edmund–Collier Basin.

The authorities, SPA 48 AO and SPA 49 AO, will allow Constellation to advance exploration targeting naturally occurring hydrogen, helium and natural gas through on-ground gas surveys and further geological and petrophysical studies.

Despite limited historical petroleum exploration, the Proterozoic Edmund–Collier Basin has produced several indications of subsurface gas. In 1977, AMOCO Minerals’ percussion hole JRP-TP-03 recorded a pressurised gas outburst and surface ignition at approximately 300m sub-surface.

More recent investigations have detected hydrogen, helium and hydrocarbon gases, including methane and ethane, within the basin, providing further evidence of an active subsurface gas system.

NZ Awards First Exploration Acreage since ban reversal

05/08/2026 Posted by Rachel

New Zealand has awarded its first new offshore petroleum exploration permit since the 2018 ban reversal, granting Australian company EnZed Energy a 12-year permit in the Taranaki Basin to explore the Kaheru prospect, located east of the Kupe gas field.

“This permit marks a major milestone for New Zealand’s energy sector and shows that without doubt, we are open for business,” says Resources Minister Shane Jones.

Gold Hydrogen Announce Flow Test Success at Ramsay 1

05/08/2026 Posted by Rachel

Gold Hydrogen Limited (ASX: GHY) has successfully completed appraisal flow testing at the Ramsay 1 exploration well in South Australia's Yorke Peninsula. This is the first time in 3 years that Helium has been produced within Australia, and comes at a time of global shortages. Whilst at an early stage, Gold Hydrogen are targeting commercial scale production within 18 months.

The Ramsay Project on Yorke Peninsula is an exploration project covering 75,000km2 in PEL687. In 2023, Gold Hydrogen undertook exploration drilling, targeting two areas where historical oil exploration had reported occurrences of natural hydrogen.

Seismic Data helps Unravel the History of the Euphrates River

12/07/2026 Posted by Rachel

The ancestral evolution of the Euphrates River system—a 3,000-kilometre fluvial network central to the development of early human civilization—has been the subject of geological debate. Competing paradigms have long clashed over its Late Neogene trajectory, variously positioning its terminal sink within endorheic Anatolian palaeo-lakes, the Mediterranean Sea, or across the arid expanses of the Arabian platform.

In the study published in June in Nature Geoscience, the authors, led by Dr Andrew Madof, leverage an extensive multi-disciplinary dataset to resolve this question.

Beetaloo Energy Operations Update

05/07/2026 Posted by Rachel

Beetaloo Energy is making progress in its Beetaloo Basin operations, reporting strong well performance and advancing infrastructure projects to the market on 1 July.

The company reports that flow testing at the Carpentaria-5H well is underway, showing a peak gas rate of over 14 terajoules (TJ) per day, with an average of 7 TJ/day and a current rate of about 6.7 TJ/day. The well is demonstrating a low rate of decline and continues to clean up, indicating strong reservoir performance and potential for higher long-term recovery.

Managing Director Alex Underwood advises: "We are on track to commence gas sales from the Carpentaria Pilot Project in Q4 2026.

Prominence Energy Share Update on their Exploration Activities Across Helium and Hydrogen Project

04/07/2026 Posted by Rachel

Prominence Energy (ASX: PRM) continues to advance their flagship Eyre Project in South Australia, with an independent satellite remote sensing study confirming widespread helium, natural hydrogen, and methane anomalies across the tenure.

In the ASX announcement, released to the market on 24 June 2026, Prominence Energy shared that an independent satellite-based remote sensing study has been completed which validates their early-stage exploration as they move to de-risk high-priority drilling targets.

The independent study was led by remote sensing specialist Dr Neil Pendock, using imagery from the European Space Agency's Sentinel-2 satellite constellation.

AEP: PESA Year in Review 2025

06/06/2026 Posted by Rachel

The PESA year in review session at this year's AEP in Adelaide was a popular event, with a crowd coming to hear insights from the PESA speakers. The speakers this year were: Martin Wilkes from RISC Advisory talking about Production and Development; Anne Forbes from Wood Mackenzie talking about the Business Environment, and; Andrew McKerron from PESA SA/NT branch talking about Exploration.

You can read their abstracts below and access their extended AEP abstracts via the PESA Library. Each speaker will be giving a version of their talk in an upcoming webinar with details below.

Access the AEP Extended Abstract here.

WA acreage release nominations now open

04/06/2026 Posted by Rachel

May 28th saw WA Mines and Petroleum Minister, David Michael, open nominations for Western Australia’s 2026 acreage release, inviting industry to put forward areas for petroleum and greenhouse gas storage exploration.

For the first time, the program includes regulated substances such as hydrogen and helium, as well as potential greenhouse gas storage locations, expanding the acreage release to include these emerging industries. The changes take effect from 28 May 2026 under the Petroleum Legislation Amendment Act 2024, modernising the State’s regulatory framework and providing new titling pathways.

They also cover activities for the transport and permanent injection of carbon dioxide once a storage site is declared.

New Exploration areas opening in NSW

11/05/2026 Posted by Rachel

The Minns Labor Government will open new areas for gas exploration in NSW for the first time in more than a decade, taking decisive steps to secure the State’s energy supply for households and businesses.

Two regions in the state's Far West – the Bancannia and Pondie Range Troughs – will be opened for gas exploration. These opportunities for new gas supply will complement the Narrabri Gas Project.

To attract investment and ensure NSW remains competitive with other states, the Government will also update regulations to reduce the gas exploration licence application fee from $50,000 to $1,000.

Not all exploration licences proceed to gas production.