Industry News

International Geological Congress 2028

11/05/2026 Posted by Rachel

The International Geological Congress (IGC) 2028 marks the 38th outing for this quadrennial event. Since its establishment in 1878, the IGC has served as a unique platform for international collaboration, networking, scientific exchange, and strategic dialogue within the geosciences. Recognised as the premier global forum for advancing Earth sciences, each Congress, convened under the auspices of the IUGS, offers an essential platform for deliberating urgent global geological issues and shaping the future of the geosciences. It is one of the world's largest gatherings of geoscience professionals, with this event expecting an estimated 10,000 delegates from across the global geoscience community.

The...

H3 Energy Commence Assessment of Helium Potential at Milford & Milford East

06/04/2026 Posted by Rachel

24 March 2026

H3 Energy Limited (H3E) has announced they are commencing a targeted technical assessment across their flagship Alinya Project in South Australias’s Officer Basin. The program is aimed at better understanding the gas composition potential of key structures, including Milford and Milford East.

This assessment will involve a detailed review of existing geological and geophysical data to better understand the potential of the region to host a large-scale gas system, including higher-value gas components.

Geoscience Australia Launch New 10-Year Strategy

06/04/2026 Posted by Rachel

24 March 2026

Minister for Resources and Northern Australia Madeleine King has launched a new 10-year strategy for trusted geoscientific agency Geoscience Australia as the organisation celebrates its 25th anniversary and 80 years of geological and geophysical science in Australia.

Back in 1946, Labor Prime Minister Ben Chifley created the Bureau of Mineral Resources, Geology and Geophysics to support and invigorate Australia’s post war mining industries.

Geoscience Australia was launched in 2001, taking over that work and combining it with mapping, positioning and satellite data services.

“Geoscience Australia and its predecessors have underpinned our nation’s prosperity for decades, ensuring we have a prosperous economy and as well as unlocking resources that drive local jobs,” Minister King said.

Viridien announces strategic initiative to advance HPC for seismic imaging workflows with NVIDIA

07/03/2026 Posted by Rachel

Paris, France – February 18, 2026

Viridien, an advanced technology and digital solutions company, has announced a collaboration with NVIDIA to transform seismic imaging workflows by leveraging NVIDIA HPC platforms and Viridien’s expertise in Subsurface Imaging technologies and HPC & Cloud Solutions.

The collaboration will focus on optimizing Viridien’s seismic imaging algorithms on NVIDIA accelerated computing platforms, including the integration of advanced techniques such as tensor cores and mixed-precision computing.

Cooper-Eromanga Basin: New Exploration Areas Awarded

08/02/2026 Posted by Rachel

On January 29, the Queensland Government announced the appointment of Santos QNT Pty Ltd and Drillsearch Energy Pty Ltd (a 100% subsidiary of Beach Energy) as preferred tenderers for three new gas exploration areas in the Cooper-Eromanga Basins, aimed at boosting supply, reducing energy prices, and supporting regional jobs.

Both Santos and Drillsearch (Beach) have a strong track record of exploration and delivery in the Cooper-Eromanga Basins. Santos holds a dominant and long-standing tenure position in the basin operating the South Australian Cooper Basin Joint Venture (SACBJV) with partners Beach Energy.

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 .

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).

Dorado Deferred

29/01/2025 Posted by Matthew.Quinn

On 21 January 2025, Carnarvon Energy announced that the Santos operated Dorado Phase 1 liquids development will not enter FEED and hence the previous target of FID in 2025 will be deferred.

The Dorado Joint Venture of Santos (80% and operator), Carnarvon (10%) and CPC (10%) are continuing to review the timeline for the project with additional exploration wells within the permit planned for 2026.

Moomba CCS Start-up

15/11/2024 Posted by Matthew.Quinn

Beach Energy announced on 17 October the successful commissioning and start-up of the Moomba Carbon Capture and Storage project.

All facilities, including five injection wells, CO2 dehydration and CO2 pipelines have been brought to capacity. The project is targeting capture and storage of 1.7 million tonnes of CO2 per annum in depleted Strzelecki and Marabooka field reservoirs.

Final Investment Decision for the project was announced in November 2021 and 60% completion was reached in May 2023 with the arrival of the compressor and turbine.

Moomba CCS is the third CCS project in Australia and follows the Otway International Test Centre and the Gorgon CCS project.

Newly awarded production licenses to provide feedstock for Otway Gas Project

08/10/2024 Posted by Matthew.Quinn

In late September 2024, Madeline King, the Minister for Resources and Northern Australia, granted two production licenses to Beach Energy over the Artisan and La Bella fields in the offshore Otway Basin.

Both VIC/L35 (Artisan) and VIC/L36 (La Bella) will be valid for the life of the fields with production to be tied back to the Otway Gas Project.

Gas is currently supplied to the domestic market through the Project from six fields; the near to shore Black Watch, Enterprise, Halladale and Speculant, and the deeper water Geographe and Thylacine.

Both discoveries are expected to be appraised...