Canberra puts 31 offshore blocks on table, The Department of Resources, Energy and Tourism
Release Date: 2010-05-17
Australia has put 31 blocks in five basins on offer today in its annual offshore exploration acreage release, announced by Resources Mininster Martin Ferguson today.The acreage available for bids includes permits in the North Carnarvon, Roebuck and Bonaparte basins off north-west Australia; the Bight basin off the south coast and the Mentelle basin off the country’s south-west corner.
Ferguson announced the new round at the Australian Petroleum Producers and Exploration Association (APPEA) meeting in Brisbane today.
In total, 28 areas are available off Western Australia, one permit off the Northern Territory, two areas off South Australia, according to information on the website of the Department of Resources, Energy & Tourism. Of the permits available off Western Australia, two are within the federally administered Territory of Ashmore and Cartier Islands.
Within the Northern Carnarvon basin off Western Australia, three permits are available on the Exmouth sub-basin, five on the Barrow sub-basin, five on the Dampier sub-basin, three on the Beagle sub-basin and three on the deeper-water Exmouth plateau.
In the Roebuck basin, also off Western Australia, four blocks are available in the Rowley sub-basin.
In the Bonaparte basin bordering Western Australia and the Northern Territory, three blocks are up for grabs in the Petrel sub-basin, plus the two blocks in the Vulcan sub-basin close to Ashmore and Cartier islands.
In the emerging Bight basin off South Australia, two blocks are available in the Duntroon and Ceduma sub-basins.
In the Mentelle basin off southern Western Australia, a maiden block is up for grabs.
Details of the acreage release are available here .
Environmentalists have already criticised the release of acreage in areas that are being considered by federal Environment Minister Peter Garrett for marine sancturaries.
The award of the first block in the Mentelle basin off south-western Australia in particular has angered greens, about 90 kilometres off the coast of the environmentally sensitive Margaret River area of Western Australia, according to an AAP report.
The Western Australian Conservation Council has said the area is also home to half of the world’s whale and dolphin specias, the report said.
Environmentalists have pointed to last year's Montara oil spill and the massive continuing Macondo blowout in the Gulf of Mexico as examples of the threats offshore oil drilling will bring to the area.
| Type: | NORMAL |
| Company: | The Department of Resources, Energy and Tourism |
| Country: | Australia |
| Url: | http://www.upstreamonline.com/live/article215115.ece |