Outside of an Acreage Release process, explorers may apply for a Special Prospecting Authority with Acreage Option. The Acreage Option must be sought in conjunction with the Special Prospecting Authority application and cannot be applied for retrospectively.
Special Prospecting Authority with Acreage Option titles are granted to enable geophysical, geochemical or exploration surveys (or other operational activities other than the making of a well) to be undertaken in areas not currently under title or identified for a future Acreage Release (prime area). Special Prospecting Authorities can, however, overlap with other Special Prospecting Authorities.
They are intended as a means of preliminary assessment of the prospectivity of areas where little or no exploration has been undertaken prior to an exploration title being applied for. These authorities are restricted in time to a maximum of six months for the field work and generally a further six months, to enable the acreage option to be exercised.
Drilling is not to be undertaken under a Special Prospecting Authority with Acreage Option title.
The approval of a Special Prospecting Authority with Acreage Option is at the Minister’s discretion, as some applications may not be regarded as appropriate. The Acreage Option only extends to the right to apply for an Exploration Permit or Drilling Reservation and does not infer any obligation on the part of the Minister to grant a title.
Once the Special Prospecting Authority with Acreage Option period has expired, the data generated from the survey is made publicly available.
These Authorities are not available under the Petroleum (Submerged Lands) Act 1982.
To ensure an application is not rejected, it is essential the applicant reviews block availability first to ensure the proposed application blocks have not been reserved pursuant to section 28 of the Petroleum and Geothermal Energy Resources Act 1967 (the Act), prior to making application for a Special Prospecting Authority.
