Authors / CoAuthors
Bradshaw, M.T.
Abstract
Now is a pivotal time for petroleum exploration in Australia as we endeavour to meet our twin imperatives of finding more oil and using gas. More oil is being found as emphatically demonstrated by the recent oil discoveries in the Perth (Cliff Head, Hovea) and Carnarvon (Exeter) basins. The Cliff Head accumulation may prove to be the largest oil field yet found in the Perth Basin, nearly forty years after the first onshore discovery. In addition to these successes in established basins, deep water wells are being drilled that have the potential to unlock whole new petroleum provinces and usher in another phase of major oil discovery akin to the bonanza of the 1960s, when the first steps into the offshore resulted in billion barrel discoveries in Bass Strait. By the close of the first successful cycle of exploration in Australia (1960 to 1972) all currently producing basins were identified as petroliferous, the major play types had been established and over 60% of Australia?s current oil reserves found. The key drivers were the access to new basins opened up by the move to offshore exploration and the stimulus to further exploration provided by discovery success. The same drivers are now apparent. The current deep water drilling campaign is stepping out beyond former geographic limits to test major Mesozoic depocentres on the outer margin of the North West Shelf and in the Great Australian Bight. And key discoveries are being made in many basins, including giant gas fields in the Browse and Carnarvon basins that can underpin Australia?s expanding LNG exports and may provide additional liquids supply from associated condensate.
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nonGeographicDataset
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47556
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Keywords
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- External PublicationConference Paper
- ( Theme )
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- petroleum exploration
- Australian and New Zealand Standard Research Classification (ANZSRC)
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- Earth Sciences
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- Published_Internal
Publication Date
2003-01-01T00:00:00
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