onshore_gas_and _man

Queensland Government securing more domestic gas

Home>News>Queensland Government securing more domestic gas

Queensland-based energy company Comet Ridge Limited has been given the green light for a new Bowen Basin based project which will see more domestic gas being made available for the market.

Resources Minister Scott Stewart said Queensland-based energy company Comet Ridge has been granted an Authority to Prospect (ATP) over a 338km² parcel of land located in the gas rich Bowen Basin.

“The new ATP allows Comet Ridge to begin exploration for new sources of gas while utilising their existing gas infrastructure in the region to plug straight in and get gas to market faster,” Mr Stewart said.

“The new Mahalo Far East project will invest about $5.5 million over six years into the state and local economies. Supporting exploration in Queensland and maintaining a pipeline of resources projects means more gas for local industry and more jobs.”

Comet Ridge Managing Director Tor McCaul said the Mahalo Far East block contains a very large gas in place volume and is an important upside addition to the Mahalo Hub area.

The award of Mahalo Far East follows the award of Mahalo North in April 2020 and Mahalo East in September 2020, giving Comet Ridge a combined ATP area of approximately 885km².

“Combining these blocks and sharing one large development for the whole Mahalo Hub area will provide greater efficiency and scale economy, as well as a material injection of gas into the east coast market, at a critical time,” Mr McCaul said.

“Importantly, a proportion of this Mahlo Hub gas is earmarked for the domestic market.”

You can view the Minister for Resources – Hon Scott Stewart’s Media Statement here.

What does this mean for landholders?

If you’re a landholder in the Surat, Galilee or Bowen basins and wish to know more about what to expect with gas field developments, the GasFields Commission (the Commission) strongly encourages you to download a copy of our flagship publication, The Gas Guide, to obtain all the information you need to negotiate a fair and reasonable outcome should a resource company request to operate on your land.

The Gas Guide catalogues pertinent information that landholders need to know about the various stages of petroleum and gas development in Queensland – beginning with the advertisement and awarding of new exploration tenders (see Chapter 3 – Exploration Phase).

If you have any questions regarding the exploration process, Queensland’s onshore gas industry, please contact us directly via: