Recover petroleum during appraisal stage

To show that a discovery of petroleum is commercially viable, you'll generally need to carry out extended well testing.

Petroleum recovered during extended well testing can either be:

• vented or flared, in line with relevant regulatory requirements or
• subject to ministerial approval under section 57AAA of the Petroleum Act 1984, beneficially used for purposes such as electricity generation for your own operations, sold or gifted to third parties.

If you hold an exploration permit or retention licence, you can apply to the Minister for Mining and Industry to recover petroleum on an appraisal basis.

How to apply

To apply to recover petroleum on an appraisal basis, follow these steps:

Step 1. Prepare your application

Prepare your application based on the application guideline PDF (354.9 KB).

Section 57AAA of the Petroleum Act 1984 outlines what you need to include in the application, and the matters the minister needs to consider before making a decision.

Your application must include:

• details of the proposed extended well testing, including the objectives of the test
• details of the design, construction, operation and decommissioning of the temporary or semi-permanent appraisal production infrastructure
• the proposed decommissioning security for the appraisal production infrastructure
  • calculate the security using the approach or methodology determined under section 117AV(3) of the Petroleum Act 1984 PDF (1.7 MB)
• a timetable for the proposed works
• evidence of an agreement under the Aboriginal Land Rights (Northern Territory) Act 1976 (Cth) or the Native Title Act 1993 (Cth)
• any other information specified in the guidelines or required by the minister.

Step 2. Fill in the application form

Recovery of petroleum on an appraisal basis form PDF (614.1 KB)
Recovery of petroleum on an appraisal basis form DOCX (137.0 KB)

Step 3. Submit your application

Submit the completed application via email or post and pay the application fee. An invoice will be raised on request.

Email: dittpetroleumoperations@nt.gov.au

Post:
Petroleum Operations
GPO Box 4550
Darwin NT 0801

If your application is approved

If your application is approved, you must not start work until:

• an approved well operations management plan allows for the works
• an approved environment management plan (EMP) allows for the works - read more on the Department of Environment, Parks and Water Security website
• an approved land access agreement, if required, allows for the works
• the decommissioning security has been received by the Department of Industry, Tourism and Trade.