Report a petroleum discovery

Find out about the reporting requirements for petroleum discovery.

It's considered to be a discovery when:

• the presence of petroleum in a reservoir (an accumulation) is indicated during drilling
• and the petroleum is shown to be producible.

You must notify the minister within 3 days of the discovery, and before making any public announcement, using the approved form.

You must also provide an evaluation of the discovery within 3 months of the discovery using the approved form.

Petroleum resource estimates must be reported in accordance with the Society of Petroleum Engineers' (SPE) petroleum resources management system. To find out more, go to the SPE website.

If a study results in a revised estimate of petroleum in a particular pool, you must provide a report to the Minister using the approved form.

How to submit the report

You must email your notification or report to dittpetroleumoperations@nt.gov.au.

Contact

For more information, call the Energy Division on 08 8999 5388.