On 28 May 2026, the Minister for Mines and Petroleum, Hon. David Michael MLA, opened the call for nominations for Western Australia’s 2026 petroleum and greenhouse gas acreage releases – the latter, a first for Western Australia.
In another WA first, the nomination of discrete areas for petroleum exploration can also include areas for the exploration of naturally occurring hydrogen and helium. Under the recent amendments to WA’s regulatory frameworks, naturally occurring hydrogen and helium are prescribed ‘regulated substances’, meaning rights to the exploration and recovery of these substances can be given by the Minister under a granted petroleum title.
The call provides an avenue for industry to nominate discrete areas of WA that offer strong resource (petroleum, including naturally occurring hydrogen and helium) or storage (greenhouse gas) potential and access to infrastructure.
Nominations close on 20 June 2026, after which the Department of Mines, Petroleum and Exploration (DMPE) will review all submissions received. Any submissions received after the closing date will not be considered for this year’s acreage releases; however, these may inform future releases.
Following the review of submissions, an announcement will be made to formally open the 2026 petroleum and greenhouse gas acreage releases and invite competitive work-bid applications over the discrete areas released. This announcement is expected later in 2026.
In acknowledgement that the call for nominations of discrete areas for the next geothermal energy acreage release is not open, proponents may still submit their interest to acreagerelease@dmpe.wa.gov.au. However, proponents should be aware that any submissions will only be reviewed after a formal call for geothermal energy nominations has been made and closed.
Further information on how to make a nomination and general guidance is available at: www.wa.gov.au/service/natural-resources/energy-resources/nominating-blocks-acreage-release
Print this page
