Be aware of the approvals required for petroleum approvals and the main reasons behind delays in the approvals process.
| Date: | Tuesday, 05 July 2022 |
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Project approval delays can be caused for different reasons, with some outside of your control as a title holder, while others can be minimised or managed.
When submitting your application to conduct a survey or drill a well, there are a number of factors that can extend your approval timeframe:
Conducting work in reserves or dedicated land areas means that you need to apply for Ministerial Consent to enter under section 15A of the Petroleum and Geothermal Energy Resources Act 1967 (PGERA67). DMIRS is required to refer these requests for consent to other government departments or bodies, which is currently taking, on average, a minimum of five months to process.
Conducting work outside of your title boundary will require you to apply for an Access Authority under section 106 of PGERA67 or section 112 of Petroleum (Submerged Lands) Act 1982 (P(SL)A82). This Access Authority must be in place before you can submit your Environment Plan.
Incomplete or inadequate information within an application means delays that could require the withdrawal and resubmission of applications. It is important that applicants lodge all of the required information in order to ensure your application is valid. The minimum requirements are listed in Part 2 – Surveys of the PGER (Environment) Regulations 2012. A common missed step is the lodging of a detailed cadastral map.
To assist title holders even further, here is a list of approvals required to conduct a survey or drill a well.
|
Activity |
Approval required |
Application method |
Relevant legislation |
Comment |
|
Conduct a Survey |
Approval to conduct a survey |
Lodged through PGR online |
PGER (Resource Management and Administration) Regulations 2015 |
Minimum requirements listed in Part 2 – Surveys of the PGER (Resource Management and Administration) Regulations 2015 |
|
|
Environment Plan |
Lodged via EARS online |
PGER (Environment) Regulations 2012 |
|
|
|
Ministerial Consent to enter reserved land |
Lodged with survey application via PGR online |
Approved under s15A of PGERA67 or P(SL)A82 |
Only required where work is to be conducted in reserved or otherwise dedicated land |
|
|
Access Authority |
Lodged with survey application via PGR online |
Approved under s106 of PGERA67 or s112 of P(SL)A82 |
Only required for work being conducted outside the title boundary |
|
Drill a Well |
Application to Drill |
Lodged through PGR |
|
|
|
|
Well Management Plan |
Lodged through PGR |
Approved under PGER (Resource Management and Administration) Regulations 2015 |
|
|
|
Environment Plan |
Lodged via EARS online |
Approved under PGER (Environment) Regulations 2012 |
|
|
|
Safety Case/SMS |
Email to your Case Manager/cc Chief Inspector Petroleum Safety or to petreps@dmirs.wa.gov.au |
Approved under WHS (PGEO) Regulations 2022 |
|
|
|
Ministerial Consent to enter reserved land |
Lodged with Application to Drill |
Approved under s15A of PGERA67 or P(SL)A82 |
Only required where work is to be conducted in reserved or otherwise dedicated land |
|
|
Access Authority |
Lodged with Application to Drill |
Approved under s106 of PGERA67 or s112 of P(SL)A82 |
Only required for work being conducted outside the title boundary |
