New Exploration Areas and Innovation Funding Boost Bowen Basin Resource Development

The Queensland Government has announced the release of 18 new exploration areas for petroleum, gas, coal, and vanadium, including significant opportunities within the Bowen Basin, as part of broader efforts to support resource development and strengthen regional economies.

Among the newly released areas, 12 petroleum and gas sites span more than 7,000 square kilometres across the Bowen/Surat and Cooper/Eromanga Basins. A further four coal exploration areas cover approximately 235 square kilometres within the Bowen/Surat Basins, contributing to the pipeline of potential future projects.

Minister for Natural Resources and Mines Dale Last said exploration remains critical to the long-term strength of Queensland’s resource sector.

“Exploration is where every major project begins and without it, there is no pipeline of future supply,” he said.

The government has also applied Australian Market Supply Conditions to some of the petroleum and gas areas, requiring any gas produced to be supplied to the domestic market.

“This release is part of a broader plan to ensure Queensland continues building its pipeline of petroleum, gas, coal and mineral projects, delivering long-term energy security and economic growth.”

In a further boost to the region, the government has awarded more than $1.5 million to Coreo Pty Ltd to investigate opportunities to recover valuable minerals from coal mine tailings across the Bowen Basin.

The study will examine ways to extract critical minerals such as rare earth elements and vanadium from mine waste, building on the work of the Bowen Basin Circularity Project and exploring new opportunities within the mining supply chain.

“Queensland’s coal industry helped build this state and now it’s helping us build the next generation of resource opportunities,” Mr Last said.

“This collaboration is what our industry does best, bringing together some of Queensland’s leading coal producers with government and research partners to find value in materials once considered waste.

“By finding value in what was once considered waste, we’re creating new jobs, attracting new investment and supporting a more sustainable future for regional Queensland.

“After Labor’s anti-mining policy chaos sent investor confidence off a cliff, the Crisafulli Government is giving the coal industry certainty and backing the thousands of mining families the sector supports.

“Under the Crisafulli Government, Queensland’s resources sector is open for business, and we’re backing new innovations and technologies that will keep our state competitive well into the future.”

Coreo CEO Ashleigh Morris said the funding would strengthen efforts to unlock new value from mining by-products.

“By focusing on critical minerals in coal tailings, and the potential to extract them alongside other valuable components, we are targeting full value from the full volume of tailings,” Ms Morris said.

The government said the combined initiatives aim to support long-term resource development, strengthen supply chains and create new economic opportunities across regional Queensland.

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