Pilot Energy Limited has opened a seven-day public comment period on its proposal to undertake a new 3D marine seismic survey off the Mid West coast of Western Australia, south of Dongara, to assess potential natural gas resources in the offshore Perth Basin.
The proposal marks the latest stage in Pilot’s efforts to advance gas exploration opportunities in the region.
According to the EPA documentation, the survey would be conducted about seven kilometres offshore in the Mid West region and sits within the oil and gas industry sector.
Pilot plans to acquire three-dimensional seismic data to improve understanding of subsurface geology and to evaluate prospective natural gas accumulations, including plays associated with its WA-481-P exploration interests in the offshore Perth Basin.
The seismic program is intended to refine the structural definition of targets such as the Leander gas prospect and the broader Kingia Gas Play Fairway, where Pilot has previously highlighted potential recoverable gas resources.
The work would be carried out by a purpose-built seismic survey vessel operating across the defined survey area.
The vessel will generate seismic sound through controlled releases of compressed air (known as an airgun array) and will tow six streamer cables, each approximately 6,000 metres long, to capture sound waves reflected from beneath the sea floor.
In shallower sections of the survey footprint, Pilot proposes to temporarily deploy and later retrieve seabed-mounted ocean bottom nodes to complement the towed array data, improving imaging of complex nearshore geology.
No drilling, seabed excavation or installation of permanent infrastructure is included in the proposal, and activities are limited to data acquisition and associated vessel operations.
The planned survey builds on a series of approvals and technical studies supporting further exploration activity offshore Dongara.
In 2025, Pilot secured key environmental approvals at the federal level through the National Offshore Petroleum Safety and Environmental Management Authority (NOPSEMA) for a related Eureka 3D marine seismic program in the same broader Mid West offshore area, designed to investigate underlying rock types for oil and gas exploration.
The company has also pointed to the potential for future discoveries to be commercialised via existing onshore infrastructure at the Dongara gas facility and Cliff Head oil field, which lie to the east and south of the proposed survey area and already form a regional production hub in the North Perth Basin.
Pilot’s broader Mid West strategy includes conventional and low-carbon energy initiatives, including a declared greenhouse gas storage formation offshore Dongara under its Mid West Clean Energy Project, as well as joint ventures for data centre and renewable energy developments at nearby onshore sites.
Company statements to investors have emphasised that new 3D seismic over WA-481-P is central to maturing gas prospects and attracting joint venture partners to fast-track development concepts in the event of drilling success.
The EPA is now inviting public submissions on the Dongara-area seismic proposal during a seven-day comment window, consistent with its processes for assessing potential environmental impacts in Western Australia’s coastal and marine environments.
Community stakeholders, including commercial fishers and conservation groups, have previously raised concerns about underwater seismic noise in the Mid West, prompting calls for robust consultation and mitigation measures on similar projects.
Interested parties can lodge feedback via the EPA’s website while the comment period remains open, before the regulator finalises its assessment and provides advice to the state government.
