Round 16 applications closing soon

Online applications for Round 16 of the co-funded drilling program will close at 5pm on Friday 20 October.
Date: Monday, 16 October 2017

The Department of Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety has issued a timely reminder to mineral and petroleum companies that online applications for Round 16 of the State Government’s co-funded drilling program will close at 5pm on Friday 20 October.

The $10 million a year Exploration Incentive Scheme (EIS), which funds the program, encourages private sector resource exploration. The program is designed to help increase the discovery rate of economic deposits, particularly in underexplored areas for mineral deposits and in frontier petroleum basins.

Round 16 applications for co-funding drilling projects must be for work undertaken in the 2018 calendar year.

Department of Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety (DMIRS) Acting EIS Coordinator, Charlotte Hall, strongly recommends companies read the Advice to Applicants document on the DMIRS website before submitting an application.

“The program is highly competitive and we’re encouraging applications from all parts of Western Australia, particularly those with projects in greenfields locations. Successful Round 16 applicants will be refunded up to 50 per cent of direct drilling costs, with caps of $150,000 for a multi-hole project, $200,000 for a single deep hole, and $30,000 for a prospector’s project,” she said.

Submission details for Round 16 are available at the DMIRS website or for more information contact Charlotte Hall, A/Coordinator Exploration Incentive Scheme (EIS), on (08) 9222 3410 or email charlotte.hall@dmirs.wa.gov.au.

Grants for co-funded exploration drilling are currently set to finish with Round 17, which will be open for applications in early 2018 for drilling in the 2018-19 financial year.