Sunda Energy has advanced to the exclusive phase of its application for an offshore petroleum exploration permit covering the Awakino gas condensate discovery in New Zealand's Taranaki Basin, following the conclusion of a three-month competitive bidding period.
The application covers approximately 645 square kilometers offshore the west coast of New Zealand's North Island, including the Awakino-1 and Awakino South-1/ST1 gas condensate field, originally discovered in 1985.
Sunda submitted its application on July 14, 2026, under New Zealand's open market competitive process for petroleum exploration permits.
The three-month period during which competing applications could be submitted ended on October 14, leaving Sunda's application exclusive.
New Zealand Petroleum and Minerals (NZPAM) will now undertake a detailed assessment of the proposal before deciding whether to grant the permit.
Sunda cautioned that neither the award of the permit nor its timing is guaranteed.
The proposed firm work program includes technical studies of existing well and field data, alongside the reprocessing of 450 square kilometers of 3D seismic data within 36 months.
The work is intended to further delineate the discovered gas condensate field for potential future appraisal and development, while assessing additional exploration opportunities within the permit area.
During the competitive application period, Sunda continued its technical evaluation of the acreage and held introductory consultation meetings with stakeholders.
“We’re pleased that our application for an offshore exploration permit in the area of the exciting Awakino gas discovery has progressed to the exclusive phase. We look forward to working with the New Zealand authorities as they complete their evaluation of Sunda’s proposal,” said Andy Butler, Sunda Energy Chief Executive Officer.