Prominence Sets Mid-2027 Drilling Pathway for South Australian Hydrogen and Helium Portfolio
Prominence Energy has outlined a staged, capital-efficient program to advance its South Australian natural hydrogen and helium portfolio toward drilling in June or July 2027. The strategy is intended to convert the company’s existing exploration evidence into defined leads, prospects and potential resource estimates before major drilling expenditure is committed.
The current phase centres on gravity and magnetic data inversion and interpretation across Prominence’s project areas. These results will be integrated with geological, geochemical, laboratory and satellite datasets to identify the most prospective locations for further exploration and drilling. Previous work at PEL 803 has included field and laboratory-confirmed hydrogen and helium anomalies, alongside widespread anomalies identified through independent satellite analysis.
Independent Prospective Resources Reviews are planned for the company’s two principal project areas. The Eyre Project review is targeted for completion by the end of August 2026, followed by the Northern Hinge Project by the end of September. Together, the two projects form part of Prominence’s approximately 64,000-square-kilometre South Australian portfolio.
The company plans to complete updated drilling engineering and cost work in October, followed by detailed design and planning for the 2027 campaign during November and December. Preliminary estimates indicate that approximately A$5 million could fund three exploration wells or two wells together with additional seismic acquisition, reflecting the relatively shallow nature of the targets.
Prominence said the objective is to direct drilling toward the highest-ranked opportunities while maintaining clearly defined technical objectives and cost discipline. Its 2026 exploration and drill-planning activities are covered by the company’s existing cash position.
The company will also assess farm-out, strategic partnership and alternative funding arrangements as the prospect portfolio becomes better defined. Such an arrangement could reduce Prominence’s direct capital exposure while allowing it to retain meaningful participation in any exploration success.
The milestone schedule presented in the announcement provides a clear sequence through the remainder of 2026: geophysical interpretation in July, the Eyre and Northern Hinge resource reviews in August and September, engineering and potential farm-out activity in October, and final drilling-program planning before year-end. The South Australian portfolio map on page three shows the scale of the acreage across the Eyre and Northern Hinge project areas and their proximity to regional roads, ports, pipelines and electricity infrastructure.
Full press release can be found here.
