Canada's Rodinia announced today that the State of Western Australia has newly granted the company with two Petroleum EPAs (Exploration Permit Applications), spanning about 5,654,000 acres (22,880 square kilometres) in Western Australia. The new EPAs were granted pursuant to Rodinia's application last March 1, 2010.

The two new EPAs (EPA 4/09-0 and EPA 3/09-0) are situated at the north of Rodinia's present exploration area in Western Australia. Both lie across the Officer Basin.

Rodinia's CEO and President Paul Bennett said in an official statement: "These new lands complete our land holdings over the prospective portion of the Western region of the basin. The Exploration Permit Applications are located in a tectonically undisturbed region of the basin and add to Rodinia's 17.3 million acres of immense un-risked and undiscovered resource potential in the South and Western Australian region."

In a 1999 operation, the Geological Survey of Western Australia (EPA 4/09-0 now), bore the 2,017 meters deep GSWA Vines well. Signs of gas were spotted at 1,482 meters depth. Gravity and aeromagnetic surveys first spotted the site.

Rodinia has placed top priority in this new area and aims to convert the EPAs to EPs (Exploration Permits), provided it lands an arrangement with the indigenous people settling near there. This must be accomplished in compliance with the Native Title Act of 1993. Once the areas are turned into EPs, Rodinia will gain exclusive exploration rights to them. Rodinia intends to start negotiating with the indigenous groups before the year ends.