Prominence Energy Finalises Native Title Agreement for Gawler Helium Project
The Prominence Energy Eyre Project satellite study finds helium hydrogen and methane anomalies across a project area that could represent a significant early-stage exploration opportunity. Prominence Energy Ltd (ASX: PRM) has reported results from an independent satellite-based spectral analysis that has mapped numerous helium, natural hydrogen and methane anomalies across its Eyre Helium and Hydrogen Project in South Australia.
According to the ASX announcement dated 24 June 2026, these anomalies occur across both granted and pending licence areas and are reported to align with results from a recent soil gas survey, providing multiple lines of technical support for an active subsurface gas system and helping advance targets toward drilling.
"These results further strengthen confidence in the prospectivity of the Eyre Project and our understanding of the geological processes operating across the project area. The alignment between independently derived satellite results and in-house soil gas datasets is particularly encouraging. Several spectral anomalies support existing targets and occur adjacent to locations where elevated hydrogen, helium and methane concentrations were measured during our recent soil gas survey.
As we integrate these results with geological mapping and soil gas data, we continue to refine and de-risk our exploration portfolio. The widespread distribution of anomalies supports our view that the Eyre Project may host a large-scale natural hydrogen and helium system and reinforces its position as a highly prospective early-stage exploration opportunity," said Dr Krista Davies, Chief Operating Officer of Prominence Energy Ltd.
According to Prominence Energy Ltd, the satellite spectral analysis, completed by remote sensing specialist Dr Neil Pendock, has delivered several key points for the Eyre Project:
For investors, this means Prominence Energy Ltd is reporting that its target list at Eyre has expanded, while some existing targets now have support from an additional, independent dataset.
According to the company, one of the most material aspects of the announcement is the convergence of independent datasets on similar locations:
In exploration, this type of multi-dataset overlap is commonly used to reduce technical uncertainty prior to drilling. It does not confirm the presence of commercial accumulations, however, it can help focus capital on the most technically supported locations.
The independent study used Sentinel‑2 satellite imagery. Sentinel‑2 is an Earth observation satellite operated by the European Space Agency that collects images of the Earth in multiple narrow bands of light, including parts of the spectrum that are not visible to the human eye.
Dr Pendock's work, as described in the ASX announcement, applied an optical turbulence model using:
In practical terms, when gases migrate from depth toward the surface, they can influence soil chemistry and, in some environments, vegetation health or moisture. These subtle changes can alter how the surface reflects light. By processing these data, specialists can consequently identify spectral anomalies — areas where the reflectance pattern differs from the background in a way that may be consistent with gas seepage.
According to Prominence Energy Ltd, the satellite datasets were used to produce regional gas prospectivity maps for helium, natural hydrogen and methane. These maps group anomaly strength into categories such as Low, Moderate, High and Very High, based on thresholds selected from continuous colour scales.
The ASX announcement explains that these labels were assigned qualitatively to highlight relative differences in anomaly strength, rather than absolute gas concentrations. For investors, this means the satellite work does not measure gas volumes or grades. Instead, it provides screening maps that help the company decide where to focus more detailed ground-based exploration and, eventually, drilling.
| Feature of satellite study | Practical implication for Prominence Energy Ltd |
|---|---|
| Low cost relative to drilling | Allows rapid evaluation of broad areas without large capital spend. |
| Non-invasive and remote | No ground disturbance, useful in early-stage project assessment. |
| Regional coverage | Entire licence packages, including pending areas, can be screened. |
| Independent specialist | Study performed by an external remote sensing expert, providing an additional viewpoint on the data. |
| Directly comparable to soil gas data | Enables cross-checking of satellite anomalies against on-ground measurements. |
These characteristics support Prominence Energy Ltd's approach of using low-cost, early-stage methods to build a technical case prior to committing to drilling.
The ASX announcement emphasises that the satellite study is part of a broader technical workflow for the Eyre Project. Furthermore, Prominence Energy Ltd is combining several distinct data streams:
The company states that several satellite anomalies occur adjacent to soil gas locations with elevated gas readings. This neighbour relationship between datasets is interpreted by Prominence Energy Ltd as evidence supporting active gas migration. For investors, the key point is that target definition is no longer based on a single method.
According to the announcement, anomalies are distributed widely across both granted and pending licence areas at Eyre. The company interprets this as suggesting that the geological processes responsible for gas generation and migration may operate across a larger regional area rather than in a single localised pocket.
From an exploration portfolio perspective, this has several implications:
While the satellite data do not quantify resources, they give Prominence Energy Ltd a broader inventory of locations to investigate with follow-up work.
Prominence Energy Ltd reports that the satellite analysis will now be merged with other technical datasets at the Gawler Hydrogen Project, which includes the Eyre area. The stated aim is to rank and prioritise exploration targets and prepare a subset for potential future drilling.
According to the ASX announcement, the next steps include:
| Activity | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Integration of satellite anomaly maps | Compare spectral anomalies with soil gas results and existing geological interpretations. |
| Gravity and magnetic interpretation | Improve understanding of subsurface structure and basin geometry. |
| Structural mapping | Identify possible migration pathways and trapping configurations for gas. |
| Target ranking and selection | Define a shortlist of higher-confidence locations to consider for drilling. |
Progress through this workflow represents a key set of milestones for investors monitoring how quickly Prominence Energy Ltd can move from early-stage screening toward drill-ready prospects.
The ASX announcement describes natural hydrogen (also known as white or geologic hydrogen) as hydrogen gas formed by natural processes within the Earth that accumulates in the subsurface. It is generated by geological reactions, for instance, when certain minerals react with water deep underground.
It can be located using many of the same exploration tools used in oil and gas, such as soil gas surveys, geophysical methods and geological mapping. When hydrogen is used as a fuel, it typically produces water vapour as the main by-product when combusted, meaning it does not emit carbon dioxide at the point of use.
For exploration companies like Prominence Energy Ltd, natural hydrogen represents a geological gas target rather than a manufactured energy product. The early-stage exploration process often focuses on detecting subtle surface indications that gas may be migrating from depth, which is where techniques such as soil gas sampling and satellite spectral analysis are applied.
According to the ASX announcement, helium is a noble gas generated through the radioactive decay of uranium and thorium in very old crustal rocks, especially Archean granites — rocks older than about 2.5 billion years that form part of the Earth's ancient continental crust.
Key helium characteristics include:
In the context of the Eyre Project, Prominence Energy Ltd is targeting helium generated in ancient crustal rocks that may have migrated into traps in the subsurface, sometimes in association with hydrogen or other gases.
For early-stage projects, direct drilling of every potential target is usually not cost-effective. Instead, explorers apply a staged approach:
Prominence Energy Ltd is currently progressing through the first three steps, with the independent satellite study and prior soil gas survey forming part of this staged evaluation.
Prominence Energy Ltd positions itself, according to the ASX announcement, as an energy company focused on very high ROI opportunities that can be secured at an early stage and at close to what it describes as "ground floor" valuations. Its portfolio covers conventional oil and gas, helium, green energy and clean hydrogen opportunities.
For investors assessing the Eyre Helium and Hydrogen Project:
While the current announcement remains focused on technical and early-stage exploration outcomes rather than resource figures or economic studies, it provides further detail on how Prominence Energy Ltd is building its case for drilling across the wider Gawler Hydrogen Project area. The Prominence Energy Eyre Project satellite study finds helium hydrogen and methane anomalies that, in combination with prior datasets, offer a strengthened foundation for advancing this project toward the drill bit.
With multiple independent datasets now converging on priority targets across the Eyre Project, Prominence Energy Ltd (ASX: PRM) is steadily advancing what it believes could be a large-scale natural hydrogen and helium system in South Australia. As the company moves toward integrating satellite, geophysical and geochemical data ahead of potential drilling, investors seeking to understand the full scope of the opportunity — including the broader Gawler Hydrogen Project portfolio — can explore further at www.prominenceenergy.com.au.