Ireland’s Offshore Operator’s Association has welcomed a government decision not to pass the Climate Emergency Bill that would have effectively banned oil and gas exploration offshore of the country. In a statement the IOOA said the Government of Ireland’s decision was an important step to ensure energy security, protect the environment and create jobs. The representative body said the decision not to pass the bill paved the way for finds similar to the Kinsale and Corrib gas fields, which currently supply 60% of gas to Irish homes and businesses.
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Project Atlas milestone as pipeline construction starts
Senex Energy has welcomed the announcement by Jemena of the start of construction on the pipeline that will supply natural gas from Project Atlas to domestic customers. In June 2018 Senex partnered with major energy infrastructure provider Jemena to build, own and operate a 15 petajoule per annum (40 TJ/day) natural gas processing facility and 60 km buried pipeline to process and transport gas from Senex’s Project Atlas to the Wallumbilla Hub. Project Atlas, near Wandoan in south-west Queensland’s Surat Basin, is the first acreage in Australia designate solely to supply gas to the domestic market.
Shearwater begins seismic survey offshore Cambodia
KrisEnergy has commenced the start of a 1,200sq2 3D seismic survey in the offshore Cambodia Block A concession, where the Company is developing the Apsara oil field. Shearwater Geoservices was awarded the turnkey broadband seismic contract through the wholly-owned subsidiary, KrisEnergy (Apsara) Company Limited, and has deployed the vessel SW Vespucci. KrisEnergy said that around 200km2 of the 3D program will be acquired over the Apsara development area to improve imaging of geological faults and sand bodies to aid in the finalisation of the design of well trajectories -- ahead of development drilling for first oil.
NOPSEMA wants additional Bight drilling details
NOPSEMA has requested further information from Equinor on its environment plan for their proposed petroleum exploration drilling activity in the Great Australian Bight. The assessment has now paused and will begin again when Equinor submits the additional information, having been provided 60 days to do so, the regulator said. NOPSEMA said the request for information was made in order to clarify matters raised in the plan and to address information gaps identified by NOPSEMA’s specialist team assessing the plan. “Under Australia’s objective-based regulatory regime, a request for further information is a normal step in the assessment process,” NOPSEMA added.
LNG exports sustaining Australia’s economic growth, APPEA affirms
The Resources and Energy Quarterly June 2019 released last week shows the key role liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports play in supporting Australia’s continued economic and jobs growth, APPEA has said in reaction to the report. According to the Department of Industry, Innovation and Science, the value of Australia’s resources and energy exports are estimated to have totalled a record $275 billion in 2018-19 due in large part to growing LNG exports. In 2018-19, Australia’s LNG export earnings are estimated at $49.7 billion, an $18.
PGS and TGS announce Jeanne d’Arc HD3D in Offshore East Canada
PGS and TGS have commenced the Jeanne d’Arc High-Density (HD3D) Multiclient project offshore Newfoundland, in East Canada. The project will cover approximately 5,000km2 and encompasses multiple exploration licenses, significant discovery licenses and sections of the open acreage included in the November 2019 bid round. The Ramform Atlas will perform the acquisition, utilizing the high-resolution GeoStreamer® technology. The project is expected to complete in late Q3 2019. The Jeanne d’Arc HD3D survey borders Newfoundland’s prominent producing fields such as Hibernia, Terra Nova, White Rose, North Amethyst, and Hebron.
CGG Awarded Multi-Year Processing Contract by ADNOC for World’s Largest OBN Seismic Project
Subsurface Imaging, part of CGG’s Geoscience division, has been awarded a landmark processing contract by the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC). Under its terms, CGG will perform high-end time and depth imaging of massive volumes of very high-spec data from what is believed to be the world’s largest ocean-bottom node (OBN) seismic survey to date. Starting in May 2019 – and for a period of at least five years, during the maximum seven-year contract period – CGG will process a minimum 20,000 sq km of high-density wide-azimuth OBN seismic data at its Abu Dhabi geoscience center.
Robotics to drive oil and gas productivity and efficiency
The oil and gas industry is gearing up to deploy robotics across a wide range of applications in the upstream, midstream and downstream segments, primarily to drive productivity and efficiency amid volatility in crude prices, according to data and analytics company Globaldata. The company’s latest thematic report: ‘Robotics in Oil & Gas’ reveals that the complex challenges, particularly in the exploration and production of hydrocarbons, are prompting companies to explore the potential of complexly engineered robotics solutions to work autonomously or in conjunction with field operators.
‘Gas and Oil exploration renaissance finally underway’
Gas and Oil exploration renaissance finally underway There are signs that Australian oil and gas exploration is starting to recover from the doldrums that have been the feature of recent years, a special background report by EnergyQuest Associated and exploration analyst David Upton has revealed. Calendar 2019 has begun strongly with the success of offshore wells Corvus-2 and Dorado-2. Offshore • Offshore exploration and appraisal drilling is finally beginning to recover, with eight wells to be drilled in 2019, up from only five in 2018.
Beehive prospect is further de-risked on seismic survey
Melbana Energy says preliminary interpretation of the newly acquired Beehive 3D seismic survey off Western Australia confirms some key technical characteristics of Beehive, further de-risking the prospect. Melbana Energy, operator of the Beehive prospect, located in the WA-488-P offshore permit, said the near vertical edge of the build-up clearly visible on the 3D seismic provides evidence of its isolated nature. Furthermore, the 3D data details depositional patterns within the platform and the seaway that was not able to be resolved on the existing 2D data.