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The global energy sector from a subsurface perspective

Vol. 23

Issue 2

The exploration community tends to talk about the big companies, the big prospects as well as the big failures. But in the meantime, the smaller projects can be just as interesting. The cover story of this issue dives into a few of those “smaller” projects, all driven by passionate people with a strong technical foundation in the oil business. It is a reflection of conversations we had at the recent NAPE Conference in Houston, where many small American independents market their prospects for investors. And instead of slick brochures, what you find at NAPE are the geologists who did all the work themselves, all the way from prospect identification to seeking a driller to prove the volumes. It is a great example of the entrepreneurial spirit that drives the American oil and gas industry, probably beyond what all these individual companies do. And of course, this is just one article in this issue; there are many more, as always.

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Columns

FIRSTS

8 – Subsurface noise

10 – Energy matters – by Rodney Garrard

11 – Regional update – by Ian Cross

12 – Striking oil – New oil in an old field

INSIGHTS

84 – A Geologist Ruins Everything – You may not be thinking about politics… – by Juan Cottier

85 – Reservoir modelling – No B without A

86 – HotSpot – Conjugate margins in the Indian Ocean – by NVentures

88 – Use your brines – What else is hiding in your reservoir brine? – by István Nagy-Korodi

89 – Petroleum Systems –The tricky part of resource assessments within gas-dominated basins or petroleum systems – by Lukasz Krawczynski and Martin Neumaier

90 – Tectonics or soft-sediment deformation? – by Molly Turko

92 – Mid Atlantic ocean floor at outcrop – by Simon Schneider and Colm S. Pierce

94 – Vertical Geology – The very first core cut in the UK North Sea

Features

COVER STORY

14 – The American small independent operator – A unique blend of geology and entrepreneurship

EXPLORATION OPPORTUNITIES

20 – Seeking the Sweet Spot in offshore Ecuador ’s Sweet Shop – Searcher

36 – Salt of the Earth: Imaging the Gulf’s hidden structures – TGS

50 – Morocco’s oceanic crust – A new exploration paradigm – Geoex MCG

OIL & GAS

26 – Mexico – what’s happening

27 – Venezuela, Greenland, Iran and oil

28 – Serendipity maximisation

30 – A round-up of key development projects across Europe – a subsurface summary – David Moseley

32 – What are we risking and why is it important? – Jan de Jager

33 – Keep that well

34 – Frac hit – how does it work?

35 – “It is quite a risk hiring you” – Oscar Miron

FEATURES

42 – Applying Canadian oil industry technology abroad – Tako Koning

44 – Western Pyrenees foothills – the hotspot for natural hydrogen – Henri Puntous, Jean-Marc Fleury, Molly Boka-Mene, Aurore Laurent and Benoit Hauville

46 – Long-distance up-flank oil migration offshore Brazil – Sharon Cornelius, Kenneth Shipper, Paul Mann and Andrew Pepper

48 – United Downs – it is too early to uncork the bottle

PORTRAITS

56 – The story behind Mexico’s biggest discovery in decades

GEOTHERMAL ENERGY

62 – World’s largest geothermal reserves? – Elliot Yearsley

63 – Slim is smart

64 – The critical role of cement

SUBSURFACE STORAGE

66 – Carbon capture and mineralisation pilots in the Middle East

68 – The subsurface is a key factor in explaining the poor result of the recent Danish CCS tender

69 – The CCS parallel universe

DEEP SEA MINERALS

72 – Japan retrieves rare-earth-rich mud from 6,000 m in deep-sea’s first – by Ronny Setså

73 – The benefits of being a second mover

74 – Are sea cucumbers in a pickle?

NEW GAS

76 – Until now, hydrogen exploration wells were drilled half-blind

77 – Too early to declare a commercial success – Arnout Everts

78 – A helium prospect without a trap

TECHNOLOGY

80 – Mistaking speed for progress – Eric Andersen

81 – Turning the tide – Leen Weijers

82 – Drilling problems? Ask your CEO

Articles

Europe versus US oil majors

European oil majors face a structural dilemma: How to balance near-term hydrocar­bon revenue with long-term renewable ambitions under relentless shareholder and public scrutiny. While USA peers largely doubled down on Read More

Slim is smart

“Why drill 150 mm when 120 mm will do?” That simple question sparked an ongoing discussion between Bruce and his son Ryan Gatherer. Bruce has spent more than 35 years Read More

Conjugate margins in the Indian Ocean

The concept of conjugate margins as a geologi­cal model on which to base exploration strategy is well established in the Atlantic, where the exten­sional plate boundaries and geomorphology are clear Read More

Time to recycle party balloons

A third of the world’s helium comes from Qatar, a lucrative by-product of natural gas production. Even though the North Field contains only 0.04 % helium, the vast volumes of Read More

bp and Brazil

In August 2025, bp announced the much-needed news that its exploration well designated 1-BP-13-SPS in the Bumerangue Production Sharing Contract block, located in the prolific Santos Basin, was a significant Read More

Norway stumbles at the finish line

On the night of December 3, 2025, Norwegian parliament re-ached an agreement on the state budget for 2026. One point in the budget agree­ment reads as follows: The parliament asks Read More

Are sea cucumbers in a pickle?

In March this year, the Internation­al Seabed Authority (ISA) mem­ber states met and negotiated over two weeks in Kingston, Jamaica, to discuss the future of seabed min­ing. But yet again, Read More