Exploration Update – Angola
Another Pre-Salt Find Since the Cameia discovery in 2012 confirmed the presence of an expansive pre-salt hydrocarbon reservoir in the deepwater offshore Angola, there has been a continuing flow of…
Exploration
Guyana: ExxonMobil finds oil in controversial waters
One of the most exciting things happening in terms of Latin America exploration right now has been the discovery of oil by ExxonMobil in the deep waters off Guyana. The company’s Liza-1 wildcat, located in…
Australia: Santos Building Reserves
Although not tested, Santos has claimed its Lasseter 1 wildcat in WA-274-P in the Browse Basin off Western Australia as a significant gas/condensate discovery. The well, located in 404m of water, was targeting…
Argentina: Significant Reserves Below Las Mesetas
YPF has made what it describes as the largest conventional gas/condensate discovery in the province of Santa Cruz in the last 20 years by drilling beneath already mature formations in…
Licensing Update – Israel
First Round Announced A string of recent giant gas discoveries in Israeli, Egyptian and Cypriot waters in the Eastern Mediterranean have heightened interest in this previously relatively overlooked area. Encouraged…
Unlocking the UK North Sea’s Hidden Wealth
What are the keys to revealing the remaining potential of the UK Lower Cretaceous? The current very low level of exploration drilling in the UK North Sea should not signal…
Suriname – New Technology Unlocks Hydrocarbon Potential
An improved knowledge of fault systems is important in understanding Suriname’s onshore oil fields – and the application of FTG data can be a vital tool in unlocking this knowledge.…
The Origin of the Barrel Award
Professor Dick Selley fills us in on some history of the Barrel Award In 1975 I returned to the Geology Department of Imperial College after years working for oil companies,…
Argentina: The Final Atlantic Margin Frontier
An enterprising company will be required to find oil, and to boldly drill where no drillship has drilled before! Argentina: The Final Atlantic Margin Frontier Figure 1: Argentina. (Sources: Addicted04/Captain…
Mexico: Shallow Water for Second Round
Mexico invites private partners into shallow waters for second round of opportunities. There was considerable excitement in the hydrocarbon industry when, in August 2014, the Mexican Comisión Nacional de Hidrocarburos…
Haven’t I Seen That Somewhere Before?
Considering the value of global analogs when characterizing passive continental margins. Understanding the nature of continent-ocean transition zones along continental margins and classifying them is key to building robust plate…
A World of Opportunity?
Regional screening for unconventional resources: geological techniques to locate new opportunities. The success of shale gas and shale oil exploitation in North America in plays such as the Bakken, Eagle…