Russian Fold Belts: The Next Hot Play?
Three successful cycles of petroleum reserve build-up can be recognised in the history of Russian petroleum exploration. Could the fold belts be the basis of the next cycle? After decades…
Exploration
Palaeozoic Plays of the Great Basin
The Palaeozoic tectonic history of the Great Basin of Nevada in south-western USA parallels that of the US east coast, where the Marcellus Shale has been a target of intense…
Gabon: Some Hope for Gas
Eni has made a significant gas and condensate discovery with an exploration well testing the Nyonie Deep prospect in Block D4, approximately 13 km from the coast and 48 km from Libreville, the capital of…
Oil Price Competition 2 – Result
Result of the second Oil Price Prediction Competition. Oil Price at COB 19th June, as shown on the FT website on 22nd June.Once again, many thanks to everyone that entered…
Pakistan: First Discovery in Eastern Potwar Plateau
The Ghauri Joint Venture (GJV) is claiming a ‘landmark achievement’ with its Ghauri X-1 well, located in district Jhelum, Punjab Province in Pakistan, as it is the first hydrocarbon discovery in the eastern part of…
Tanzania: Third LNG Train Likely?
The partnership of BG (operator) and Ophir have confirmed an important new gas discovery in deepwater Block 1, Tanzania. Drilled using the ‘Deepsea Metro 1’ drillship, the Taachui 1ST well, close to the…
Congo: Significant Westward Extension
Eni’s Nene Marine 3 exploration well in the offshore Marine XII Block encountered a significant wet gas and light oil accumulation in the pre-salt clastic sequence, thereby outlining a significant extension to…
Russia: Major Reserves Boost
Appraisal drilling by Gazprom at its Kirinskoye Yuzhnoye field in the Okhotsk Sea off Sakhalin Island has resulted not only in the addition of gas reserves, but also in the discovery of a big oil…
Côte d’Ivoire: Key Deepwater Find
Although untested, the Total-operated Saphir-1XB in Block CI-514 is described as an important discovery in a frontier part of deepwater offshore Côte d’Ivoire, as it has demonstrated a working petroleum system. Located in a water depth…
South Falkland Basin: Darwinian Evolution
The South Falkland Basin has remained below the industry radar. Pioneering exploration efforts are slowly revealing the potential of this new frontier. Filter Collections EXPLORATION SOUTH AMERICA South Falkland Basin:…
Gaining a Regional Perspective
What has happened in recent years in the Caspian region, how has it changed – and what is preventing companies from operating here? In 2010, the international scientific consortium Geology Without…
South East Asia: Deepwater Activity in an Environment of Oversupply
As explorers in Asia Pacific undertake the search for high-cost deepwater-targets, global production levels remain high and oil prices slump. This article investigates the impact on these deepwater projects. High…