Going global and embracing all forms of subsurface energy, that’s how we would characterize this issue of the magazine.
For the first time, we introduce a section on coal geology, as we felt that this part of the energy mix is grossly underreported. And even though coal is mostly used for energy production, it is also critical for the energy transition – as you’ll read here.
We have always been a global content magazine, but only when plotting our stories on a map it becomes evident that it really is. From Mongolia to Antarctica, from Canada to Australia, we have found interesting stories from all over the place.
In the cover story, Francis Buckley describes how shallow gas is not only on the radar as a drilling hazard, it is also an exploration target these days, as well as a factor to consider at the decommissioning side of things. In summary, something to keep an eye on.
Our geothermal section contains more articles than ever. This is a sign of the many things happening in this sector, and we also look forward to being part of this at the upcoming GeoTherm conference in Offenburg next year.
And finally, please do have a look at the interviews we conducted for this issue. Henry Pettingill takes us through his amazing career as a deep-water oil and gas finder, and Jack Willis tells us about how he identified a niche in the market that enabled him to grow a successful business.
FIRSTS
8 – Subsurface noise
10 – Energy matters – by Rodney Garrard
12 – Regional update – by Ian Cross
14 – Striking oil – Antarctica
INSIGHTS
88 – Geomodelling – Make geomodelling grAIt again? – by Raffik Lazar
90 – HotSpot – The Caribbean – by NVentures
92 – Basin modelling – How to identify fluid migration with 1D models and temperature data – by David Rajmon
93 – Faults and fractures – The structural risk of vertically exaggerated cross-sections – by Molly Turko
94 – Nothing beats the field – Devonian Reef, Canada – by Rene Jonk
96 – Vertical Geology – From the shores of Lake Maracaibo to a paleontology museum in Europe
COVER STORY
16 – Shallow gas – risk or resource?
EXPLORATION OPPORTUNITIES
22 – Exploring deeper in Uruguay: Could Namibia’s successful Cretaceous play be chased in Uruguay’s deepwater? – Viridien
46 – Pacific oil rush: The sequel – and this time it’s Ecuador – Searcher
OIL & GAS
28 – Finding oil in synclines
29 – Looking deeper than the traditional petroleum plays
31 – Deep marine reservoirs with fresh water – how come?
32 – Disentangling a deep oil play
FEATURES
34 – Getting drill-ready for the energy transition
38 – Picking prospects: Exploring the Orchard Platform’s Haupt Dolomite play – by Peter Browning-Stamp And Carlo Caldarelli, Horizon Energy Partners
42 – Northern North Sea: A decade of seismic acquisition and exploration success
PORTRAITS
52 – Eyes wide open at the right time, Henry S. Pettingill
57 – Identifying issues before they arise, Jack Willis
GEOTHERMAL ENERGY
60 – Faster and faster
61 – How data helped answer the question of why testing results in a geothermal well disappointed
62 – Finding a hotspot in Alaska – by Guy Oliver, Ignis H2 Energy
64 – Monetizing the geothermal resource
65 – Drilling into new frontiers – drilling into magma
SUBSURFACE STORAGE
68 – It’s not the seal, it’s the potential thief zones that form the biggest risk
70 – The injected CO2 that went missing
62 – 3 million versus 100 k
65 – Drilling into new frontiers – drilling into magma
NEW GAS
72 – Play-based exploration methods used to find natural hydrogen – by Giacomo Firpo, Paul Swire, Rakgas, Steve Lawrence, Ian Hutchinson, NHSG and Jonathan Watson, Metatek
73 – Helium found in new and unexpected places – by Mariël Reitsma
74 – Helium-3 – by Mariël Reitsma
DEEP SEA MINERALS
76 – China’s showing its muscles in the deep sea – by Ronny Setså
77 – Divided opinions on area announcement – by Ronny Setså
78 – Draghi’s nod to marine minerals – by Ronny Setså
COAL
80 – Mining a “source rock” for the battery industry
81 – Is there a coal exploration industry?
82 – You can mine coal, but you can also produce the associated gas
TECHNOLOGY
84 – The evolution of managed pressure drilling
85 – Why is so much subsurface technology coming from Norway?
86 – How AI-based image analysis of cuttings enables better reservoir definition – by Ezdeen Ibrahim, Bapco Upstream, Guy M. Oliver and Milton Sanclemente, Geolog
