North West Europe Archives

North West Europe

Recent study points at North Sea being the highest global emitter of methane from abandoned wells – but is that true?

Henk Kombrink

July 1, 2025

In a study recently published in National Science Review (NSR), the North Sea appears to be the basin that is home to the largest emitters of methane from abandoned oil and gas…

Keeping geoscientists busy

Henk Kombrink

June 26, 2025

Geoscientists can go too far in the relentless pursuit to de-risk all elements that could cause a CO2 store to leak. At least, that is my take based on listening…

Why data obtained by legacy gas wells are not always a good indicator for assessing geothermal potential

Henk Kombrink

June 20, 2025

The Upper Permian Rotliegend sandstone in the Netherlands is a very well-explored reservoir. That is because a lot of gas fields are reservoired in this aeolian and fluvial succession that…

Has the Aarhus geothermal project become a little less geothermal than initially planned?

Henk Kombrink

June 12, 2025

In a recent statement on LinkedIn, geothermal exploration and development company Innargi announced that its flagship project in Aarhus, Denmark, will be developed differently from what was originally foreseen. Where…

Making small pools work

Henk Kombrink

May 30, 2025

Despite there still being major uncertainties for operators on the UK Continental Shelf, as Niall McLean from Brodies Solicitors clearly explained in his talk about the Finch ruling, when talking…

“We’re in this weird time of pre-AI and post-AI”

Henk Kombrink

March 21, 2025

A few months ago, I published some thoughts on how Norway has proven to be such a hotspot when it comes to new subsurface technology. Dan Austin, who has been…

The presence of oil and gas at a geothermal conference

Henk Kombrink

February 24, 2025

“I work on gas installations, but I have come to this conference to network, as so many people from the sector are here,” somebody tells me at the lunch table…

Picking prospects: Exploring the Orchard Platform’s Haupt Dolomite play

Peter Browning-Stamp and Carlo Caldarelli, Horizon Energy Partners

February 5, 2025

The UK mid North Sea High (MNSH) can be considered as one of the least explored hydrocarbon provinces on the UK Continental Shelf. Early drilling campaigns targeted pre-Permian structures, with…

Less oil, more water

Henk Kombrink

January 23, 2025

It is something that I am not often exposed to, but that does not mean it is unimportant – produced water. The SPE Aberdeen section organized a panel discussion around…

Finding the right store for CO₂ can lead to very different outcomes

Henk Kombrink

December 19, 2024

It happens quite regularly that people’s surname seem to be closely linked to the profession they operate in. This certainly applies to Alexander Bump from the University of Texas in…

Northern North Sea: A decade of seismic acquisition and exploration success

Henk Kombrink

December 18, 2024

Figure 1. Discoveries within the NVG surveys from 2018 – 2024. Source: Viridien. In this article, we go back more than ten years to 2013, when the area west and…

No licensing round for seabed minerals in Norway next year

Ronny Setså

December 2, 2024

On Sunday 1 December, the results of the national budget negotiations were presented. The Socialist Left Party won approval to stop the upcoming licensing round for seabed minerals. It was…

The global energy sector from a subsurface perspective