Subsurface noise #8

THE REALITY BEHIND FLASHY JOB TITLES

I recently spoke with someone who works for a large international operator. To me, as a representative of a very small company, the job titles these people have always sounded very impressive. Exploration manager, this or that, it all suggests major responsibility and momentum. But when I bluntly asked the person how he found his job, he said: “I hate every single day of it.” It’s one of those rare moments when you get an honest insight into how people really experience their jobs, and it forms a reminder of the reality behind those flashy titles.

WHEN ‘DRILL READY’ DID NOT EXIST

“Back in the days,” someone told me the other day, “the term ‘Drill Ready’ did not exist. You could start drilling anytime you wanted if the finances were in place. But nowadays, the term has become very relevant because of all the permitting that is required to make drilling happen. It is a testament to how times have changed.

A PERMANENT EMERGENCY

In February, I visited the Mexican town that is sometimes called the Aberdeen of Mexico, Villahermosa, in the province of Tabasco. From the hotel window, I could see two flares lighting up the sky at night. When I mentioned that to some locals, they told me that flaring is prohibited in Mexico. Except when there is an emergency. It seems like there is a permanent emergency at some production locations…

SEISMIC ACQUISITION WITHOUT OFFICIAL PERMISSION IN PLACE

I recently caught the story of a UK town where the university wanted to acquire passive seismic data for a potential geothermal project. And there was some time pressure as well. Rather than waiting for official permits, which would have taken a long time, the team just decided to ask local residents if they could put a seismometer in their gardens for a while. People overwhelmingly said yes, which made the project fly very quickly. A great example of getting on with things in a creative way.