First Break September 2021 - Reservoir Geoscience and Engineering

VO L U M E 3 9 I I S S U E 9 I S E P T E M B E R 2 0 21

SPECIAL TOPIC

Reservoir Geoscience and Engineering EAGE NEWS President’s welcome to Amsterdam 2021 INDUSTRY NEWS Report finds seismic studies do not harm marine life TECHNICAL ARTICLE Adaptive subtraction using a convolutional neural network

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CHAIR EDITORIAL BOARD Gwenola Michaud (Gwenola.Michaud@cognite.com) EDITOR Damian Arnold (editorfb@eage.org) MEMBERS, EDITORIAL BOARD • Paul Binns, consultant (pebinns@btinternet.com) • Lodve Berre, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (lodve.berre@ntnu.no) • Satinder Chopra, SamiGeo (satinder.chopra@samigeo.com) • Anthony Day, PGS (anthony.day@pgs.com) • Peter Dromgoole, Retired Geophysicist (peterdromgoole@gmail.com) • Rutger Gras, Consultant (r.gras@gridadvice.nl) • Hamidreza Hamdi, University of Calgary (hhamdi@ucalgary.ca) • John Reynolds, Reynolds International (jmr@reynolds-international.co.uk) • James Rickett, Schlumberger (jrickett@slb.com) • Peter Rowbotham, Apache (Peter.Rowbotham@apachecorp.com) • Dave Stewart, Dave Stewart Geoconsulting Ltd (djstewart.dave@gmail.com) • Femke Vossepoel, Delft University of Technology (f.c.vossepoel@tudelft.nl) • Angelika-Maria Wulff, Kuwait Oil Company (AWulff@kockw.com)

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Multi-azimuth multisensor quantitative interpretation: a South Viking graben case study, Norway

Editorial Contents 3

EAGE News

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Personal Record Interview

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Montly Update

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Crosstalk

EAGE EDITOR EMERITUS Andrew McBarnet (andrew@andrewmcbarnet.com)

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Industry News

MEDIA PRODUCTION Saskia Nota (firstbreakproduction@eage.org)

Technical Article

PRODUCTION ASSISTANT Ivana Geurts (firstbreakproduction@eage.org)

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Adaptive subtraction using a convolutional neural network Amarjeet Kumar, Gary Hampson and Tom Rayment

Special Topic: Reservoir Geoscience and Engineering

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47 Full-azimuth differential seismic facies analysis for predicting oil-saturated fractured reservoirs

Alexander Inozemtsev, Zvi Koren, Alexander Galkin and Igor Stepanov 53 Integrating rock physics, PP-PS joint inversion and time-shifts to improve quantitative interpretation of time-lapse fluid and pressure changes Andrea Damasceno, Ali Tura, Guilherme Vasquez, Wilson Ramos and Paula Dariva 61 Formation water salinity does not vary linearly with depth, proving its mobility and connectivity with salt bodies or fresh water. Does this influence enhanced recovery and nuclear waste repository location?

Carl Fredrik Gyllenhammar 73 Energy transition: a reservoir engineering perspective

H. Kazemi and T. L. Davis 79 Multi-azimuth multisensor quantitative interpretation: a South Viking graben case study, Norway

Cyrille Reiser and Eric Mueller 85 Breaking the seismic 4D ‘image’ paradigm of seismic monitoring

Habib Al Khatib, Yessine Boubaker and Elodie Morgan

Feature: WhatsUp!

93 Work-life boosting with Windows

Peter Rowbotham 94 Calendar

EAGE MEMBERS CHANGE OF ADDRESS NOTIFICATION Send to: EAGE Membership Dept at EAGE Office (address above) FIRST BREAK ON THE WEB www.firstbreak.org ISSN 0263-5046 (print) / ISSN 1365-2397 (online)

cover: UV-light image of bioturbated oil-stained sandstone from Badenian OMV oil-field, Austria. Oil-stained areas show yellowish colour visualizing heterogeneity of reservoir sandstone. Image taken at OMV TECH centre and lab.

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European Association of Geoscientists & Engineers

Board 2021-2022

Dirk Orlowsky President

Jean-Marc Rodriguez Vi c e-President

Near Surface Geoscience Division Alireza Malehmir Chair Esther Bloem Vice-Chair George Apostolopoulos Immediate Past Chair Micki Allen Contact Officer EEGS/North America Hongzhu Cai Liaison China Albert Casas Membership Officer Eric Cauquil Liaison Shallow Marine Geophysics Deyan Draganov Technical Programme Officer Hamdan Ali Hamdan Liaison Middle East Vladimir Ignatev Liaison Russia / CIS Andreas Kathage Liaison Officer First Break Musa Manzi Liaison Africa Myrto Papadopoulou Young Professional Liaison Koya Suto Liaison Asia Pacific Catherine Truffert Industry Liaison Panagiotis Tsourlos Editor-in-Chief Near Surface Geophysics Florina Tuluca Committee Member

Pascal Breton Secretary-Treasurer

Oil & Gas Geoscience Division

Caroline Le Turdu Membership and Cooperation Officer

Peter Rowbotham Publications Officer

Lucy Slater Chair Yohaney Gomez Galarza Vice-Chair Michael Peter Suess Immediate Past Chair; TPC Erica Angerer Member Wiebke Athmer Member Juliane Heiland TPC Tijmen Jan Moser Editor-in-Chief Geophysical Prospecting Francesco Perrone Member Matteo Ravasi YP Liaison Philip Ringrose Editor-in-Chief Petroleum Geoscience Giovanni Sosio DET SIC Liaison Aart-Jan van Wijngaarden Technical Programme Officer

Colin MacBeth Education Officer

SUBSCRIPTIONS First Break is published monthly. It is free to EAGE members. The membership fee of EAGE is € 50.00 a year (including First Break, EarthDoc (EAGE’s geoscience database), Learning Geoscience (EAGE’s Education website) and online access to a scientific journal.

Companies can subscribe to First Break via an institutional subscription.

Every subscription includes a monthly hard copy and online access to the full First Break archive for the requested number of online users.

Aart-Jan van Wijngaarden Technical Programme Officer

Alireza Malehmir Chair Near Surface Geoscience Division

Orders for current subscriptions and back issues should be sent to EAGE Publications BV, Journal Subscriptions, PO Box 59, 3990 DB, Houten, The Netherlands. Tel: +31 (0)88 9955055, E-mail: subscriptions@eage.org, www.firstbreak.org.

Lucy Slater Chair Oil & Gas Geoscience Division

First Break is published by EAGE Publications BV, The Netherlands.

However, responsibility for the opinions given and the statements made rests with the authors.

COPYRIGHT & PHOTOCOPYING © 2021 EAGE All rights reserved. First Break or any part thereof may not be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transcribed in any form or by any means, electronically or mechanically, including photocopying and recording, ­without the prior written permission of the publisher.

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HIGHLIGHTS

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IFP School wins student chapter award

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New chair for First Break Editorial Board

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Photo contest winners announced

President’s welcome to EAGE Amsterdam 2021 Special message from Dirk Orlowsky, president EAGE. It has been a long wait, but it appears as though we will finally be able to get together next month. This will be a very special occasion because the world today looks very different from the one in 2019 when we last met at the Annual Meeting in London. The Covid pandemic alone has had a massive impact on our working and personal lives; the resource markets that our community serves have experienced serious disruptions; and the current wave of natural disasters worldwide emphasizes the urgent need to tackle climate change and accelerate energy transition.

Against this rather sombre background, our 82nd Annual Conference & Exhibition event in Amsterdam is especially important even for those who live outside of our sciences and business.

Everyone senses that geoscientists and engineers can bring technology solutions to many of the issues confronting us — from cutting emissions in current oil industry operations and developing carbon capture and storage possibilities to supporting many existing and potential renewable energy developments. The usage of the earth’s subsurface, from shallow to deep, plays a pivotal role for most of the technologies, which contribute to slowing down the greenhouse effect.

Our Technical Programme, Forums, Exhibition and the many other happenings stimulate important discussions and share knowledge in an increasing number of different fields in such a way that only an in-person event can do. We should not lose sight of how these meetings sustain our Association and its mission being one of the most important pillars of our society.

It is a time when our committees, local chapters, our special interest communities, student representatives, and more can see how they contribute to the Association today and generate ideas for the future.

As president I have to say I am absolutely excited to be able to see friends and colleagues in person for the first time in a while, and of course in my official capacity to be able to welcome and meet many of you who are able to attend. I appreciate that there are members and many other interested participants who will be unable to attend in person due to continuing health and travel restrictions in their countries. We have tried to keep this in mind in our planning, so that much of the event programme will be online in some form.

For those coming to Amsterdam, you can be sure that we have followed all government and event venue health and FIRST

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Dirk Orlowsky, EAGE president.

safety protocols to ensure that everyone is properly protected. It is important that you study how this works in practice before coming to the RAI Conference Centre. Details will be sent to all registered delegates and exhibitors and will also be available on the event website at www.eageannual2021.org.

So, keeping fingers crossed that we do go ahead, I hope very much we succeed in creating a memorable and valuable event for you all, and thank our staff, volunteers and sponsors for making this possible in very challenging circumstances. I look forward to seeing you in Amsterdam.

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EAGE NEWS

IFP School France is the best student chapter of 2021 The entries for the Best Student Chapter Award have just been reviewed and the winner this year is IFP School France, recognized for its participation in our student challenges and organization of online meetings. The second and third places go to Universiti Teknologi Petronas and the National Polytechnic Institute of Mexico, respectively. The top three student chapters received one free pass to the EAGE Annual 2021, plus the winner also receives a prize of €2000.

Student chapters are a key element of the EAGE student offering and can be found all over the globe. Their activities are often sponsored by the EAGE Student Fund to support student development, grassroots events and membership grants for individuals to tap into EAGE resources. Student chapters are encouraged to develop their own projects, and to encourage this, we make annual awards to celebrate their work and highlight their involvement.

Shokhrukh Shomurodov, president of IFP School student chapter, described some of the activities and ethos of the winning chapter. ‘We believe this achievement is related to our continuous effort to spread information and knowledge

EAGE IFP School 2020/21 board.

among professionals and students around the world, and also to our commitment to cover diverse aspects of the energy sector. Since the beginning of the year, we have been organizing several lectures about different geoscience topics, and it is important to say that we have been working together with all the IFP School student chapters.’

‘I personally think that “sharing” is the word that best describes the mindset of our chapter. Besides promoting multiple technical events we have also been com-

mitted to diversity and energy transition.

To promote the value of diversity we also launched a round table of women in geosciences in engineering where we had the participation of five renowned professionals working in the oil and gas industry who shared their main challenges as women in the field. The event was a success and professionals from all over the world attended.

‘The biggest challenge of this year has undoubtedly been the Covid pandemic. This restricted us in organizing onsite workshops and hands-on activities, like field trips and company visits. All our activities needed to be adapted to online. Keeping participants engaged on our events knowing they were online and working from home looking at a screen all day was another challenge. To overcome this we promoted our events actively on social media. We carefully chose specific topics that might contribute significantly to the careers of geoscientists and engineers. As a result we managed to keep students motivated and interested in our events. We also saw the pandemic as an opportunity to attract a bigger international audience and by that broaden our network.’

Ho Chi Minh City to host Asia Pacific near surface meeting

Ho Chi Minh City skyline.

The 4th Asia Pacific Meeting on Near Surface Geoscience and Engineering is set to take place from 30 November - 2 Decem4

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ber 2021 in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, and online. The conference with the theme of ‘Innovation in Near Surface Geoscience and Engineering - for Resource, Energy, Infrastructure, Environment and Sustainable Development’ will present more than 10 keynote presentations from leading industry and academic experts and over 50 technical presentations together with a showcase of innovative tools, technologies, and live demos from exhibitors.

Also, do not miss out on the pre-conference workshops on 29 November 2021 that will present invited speakers sharing their insights and experiences. The workshop ‘Land Subsidence in the Me Kong

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Delta and other Deltaic Plains: Causes, Monitoring, Prediction, and Impacts’ will open with a keynote lecture from Dr P.H. Giao, vice president of Vietnam Association of Engineering Geologists and Environment (VAEGE) and associate professor in Earth Science at PetroVietnam University (PVU). In parallel, a workshop on ‘Offshore Wind and other Renewable Energy Resources for Energy Transition’ will be held with Dr Dinh Nguyen, senior research fellow, University College Cork, Ireland delivering a keynote lecture.

More details can be found on the event website. Register with the early fee until 17 October 2021.

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EAGE NEWS

Learning Geoscience adds two more self-paced courses Two new self-paced courses on Geostatistical Reservoir Modelling and Carbonate Reservoir Characterization are now available on our Learning Geoscience platform.

EAGE self-paced courses offer you the opportunity to learn new knowledge at your own pace. Self-paced courses include pre-recorded video lectures and quizzes that you can complete with your own schedule over a set 12-month period. A certificate of attendance is available upon completion of all course requirements.

After the end of the course, your certificate will remain available for download in your profile page.

Geostatistical reservoir modelling The course on ‘Geostatistical Reservoir Modelling’ by Dr Dario Grana (University of Wyoming) is at intermediate level, designed for geologists and geophysicists in hydrocarbon exploration and production, researchers in geoscience disciplines, and college and graduate students who have basic knowledge of geophysics theory and methods.

Reservoir modelling provides a set of techniques to create three-dimensional numerical earth models in terms of elastic, petrophysical and dynamic properties of reservoir rocks. The course focuses on modelling of facies and rock properties from geophysical properties and on quantification of uncertainty of these models. Mathematical and physical models of the reservoir are generally uncertain due to the lack of information, noise in data measurements, approximations and assumptions. Hence, building a reservoir

Geostatistical simulation. Source: Grana, D., Paparozzi, E., Mancini, S. and Tarchiani, C., 2013. Seismic driven probabilistic classification of reservoir facies for static reservoir modelling: a case history in the Barents Sea. Geophysical Prospecting, 61(3), pp.613-629.

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model requires the integration of several disciplines, such as seismic inversion, rock physics, and geostatistics.

The course covers the fundamental theory of statistical methods for reservoir modelling and uncertainty quantification techniques for reservoir predictions. It is divided into four main parts: fundamentals of statistics, rock physics, geostatistics, and geophysical inverse problems for reservoir characterization. Uncertainty propagation from measured data, through physical models to model predictions will be studied with a focus on seismic data inversion and static reservoir characterization.

Seismic inversion aims to transform the measured seismic data into elastic parameters that can be interpreted to determine rock and fluid properties. Rock physics describes a reservoir rock by physical properties such as porosity and compressibility that affect the seismic response in porous rocks. It aims to establish relations between these rock and fluid properties and the observed seismic data.

Geostatistics aims to provide realistic representations of the reservoirs in terms of structure and spatial distribution of rock and fluid properties by combining geological knowledge and statistical methods.

The course includes eight video lectures. On completion of the course, participants should be able to build geostatistical reservoir models, understand physical relations between reservoir parameters and geophysical data, and evaluate the uncertainty of model predictions.

Carbonate reservoir characterization The course ‘Carbonate Reservoir Characterization’ by Dr Laura Galluccio (Badley Ashton) is at foundation level and is designed for petroleum geologists, geoscientists, petrophysicists and engineers involved in exploration and production of carbonate plays.

The course focuses on the analysis of carbonate depositional textures and the

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subsequent diagenetic modifications as the main controls on the pore system evolution, heterogeneity and complexity. The intricate inter-relationship of the depositional and burial history can be unravelled to allow the prediction of reservoir facies, and hence, aid reconstruction and development of three-dimensional reservoir models. The course demonstrates the value of understanding pore system evolution as a part of large-scale volumetric assessments and the development of carbonate reservoirs.

Reservoir quality in carbonate successions is often defined by the storage capacity, flow potential, i.e., porosity and permeability respectively, measurements that are often acquired during conventional core analysis, and connectivity of pores (recorded as the pore-throat radius distributions during special core analysis).

The interplay between these quantifiable factors, including sample-scale heterogeneities, is inevitably linked to the original depositional characteristics of the carbonate sediments, together with their susceptibility to post-depositional diagenetic alteration, which results in the ultimately complex pore system.

Therefore, the classification of individual pore types will be detailed with their primary depositional or secondary diagenetic origin being discussed in context with sedimentological and stratigraphic models in order to underpin their spatial relationships and potential connectivity.

In addition, the characterization of micrite

Photomicrograph capturing a grainstone texture showing a well-developed interparticle macroporosity. Cement patches locally occlude the macropores negatively affecting the overall pore volume and permeability.

EAGE NEWS

textures will be discussed to illustrate their impact on the micro-porosity, factors that are particularly important to consider in tight unconventional reservoirs.

The depositional controls on reservoir properties that will be taken into consideration include the texture, grain size, clay and matrix content as well as the type and quantity of allochems. The relationship between dissolution processes that result

Photomicrograph of a grainstone texture where interparticle macropores have been completely occluded by calcite cement. Micropores within the ooids are preserved and interconnected when these allochems are touching. The SEM image on the left hand corner shows a detail of the micropores allochems and the cement between grains.

in an enhancement of the pore system, cementation processes that reduce the pore volume and the resultant connectivity and fluid flow pathways will be assessed to constrain the dominant diagenetic controls on the reservoir properties. In addition to this, the process of dolomitization will be scrutinised in order to determine if and how this process enhances and/or reduces reservoir properties.

Integrating the key controls on reservoir quality within the sedimentological framework enables the establishment of a conceptual reservoir architecture model, which can be used to assess and predict the vertical and lateral variations in porosity and permeability at the reservoir and/ or field scale. The course outlines how to conceptually build a reservoir architecture model, which in turn can be used to aid reservoir modelling.

The course includes eight video lectures. Upon completion of the course, participants should be able to identify the different pore types, their interconnectivity and hence the impact on permeability; determine how specific sedimentological

parameters and diagenetic process impact reservoir quality; understand sample heterogeneity and its impact on reservoir quality data; and upscaling of reservoir quality data to aid prediction at the field scale.

Keeping courses affordable At EAGE, we want to keep online education prices low to give everyone the opportunity to access top quality courses. If you are interested in attending multiple courses in a year, you can save even more (up to 50% on total registration fees) with our Education Packages, which are applicable for all types of EAGE online offerings and give you credits (3, 5 or 10) to spend on courses of your choice. EAGE members (regular and students) get a better deal when registering for courses and packages.

EAGE Online Education Calendar START AT ANY TIME

GEOSTATISTICAL RESERVOIR MODELING, BY D. GRANA

SELF-PACED COURSE

8 CHAPTERS OF 1HR

START AT ANY TIME

CARBONATE RESERVOIR CHARACTERIZATION, BY L. GALLUCCIO

SELF-PACED COURSE

8 CHAPTERS OF 1HR

2-3 SEP

INTRODUCTION TO HEAVY OIL: GENESIS, PROPERTIES, DISTRIBUTION, RECOVERY TECHNOLOGIES AND UPGRADING, BY A. SHAFIEI

SHORT COURSE

2 CHAPTERS OF 4 HRS

3 SEP

MAKING THE TRANSITION FROM DISCRETE SHOT RECORDS TO CONTINUOUS WAVEFIELDS, BY T. KLÜVER

DLP WEBINAR

1 CHAPTER OF 1 HR

8-10 SEP

LAND SEISMIC SURVEY DESIGN, BY P. RAS

SHORT COURSE

3 SESSIONS OF 4 HRS

13-16 SEP

MITIGATING BIAS, BLINDNESS AND ILLUSION IN E&P DECISION MAKING,

BY M. BOND

SHORT COURSE

4 SESSIONS OF 4 HRS

13 SEP 13 OCT

DEVELOPING DEEP LEARNING APPLICATIONS FOR THE OILFIELD: FROM THEORY TO REAL WORLD PROJECTS, BY B. MONTARON

EXTENSIVE COURSE*

5 SESSIONS OF 1 HR

14-17 SEP

INTEGRATED METHODS FOR DEEP-WATER RESERVOIR CHARACTERIZATION, BY J. ROTZIEN

SHORT COURSE

3 SESSIONS OF 4 HRS

15 SEP

FWI WITH OPTIMAL TRANSPORT: A 3D IMPLEMENTATION AND AN APPLICATION ON A FIELD DATASET, BY J. MESSUD

E-LECTURE WEBINAR

1 SESSION OF 1 HR

20-21 SEP

BEYOND CONVENTIONAL SEISMIC IMAGING, BY E. LANDA

ONLINE EET

2 SESSIONS OF 4 HRS

21-22 SEP

GEOLOGICAL HISTORY OF CO2: CARBON CYCLE AND NATURAL SEQUESTRATION OF CO2, BY A-Y. HUC

SHORT COURSE

2 SESSIONS OF 4 HRS

27 SEP 27 OCT

INTRODUCTION TO MACHINE LEARNING FOR GEOPHYSICAL APPLICATIONS, BY J. MONDT

EXTENSIVE COURSE*

4 SESSIONS OF 1 HR

* EXTENSIVE SELF PACED MATERIALS AND INTERACTIVE SESSIONS WITH THE INSTRUCTOR: CHECK SCHEDULE OF EACH COURSE FOR DATES AND TIMES OF LIVE SESSIONS FOR THE FULL CALENDAR, MORE INFORMATION AND REGISTRATION PLEASE VISIT WWW.EAGE.ORG AND WWW.LEARNINGGEOSCIENCE.ORG.

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EAGE NEWS

Comprehensive look at disruption and innovation planned for next year’s digitalization event in Vienna

Conference chair Roman Spitzer.

EAGE’s Digitalization Conference and Exhibition, scheduled for 1-3 February 2022 in Vienna, Austria, should produce some stimulating and challenging discussions about digital disruption and transformation under the theme of ‘Leadership, Technology and Business of Tomorrow’.

Digital transformation has been a hot topic in the energy industry for some time now. While digital transformation has often been characterized by hype and lofty expectations, in recent times the conversation has focused the realistic value of digital transformation initiatives. Much of the early potential is now being realized with real value and successful applications across the subsurface and other domains.

Machine learning algorithms and techniques have now been applied in almost every area of geoscience and are increasingly being normalized into the subsurface domain. Data is being liberated on the cloud resulting in significant cost savings and more efficient workflows. Autonomous robots and drones are being deployed for geophysical surveys, asset monitoring and leakage detection.

Industry collaborations are also coming to maturity with partnerships like OSDU creating a valuable data foundation for the industry, enabling innovation across the upstream and energy transition domains.

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Despite the tremendous opportunities this technology adoption has brought, it seems like we have only seen the tip of the proverbial iceberg. Technology development is today moving at an unprecedented pace. We are also witnessing the convergence of multiple transformative technologies and innovation platforms which promises to unlock new possibilities that we cannot yet imagine.

Conference chair Roman Spitzer, head of technology application, OMV E&P, says: ‘Digitalization has advanced more rapidly than any other innovation in history, enabling us with instant communication, generally enhanced connectivity and accessibility to information to make decisions faster and more accurately. It is not only the technological aspect that drives us today, but even more, the associated topics of changing business models and leadership styles require special attention and new ideas.

ter choices about our investments and, ultimately, stay resilient to the globally ongoing changes.’

EAGE Digital 2022 is expected to gather a diverse mix of attendees ranging from digital business leaders, industry analysts, young tech entrepreneurs and experienced geoscientists and engineers looking to embrace technological changes. The technical programme will provide a great insight into research around innovative and disruptive technologies to increase efficiencies and share knowledge across the sector.

Meanwhile, the strategic programme will add interest for those looking to explore the business of digital transformation through a series of carefully selected roundtable discussions, keynotes and panel talks.

Many of these conversations will focus on key areas such as scalability, open collaboration, organizational culture and supporting the transition to lower carbon business models.

Digital transformation is critical to the future competitiveness of our industry as we transition to new low carbon businesses.

‘Many organizations understand digitalization as a tool to save costs through increased efficiencies and project acceleration. This is partly true, it will save costs through less time spent on projects. However, the real strength of digitalization is to create optionalities and opportunities through cutting edge technologies in combination with changed ways of doing business. The combination will allow us to make better analyses of our portfolios, make bet-

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For our global oil and gas community, digital transformation is not only a great opportunity to shape new ways of delivering novel solutions but also a chance to assure that our industry can remain competitive, safe and efficient alongside the rapid transition into new low carbon businesses. We encourage you to take advantage of this opportunity and hope to see you in Vienna.

Visit www.eagedigital.org for more details.

EAGE NEWS

Introducing new chair of First Break Editorial Board Each journal is only as strong as the team working on it. Over the years, First Break has been made possible with the support of our Editorial Board, which was most recently led by Peter Rowbotham. With Rowbotham now taking up the role of publications officer on the EAGE Board we would like to introduce our new chair Gwenola Michaud.

First of all, congratulations on your appointment. Great to have you on board. How did you originally get involved in geosciences?

Well, that goes back quite some time!

Understanding what is just beneath our feet has always been a source of curiosity and interest for me. Geophysics has been part of my studies and activities since 1998. I started my studies in Strasbourg, France at the Ecole et Observatiore des Sicences de la Terre (EOST), followed by a degree at Colorado School of Mines in the USA. After this, I worked around the globe on multiple geophysics and drilling research and development projects.

What has your engagement with EAGE been like?

I initially joined EAGE during my days at university, with membership going back to 2001. So, I’ve been around for some time. I’ve benefited and gained a lot from diverse EAGE publications and conferences. I started volunteering for EAGE in 2017, when I joined the Programme

larly well tuned to the importance and richness of cultural diversity and way of working together on key challenges. First Break plays an important role in giving these kinds of cooperation a voice and platform.

Gwenola Michaud, new chair of First Break Editorial Board.

for Association and Cooperation in Earth Sciences (PACE) as a committee member.

It provides financial support to help members attend our meetings.

It seems like you’re quite passionate about the new role?

Absolutely. As a long-term member, I know what an organization such as EAGE can bring to the community. I strongly believe in this European association dedicated to geoscientists and engineers.

Being European by nature, it is particu-

What do you like about your new role?

Due to its nature, First Break appeals to a larger audience. It is an accessible monthly magazine which balances content about EAGE, news about business, people and technology and finally technical articles around special topics. The changing special topics really allow us to emphasize some of the key challenges the community is working towards, such as the transition from fossil to renewable energy, in which earth sciences play a crucial role. Not only is First Break a key publication to help our community to stay on top of it all, it also promotes our disciplines in a concise and clear way. It is simply an honour to follow Peter Rowbotham’ and to bring my contribution to the publication. I’m looking forward to it.

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EAGE NEWS

Varied geological diet for Aberdeen LC consumption In April a joint event with the PESGB had Prof Bob Holdsworth of Durham University discussing geological fissures and their importance in fractured basement reservoirs. Taking present day examples from Iceland and comparing them with Southern Italy and offshore UK, Holdsworth demonstrated that dilatant fractures can be kilometres long, tens of metres wide and can extend to depths of 1 km or more below the palaeosurface. They are filled with a remarkably diverse range of high porosity, high permeability fills which act as natural proppants holding fractures open for tens to hundreds of million years.

In June Henk Kombrink of North Sea Core explained the entrepreneur-

ial journey of the North Sea Core initiative. It involves old core destined for landfill being repurposed for teaching and research purposes, as well as display objects. A highlight was the drone flypast over an entire Brent section of core laid out in a field. This can be viewed on North Sea Core’s website under the Data page. With the supply of accompanying subsurface data, which is also increasingly released into the public domain, Kombrink showed this great opportunity to export the rocks as well as subsurface data from this famous hydrocarbon province.

July saw Dr Lucy McKay presenting to us on the core of the Highland

Boundary Fault. Digging to expose the fault core near Stonehaven revealed a remarkable sequence of clay and microfossils ‘inside’ this ancient plate boundary fault. Surprisingly the fault core consists of four distinct clay-rich units that remain unmixed. The internal structure of the fault core, i.e., thickness, composition and, microstructure, has similarities to active plate boundary faults like the San Andreas Fault.

McKay discussed the implications for understanding how earthquakes behave at plate boundary faults.

Check out our LinkedIn page for details of a September evening Virtual Field Trip to Skye with Nick Schofield/ John Howell (Aberdeen University).

EAGE’s Borehole Geology Workshop is back for the fourth time

Borehole imaging (Image courtesy of Christian Rambousek, NiMBUC Geoscience).

The technical programme of the Fourth EAGE Borehole Geology Workshop entitled ‘From Borehole to Reservoir: Technology, Innovation, Applications & Inter-disciplinary Integration’ is now available for those considering attendance 10

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at this popular event. Building on the success of the three previous workshops held in 2015, 2017 and 2019, EAGE is pleased to holding this fourth edition scheduled to take place online on 27-29 September 2021.

Borehole geology has been instrumental in understanding the sub-surface with various measurements leading to characterization of hydrocarbon reservoirs at different scales. With renewed focus on non-fossil fuels involving the sub-surface, borehole geology has become increasingly relevant.

The Fourth EAGE Borehole Geology Workshop is being organized in the changed dynamics of hydrocarbon industry with digital transformation.

The workshop has an “open” approach with contributions from a great variety of sub-surface borehole geology aspects from operations, reservoir and explorative related fields up to industry digital transformation aspects. The intention is to provide a forum for operators, contrac-

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tors and academics from the geoscience community to share developments, trends, case studies, recent innovations, successes and lessons learned, in any and all aspects of borehole geology upstream business, but also taking in account about environmental issues, mining and renewable energy sources.

The three-day workshop consists of online technical oral presentations discussing the latest developments and achievements in the borehole geology activity covering different topics. This could involve several professional skills including petrophysicists and production petrophysicists, geomechanics, reservoir geologists, engineers and core experts.

We welcome attendance of all subsurface professionals working in different disciplines of the energy, resource and environmental sectors both in industry and academic and research institutes.

Visit the event website to view the programme and register to join us online on 27-29 September 2021.

EAGE NEWS

Energy transition will feature in next year’s marine acquisition workshop in Oslo Geophysical methods for new energies applications will be included in the Third EAGE Marine Acquisition Workshop in Oslo on 22-24 August 2022. Workshop chair Martin Widmaier (PGS) explains what to expect.

Interest in ocean bottom seismic acquisition is rapidly growing and is sure to be a key focus in the upcoming programme (image courtesy of Magseis Fairfield).

The workshop presents another opportunity to present and discuss the latest developments in marine acquisition technology and its applications. Major global disruptions as well as the energy transition have forced both companies and individuals to rethink their strategies and the corresponding technology demand expectations. Challenges and change can drive innovation in the industry forward.

The workshop will explore the latest technical innovations in equipment, marine operations and survey design, and look at synergies between traditional exploration and production seismic and geophysical methods needed for new energies applications. While seismic methods will be the main focus of the workshop, contributions related to other geophysical methods are very welcome.

We would like to share recent experiences and lessons learned from case stud-

ies and explore future visions. Abstract submissions can cover a wide range from hydrocarbon exploration, infrastructure-led exploration, and reservoir monitoring to new energies, e.g., high-resolution near-surface methods for offshore wind, marine mineral exploration, or CCS monitoring.

Tone Trudeng, director of renwables, at Magseis Fairfield says, ‘The offshore wind market is growing fast, and we see a significant number of windfarms coming onstream over the next decade. Safe placement of offshore wind farms requires a detailed understanding of the subsurface, and 3D high resolution seismic, and other geophysical methods, are needed to characterize the near subsurface. Seismic is also key when mapping and monitoring CCS fields. The number of offshore CCS projects is expected to grow in the years to come, both in the North Sea and globally.’

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audience of geophysicists, engineers and specialists with an interest in marine geophysical acquisition. Representatives from energy companies, service companies, equipment manufacturers and suppliers, as well as academia are expected to come together to exchange insights on the latest developments and value proposition of marine acquisition.

Reflecting on past meetings, Hugo Ruiz, vice president G&G at OCTIO Gravitude, says, ‘The presentations have provided an excellent overview of trends in marine acquisition with all the major players present (many of them local).

Our company will definitely attend and looks forward to contributing actively to the technical programme with exciting developments.’

Visit the event website for more details on registration and abstract submission.

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EAGE NEWS

ECMOR’s enduring success explained as 2022 meeting takes shape Technical Committee members Mickaele Le Ravalec (IFPEN) and Ralf Schulze-Riegert (Schlumberger) discuss the next European Conference on Mathematics of Geological Reservoirs (ECMOR 2022) scheduled for 5-7 September 2022 in The Hague, the 18th in the series begun 30 years ago.

Mickaele Le Ravalec and Ralf Schulze-Riegert.

Can you summarize the importance and continuing relevance of ECMOR? The ECMOR conference traditionally discusses the mathematics of hydrocarbon recovery, numerical modelling of subsurface geologic systems and physico-chemical processes of fluid flow in porous media. To meet the 1.5°C global warming target in the Paris Agreement, carbon emissions should achieve net zero within 2050.

This calls for significant changes in the selection of energy resources. Subsurface energy systems will play a key role in the energy mix, including geothermal power, H2 storage, carbon capture and storage for emission sequestration as well as oil/ gas production. The ECMOR committee supports these objectives with an evolved technical programme. Advanced physical modelling and computation is discussed together with innovations in digitalization, artificial intelligence, and automation to increase efficiency and productivity of future subsurface energy systems.

How has the emphasis of the ECMOR series changed over the last 30 years?

ECMOR started in 1989 in Cambridge (UK) as a three-day conference covering 46 scientific papers on the mathematics of oil recovery. The conference was introduced in parallel to SPE’s Reservoir Simulation Symposium in the US to 12

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establish a forum for researchers from industry and academia in Europe. It had a strong focus on advanced reservoir simulation related topics as mathematical physics, analytical and numerical methods, multi-phase flow in porous media and performance.

Over the last 30 years, although applications considered by the conference have continuously evolved, selected core topics like multi-phase flow modelling, gridding and upscaling remain relevant topics. Changes have been driven by technology evolution and industry needs.

Progressively, ECMOR has become an international event. Recent ECMOR conferences have attracted participants from over 20 countries and six continents. Conference topics have changed based on technology drivers and industry application needs. In 2020 the first virtual ECMOR conference was successfully delivered with close to 200 participants.

Positive experiences from that event will be integrated into a modified conference format for ECMOR 2022 which will open new opportunities for participants.

Is the energy transition having an impact on the technical programme?

The ECMOR committee has addressed zero-net hydrocarbon emission objectives and ECMOR 2022 offers a forum for geoscientists, engineers and applied mathematicians working on modelling and simulation of subsurface reservoirs and processes with application to geo-energy applications. This includes all geo-energy resources contributing to the future energy-mix. Global energy transition initiatives and geo-energy implementations are expected to embrace a larger number

Which topics/issues do you expect to attract most interest next year?

Abstract submission trends from previous events give some insights. Among 230+ abstract submissions for ECMOR 2020 topics under the category of ‘computational methods’ (31%) were most often chosen, next to ‘physical modelling’ (28%) and ‘workflows and computing’ (28%). Specific topics with a focus on ‘optimization’ (10%) also connected to ‘machine learning and data analytics’ (7%) follow a global trend supported by numerous digitalization initiatives in the industry. For ECMOR 2022 we expect that the interest in these topics will further increase.

of topics under all ECMOR programme categories: ‘physical modelling’, ‘computational methods’ and ‘optimization and uncertainty quantification’.

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To whom do the ECMOR meetings typically appeal and is that audience changing?

Throughout its history, ECMOR has built on a fruitful connection between research and industry to advance modelling techniques to commercial and non-commercial solution packages.

Digitalization and a shift of business models serving the energy transition have a strong impact on research sponsorship programmes. As a result, universities, research institutes, as well as the energy

EAGE NEWS

of managed online events. However, what participants will remember is the personal life experience of a presentation, a discussion or just a small talk with a person at the coffee table. The ECMOR committee has acknowledged the need to be open to virtual contributions from participants who may not be able to travel and this will be reflected in the format.

The Hague will be location for ECMOR 2022.

industry, have shifted their priorities to include these topics.

While digitalization, data science and machine learning already had a strong impact on submission statistics and attracted participants with new competence areas, the energy transition will build on core expertise with new application areas, e.g., subsurface geologic modelling for investigating stability of large surface based structures like offshore wind parks, as well as CO2 and H2 storage, and geothermal reservoir modelling and simulation.

The ECMOR conference will therefore experience a shift in prioritized research areas, attracting an audience with a background in geoscience, engineering, mathematics and data science.

ECMOR has a European title but are the proceedings of global interest?

In 2020 ECMOR attracted participants from over 20 countries world-wide with the highest number of submissions from

countries with strong research activities in exploration and production: Brazil, Netherlands, Norway, France, Russia, UK and USA. Challenges on geo-energy reservoir modelling and production are of global interest. We are ambitious to attract new participants from outside of Europe. This includes university and research groups interested in connecting on an international level.

ECMOR’s format has been quite innovative in the past, can we expect any new features this year?

Physical meetings are critical for building up relationships and discussing topics beyond short statements in a virtual chat box. ECMOR has always reserved time for participants outside presentation rooms and used the local attractions to facilitate gatherings. The ability to talk face-to-face to an author during a poster session is as important as listening to a presentation. The first virtual ECMOR conference in 2020 has shown the value

What are you hoping participants will be able to take away from the conference?

ECMOR offers a framework for presenting and discussing advanced topics in modelling and simulation of geo-energy and subsurface reservoirs. We hope that participants will experience lively discussions, valuable feedback on presentations and active connections to others beyond the conference duration.

Are there any special arrangements regarding publication of the proceedings?

ECMOR and the Journal of Computational Geoscience have been cooperating in the past to publish a selection of papers in a special edition of the journal. This is also planned for ECMOR 2022. All paper contributions will be published on EAGE’s EarthDoc library.

Visit the event website for more details.

EAGE Student Calendar SEP

STUDENT E-SUMMIT: CAREERS IN TRANSITION – SETTING UP YOURSELF FOR A CAREER IN THE ENERGY TRANSITION

ONLINE

15 SEP

STUDENT WEBINAR: MANAGING A CAREER IN THE ENERGY TRANSITION, BY SEAN MCQUAID

ONLINE

29 SEP

STUDENT WEBINAR: CONFRONTING THE CHALLENGES OF REAPPRAISING LEGACY SEISMIC DATA, BY MICHAEL WESTGATE

ONLINE

18-21 OCT

82ND EAGE ANNUAL CONFERENCE & EXHIBITION (STUDENT ACTIVITIES)

AMSTERDAM, THE NETHERLANDS AND ONLINE

23-25 NOV

2ND GEOSCIENCE & ENGINEERING IN ENERGY TRANSITION CONFERENCE

STRASBOURG, FRANCE AND ONLINE

JAN 2022

MINUS CO2 CHALLENGE FINAL ROUND

ONLINE

FOR MORE INFORMATION AND REGISTRATION PLEASE CHECK THE STUDENT SECTION AT WWW.EAGE.ORG

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EAGE NEWS

These photos were our contest winners

‘Sometimes it takes a woman to find the real fault’

by Dharti Patel.

We can finally announce the results of the Best Photo of the Year you have all been waiting for! The first prize goes to Dharti Patel for her photo ‘Sometimes it Takes a Woman to Find the Real Fault!’ taken in Kutch, Gujarat, India. Second and third places went to Mehrangiz Naderi Khujin for her photo ‘Drawing of a complicated artwork’ from Bandar-e ‘Abbās, Iran and Giorgi Lomidze for his photo ‘Landslide’ from Svaneti, Georgia, respectively. The competition is sponsored by EAGE and the European Federation of Geologists (EFG).

Patel as the overall winner receives a three-credit education package valid for a period of 12 months that can be applied to

any available EAGE online courses of her choice. The second and third runners-up will be awarded a complimentary registration to join an online EAGE course of their choosing. EAGE online courses include Interactive Online Short Courses, Online EETs, Extensive Online Short Courses and Self-Paced Online Courses, all of which are hosted by authoritative instructors from industry and academia.

Completion of any course earns a certificate with CPD (Continuing Professional Development) points. These can be used to claim or maintain European Geologist (EurGeol) titles accredited by the EFG. It has been exciting run for this year’s EAGE/EFG Photo Contest under the theme ‘Legends of Geoscience’, encouraging members of EAGE and EFG affiliated national associations to capture extraordinary actions or aspects in all fields of geoscience. We received numerous submissions from 26 different countries, portraying a range of countries: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Czech Republic, Estonia, France, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greenland, Guinea, Hungary, India, Iran, Italy, Mexico, Netherlands, Norway, Pakistan, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Spain, Sweden, Turkey and USA. Plenty of pictures highlighted the work of young professionals and female geoscientists. Admitted entries went through voting in two rounds between March and July. The 12 most voted pictures from the first round were then presented for a second round of voting, from which the top three winners were selected.

The 12 finalists will be featured in the EAGE 2022 calendar, available at the EAGE stand at the Near Surface Geosci-

‘Landslide’ by Giorgi Lomidze.

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ence 2021 (Bordeaux, France), the Community Hub at the 82nd EAGE Conference & Exhibition (Amsterdam, Netherlands), and the GET2021 conference (Strasbourg, France). They are: Dharti Patel: ‘Sometimes it Takes a Woman to Find the Real Fault’ – Kutch, Gujarat, India; Mehrangiz Naderi Khujin: ‘Drawing of a complicated artwork’ – Bandar-e ‘Abbās, Iran; Giorgi Lomidze – ‘Landslide’ – Svaneti, Georgia; Denis Martin Schlatter: ‘Scree and soil sediment sampling in gold exploration in South Greenland in 2020’ – Paleoproterozoic Ketilidian Mobile Belt, Greenland; Amine Ourabah: ‘A seismic node under the north-

‘Drawing of a complicated artwork’

by Mehrangiz Naderi Khujin.

ern light’ – Alta, Norway; Denis Martin Schlatter: ‘Stream sediment sampling in South Greenland’ – Kap Farvel area, Greenland; Salvatore Lucente: ‘Sunset on sandstones’ – Lucanian Dolomites, near Castelmezzano, Basilicata, Italy; Marlene Tielmann: ‘Women Geoscientists recording data in the field’ – Göta River, Gothenburg, Sweden; Markus Aurelian Bäßler: ‘Setting free the survey drone’ – Lilla Edet, Sweden; Amine Ourabah: ‘Nodal seismic acquisition through a lavender field’ – Montélimar, France; Markus Aurelian Bäßler: ‘Geologists: veteran and journeyman’ – Uppsala, Sweden; Salman Khan: ‘Forest fruit’ – India.

Congratulations to all and thank you for sharing the beauty of geoscience with us. We look forward to another year of stunning pictures! If you have an idea for the next Photo Contest, let us know via communities@eage.org.

EAGE NEWS

Talk explains why GPR continues to fascinate The recently formed LC Germany continues to demonstrate the diverse nature of our field. It recently hosted a talk by Volker Gundelach about ground penetrating radar (GPR) and its wide range of application. Gundelach opted to present in German, with the talk titled ‘Georadar aus der Luft, am Boden und Untertage’ (‘Airborne, surface and subsurface GPR’).

Working for many years for the German Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources (BGR)], Gundelach has gathered a vast amount of experience from various projects located all over the world.

Whilst usual GPR surveys comprise data of an area down to a few metres below the surface, Gundelach showed results of a number of surveys in arctic and salt structure environments reaching down tens or even several hundreds of metres.

Among others Gundelach’s talk touched on the quality of airborne GPR application compared with surface GPR surveys. He showed examples of airborne surveys in order to determine the topography below

Volker Gundelach.

glaciers in the Alps and the Artic, as well as exploration in South America.

He followed this up with examples on how he used GPR for a study of soil compression quantification in Germany, and how to improve insight about the spread of underground coal fires in China. The talk closed with spectacular results from cavern exploration and subsurface surveys in the salt domes of Morsleben, Gorleben and Asse (Germany) in order to determine

their suitability for storing radioactive waste material. For the subsurface surveys, Gundelach showed results of very long-range reflection and cross-hole profiles in 2D and 3D and discussed the special nature of subsurface surveys in which relevant reflections can literally come from all directions.

The talk was followed by a great discussion. LC Germany hopes that this talk might spark some fruitful follow-up discussions and potential collaborations. For anyone who missed the talk, the video is already uploaded to EAGE’s YouTube channel: https:// www.youtube.com/watch?v=3sEcj4v1d0U.

Recording of the talk is available on EAGE's YouTube channel.

Workshop to discuss the latest on exploration and production of petroleum geochemistry The technical programme of the Third EAGE Geochemistry Workshop on 15-16 September 2021 being held online alongside the 30th International Meeting on Organic Geochemistry (IMOG) is complete. The presentations will discuss the latest developments and achievements in the field of petroleum geochemistry, also address E&P challenges for sulfur-containing basins and new analytical tools for characterization of petroleum sulfurcompounds.

The workshop is intended to be a forum for operators, contractors and

academics from the geoscience community to share developments, ideas, case studies, successes and lessons learned, in any and all aspects of petroleum geochemistry upstream and downstream, but also about environmental issues. We are bringing together experts from scientific fields related.

Attendees may register for IMOG 2021 to attend both events from 12 to 17 September, or only for the Third EAGE Geochemistry Workshop on 15 and 16 September. See event website for details.

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A sulphur-containing basin.

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EAGE NEWS

Submissions invited for Geophysical Prospecting special issue on machine learning in exploration and monitoring

Artificial Intelligence to monitor well drilling.

Geophysical Prospecting (GP) is inviting contributions on novel applications of machine learning in solving problems in the exploration for energy (e.g., hydrocarbon, geothermal) and mineral resources; and in monitoring of subsurface systems (e.g., induced seismicity, CO2 storage, urban near-surface, geohazard).

The findings should enrich our understanding of the impact and value added by machine learning tools on geophysical problems of interest, as well as the advantages and limitations of machine learning methods.

Artificial intelligence, and in particular its subdomain machine learning, has

revolutionized many science and engineering disciplines during the past decade.

In many domains such as image recognition, machine translation, and speech analysis, machine learning outperforms conventional techniques and has emerged as the method of choice. It is no surprise that recently geophysicists have also found great value in machine learning to automate workflows, extract valuable information from big data, and create new pathways in solving challenging computational problems. Despite this surge in interest, we are still in the early days of developing machine learning applications for subsurface resource exploration, and the geophysical community at large will benefit from a better understanding of the promise of machine learning in transforming industrial practices. In particular, it is of interest to understand what aspects of the exploration and monitoring workflows are most suitable for machine learning methods and also what aspects are not and why.

Applications of interest include but are not limited to: Seismic data acquisition and processing; Seismic imaging and inversion; Seismic interpretation; Non-seismic data processing, interpretation and inversion; Joint inversion of multiphysics data; Reservoir geomechanics; Reservoir characterization and well-log analysis; Microseismic monitoring; Geophysical workflow optimization; and Uncertainty quantification.

The submission deadline is 1 March 2022. All manuscripts will be peer-re-

viewed in accordance with the journal’s established policies and procedures. The final selection of papers will be based on the peer review process as well as reviews by guest editors and the chief editor. We intend to disseminate final decisions by August 2022 and publish selected articles shortly afterwards.

Manuscripts should be prepared according to the author guidelines detailed on the GP website and submitted using the online submission webpage: https://wiley. atyponrex.com/journal/GPR. It is very important to clearly indicate in a cover letter that the manuscript is submitted to this special issue and notify the lead guest editor, Dr. Umair bin Waheed (ubinwaheed@ gmail.com) through email with the subject line ‘GP special issue submission’ to avoid delays in processing the manuscript.

Please note that there are no publication fees, page limits, or charges for colour figures. Moreover, GP offers various options for open access publication.

For specific questions, please contact the special issue editors: Umair bin Waheed (King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, ubinwaheed@gmail.com); Haibin Di (Schlumberger, haibin.di@outlook. com); Doug Angus (ESG Solutions, doug. angus@esgsolutions.com); Jiajia Sun (University of Houston, jsun29@central. uh.edu).

For questions regarding the submission system and review process, contact the publications coordinator: Harsha Ravi (hravi@wiley.com).

The EAGE Student Fund supports student activities that help students bridge the gap between university and professional environments. This is only possible with the support from the EAGE community. If you want to support the next generation of geoscientists and engineers, go to donate.eagestudentfund.org or simply scan the QR code.

Many thanks for your donation in advance!

D O N AT E T O DAY !

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PERSONAL RECORD INTERVIEW

Maria Angela Capello

Personal Record Interview

Resilience in adversity is this knight’s mantra Maria Angela Capello, an Italian born and raised in Venezuela, has championed diversity and inclusion in her distinguished career in geoscience and engineering, notably during a long period as a top executive in Kuwait Oil Company. Her tireless advocacy, honoured by both SPE and SEG, has included lecture tours and two books. She has also been ‘knighted’ by the Italian government. Outside work her passion is performing Baroque piano music.

What have been the main challenges in your life?

I had a strict education, but a happy upbringing with no special challenges.

However, as an adult, I have experienced job losses, life-threatening illness and also ‘express kidnapping’ episodes with my daughters, husband and myself, overcome with resilience and faith. Also, in my career I have always been in the female or nationality minority. Gladly, I truly transformed my challenges into opportunities, and in retrospective, I believe they have made me who I am.

What aspect of geoscience do you particularly like?

The vision of the planet as a whole entity.

I am certain that the understanding and perspectives you gain as a geoscientist in this respect are unique. For me this was the motivation to create a Geophysical Sustainability Atlas, and now one for the geosciences.

What do you do as a senior partner at Red Tree Consulting?

My main objective is to advance sustainability in the energy sector.

How was working as a senior executive in the Middle East?

I learnt that power and leadership comes with huge responsibility. My embrace of multiculturalism helped to make me more flexible, curious, enthused and passionate about teamwork. Diversity does in fact add value to life and work. I saw this in action.

What has inspired you to volunteer so extensively?

The opportunity to lead step changes across countries and company borders to benefit our professions and professionals.

And with noble purpose, not commercial.

Volunteering expands my networks and knowledge in every single topic I have an interest in: diversity and inclusion, empowerment of women, leadership, reservoir management, and now sustainability. As the EAGE motto says, ‘Quaere et Invenies’, Seek and you shall find.

What are the main messages from your books and lectures?

Firstly, we are not born resilient, but we can build our resilience. Secondly, we do not have to attach our success to a company rank, country, or even discipline.

Success is for individuals to define and progress, and then to follow opportunities and ambition. Thirdly, let no one manage your career, it is up to us to apply our own leadership in managing ourselves to achieve our aspirations.

What is the key to your personal success?

Looking back (and forward) I think it is important to work in what you as a person are passionate about because each one of us is unique. So, in this context, I do not feel special, but I can say that I have always enjoyed wonderful support from my family in navigating hurdles and celebrating success.

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Would quotas speed up diversity in O&G employment?

After years of battling to solve diversity and inclusion issues, especially at leadership level, I am now convinced that quotas are needed to accelerate progress. If the systems in place were efficient, in 2021, we would not be talking about how to enhance inclusion, right?

And that Italian knighthood?

The citation of my awards reads ‘for her outstanding trajectory in the energy sector’.

The honour – Cavaliere, Order of the Star of Italy – was proposed by the Italian Embassy in Kuwait, for my accomplishments in the oil and gas sector of the country and also my role as president of the first Kuwait-Italian Business Council. The knighthood is awarded to Italians abroad who substantially raise the prestige of Italy.

Tell us about playing the piano and your favourite music?

My love story with the instrument started at seven years of age. I developed pianistic skills and played broadcasts at the Venezuelan national radio and TV stations, as well as at the concert hall of my alma mater, the Universdad Simon Bolivar and other venues. I am now passionate about the keyboard music of the Baroque period (approx. 1650-1750), so I play J.S. Bach, Domenico Scarlatti, Antonio Soler, G.F. Handel and others. Baroque derives from a Portuguese word meaning ‘misshapen pearl’, but the pieces are very beautiful and perfectly formed.

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Case Study

GeoStreamer X for Accurate and Efficient Lead Characterization South Viking Graben, Norway

GeoStreamer X is an integrated acquisition and imaging solution delivering high-definition seismic and precise rock properties, and revealing new near-field opportunities.

Read the case study: www.pgs.com/case-study/GeoStreamerX

Make sure you’re in the know

EAGE MONTHLY UPDATE Joi n u s!

Sixth EAGE Borehole Geophysics Workshop | 9-11 November 2021 • Dubai, United Arab Emirates & Online.

Committee renewals for the 2021-2023 term • Women in Geoscience & Engineering • Artificial Intelligence Applications for committee members open until 25 October 2021.

12‑17 September 2021 30 th International Meeting on Organic Geochemistry (IMOG) 14‑15 September 2021 Asia Energy Forum The Role of Geoscience Through the Energy Transition

27‑29 September 2021 Fourth EAGE Borehole Geology Workshop

OCTOBER 2021 DEADLINES

Apply via: communities@eage.org

IN - PERSON

COMMUNITY NEWS

MARK YOUR CALENDAR!

COURSES AT THE

2021 ANNUAL 17-18 October 2021 Machine Learning for Geoscientists with Hands-on Coding

by E.Z. Naeini 17-18 October 2021 Seismic Diffraction – Modeling, Imaging and Applications

by T.J. Moser

1 October 2021 Early Registration Deadline Third EAGE Eastern Mediterranean Workshop 9 October 2021 Early Registration Deadline Sixth EAGE Borehole Geophysics Workshop 13 October 2021 Call for Abstract Deadline Second EAGE Conference on Seismic Inversion

MINUS CO2 CHALLENGE 2021 IS ALL ABOUT CARBON SEQUESTRATION!

Get involved! eage.org/minus-co2

15 October 2021 Call for Abstract Deadline 2nd EAGE/SEG Workshop on Geophysical Aspects of Smart Cities

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Opportunity to take advantage It is a pity that someone couldn’t have come up with a better name In a 2019 GEO ExPro article (Vol 16, No 5) Fryklund for the trending term ‘advantaged oil’. It may make perfect sense explained that instead of the old style play-based, reservoir by to oil company decision-makers when prioritizing their future reservoir approach, the super basin idea is to view the basin exploration and production strategies. But it can all too easily as an ecosystem. ‘Thinking differently means thinking in 3D be interpreted by industry critics, of which there are many, as a rather than concentrating on individual single layers, because it is important to fully understand the volumetric richness of the template for maximizing profits while the going is good.

There may be some confusion over the use of this concept. multiple stacked plays that characterize a super basin like the For example, in a BP publication three years ago, James Permian. Importantly, these stacked plays can be both convenDupree, the company’s chief operating officer for development tional and unconventional, as is seen in many US super basins. In and technology, explained how oil still has a significant role addition, commerciality is in the driving seat in the super basin, to play in upstream strategy and how the integrated with the geoscience. This is giving portfolio focuses on ‘advantaged resources’. rise to the single basin specialist company, ‘Confusion over the He stated: ‘Overall, it’s about oil we can instead of the multi-basin broad portfolios use of this concept.’ which typified the “old” way of exploring.’ produce at a higher margin or at a lower cost and is therefore more resilient to whatever The emphasis on the commercial may seem insensitive these days as oil companies are increasingly price environment we face. From an investment perspective, an advantaged oil project means a short cycle time for develbeing cast as the villains in the climate change ‘causes and opment (from finding the resource to producing first oil) and solutions’ debate. In the losing public relations battle, they have yet to find a winning message on why producing oil for the a low development cost. Scale is important as well; we are usually talking about large-scale developments, and often in foreseeable future is acceptable and necessary whether hard core areas where we – or our partners – have existing infrastructure. environmental prohibitionists like it or not. Understandably when Typically, we look for light oil (with a low density, this flows the super majors have poked their heads above the parapet it has easier than heavier crudes) with a high deliverability. In other mainly been to emphasize their green credentials and how they words, wells that produce at a high rate.’ are investing heavily in alternatives to oil and gas.

There is nothing to argue about here. This is a logical In fact a redefinition of ‘advantaged oil’ is now underway and legitimate strategy for an oil company to pursue. Global and hands oil companies some plausible if unheeded PR in the sufficiency in oil overall no longer seems to be in question. The constant war being waged with public opinion. The term has predicted impact of renewables, battery power, climate change now morphed into explicitly referring to producing hydrocarbon mitigation measures, etc should means less oil consumption. fields with minimal greenhouse gas (GHG) and where measures Indeed IHS Markit Authors Fryklund and Stark of IHS Markit are taken to reduce the carbon/energy intensity of the operations. in AAPG Bulletin (104, 2020, pp. 2507-2519) and elsewhere In other words ‘advantaged oil’ is being rebranded with ESG have floated the idea of ‘super basins’ being the most productive (environmental, social and governance) credentials. target for oil companies. These are characterized as established In fact, low cost, large volumes, and minimal GHG emishydrocarbon provinces with large volumes where technological sions often go hand in hand, as discussed in a comprehensive innovation such as seismic, drilling, reservoir characterization research paper to be found on Elsevier’s Science Direct website and digitalization can work miracles in improving output.

by Andrew Davies and Michael D. Simmons of Halliburton

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CROSSTALK

Landmark ‘Demand for “advantaged” hydrocarbons during the The weight of the promise of lower-operating emissions in 21st century energy transition’. The paper explains the evolution a new oil development is being put to the test in the UK where operator Siccar Point Energy, a private equity company, has stirred of the new thinking on ‘advantaged oil’ and its significance.

The authors state that in any energy transition scenario there up controversy by signalling its intention to progress development will be a need for 943.3 Bbbl of oil and 4733.5 Tcf of gas in the of the Cambo field west of Shetland in water depths of 1100 m. It will deploy a floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) next three decades and estimate that 357.1–284.1 Bbbl of oil and ,274.6–2170.2 Tcf of gas will need to be found to complement vessel capable of producing 60,000 b/d and storing 650,000 barrels existing recoverable reserves. The authors have been nothing if of heavy crude. Production life of the field, currently one of the largest undeveloped prospects offshore UK, is said to be 25 years. not thorough in coming up with a consensus view. It is based The field was discovered in 2002 and has seen periodic appraisal on the analysis of numerous scenarios by some big hitters. They considered the differing conclusions of BP’s ‘Rapid Transition’ drilling. Siccar Point acquired the licences from OMV in 2017, and the following year Shell became a 30% partner in the project. The scenario, Equinor’s ‘Rebalance’, International Energy Agency’s company is currently applying for final approval from UK author‘Sustainable Development’, McKinsey’s ‘Accelerated Transition’, ities, having earlier put things on hold due to Covid-19 concerns.

Rystad Energy’s ‘Governmental Targets’, Shell’s ‘Sky’, Total’s Final approval is subject to a key environmental impact assessment.

‘Rupture’ and World Energy Council’s ‘Unfinished Sympathy’.

The timing of the Cambo development couldn’t possibly be Each of these studies attempts to forecast how demand for oil and worse. It has put on trial the sincerity of the British government’s gas will evolve in a period of transition. They are distinctive for commitment to meeting its pledges to reduce CO2 emissions just the different assumptions each one has to make about the likely weeks before the UK hosts the UN COP26 climate change summit volume of demand for global energy in the future and the changing in Glasgow. In addition, everyone is just digesting the most scary ratio of supply, e.g., oil, natural gas, coal, nuclear, hydro-electric, report yet from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change geothermal, solar, wind, etc. Inevitably they are just best guesses, on the hard to ignore consequences of climate but that is all we have to go on.

To meet this demand ‘will require the ‘Timing of the Cambo change. The episode also calls into question the North Sea Transition Deal announced in exploration and production of low carbon intensity “advantaged hydrocarbons”, development couldn’t March. This outlined how the UK’s offshore oil and gas sector and the government will combined with significant carbon sequespossibly be worse.’ work together during the transition to a net tration activity. As hydrocarbon recovery zero future. becomes more difficult and energy intensive with time, it may be Predictably environmental activists have seized on the parapreferable to replace some existing “disadvantaged” fields with doxes. An open letter from 77 organizations states ‘The governnew “advantaged” hydrocarbons, implying the supply gap may ment has succeeded in mobilizing the G7 behind the 1.5°C target, be underestimated.’ which we strongly support. However, approving the Cambo Field Factors determining ‘advantaged hydrocarbons’ include seiswill threaten this progress and stall our efforts at climate diplomacy mic data gathering, exploratory drilling, development drilling, at the exact moment we need them to accelerate.’ The leader of lifting, injection, fluid separation, and storage. Davies and the opposition Labour Party Sir Keith Starmer has also voiced Simmons say that the GHG emissions and carbon intensity of opposition. Politically more unfortunate still, the Cambo debacle any operation can be calculated by entering information into the has surfaced just as Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has freely available software ‘Oil Production Greenhouse Gas Emisbeen in the midst of courting the Green Party to secure a Scottish sions Estimator’ (OPGEE) (El-Houjeiri et al., 2013, El-Houjeiri Parliament majority for Scottish independence. This has compelled et al., 2017).

Sturgeon, who had been carefully sitting on the fence, to call for the ExxonMobil’s offshore Guyana discoveries are said to be UK government to reassess any go-ahead for the Cambo field. In good examples of ‘advantaged oil’. The Liza field find is doing so she faces a backlash on the potential loss of Scottish jobs. described as ‘low sulphur, light, sweet crude, with the reservoir In all this cacophony the industry’s voice as articulated formed of thick, highly porous and permeable sandstones deposby Deirdre Michie, CEO of Oil & Gas UK, has been largely ited within Late Cretaceous slope fans, trapped in large structures. drowned. Writing in the Scotsman newspaper, she has pointed out The reservoir has a relatively high pressure, extending the life of the government’s own Climate Change Committee concedes that the field before artificial lift is required’. Other examples cited the UK will still need oil and gas for decades to come. Importing are recent gas discoveries in the Eastern Mediterranean, biogenic from overseas will likely come from countries with higher gas fields in the Black Sea and, in more developed areas, small emissions and less commitment to act on them. In this context fields in proximity to the Central North Sea Eastern Trough Area projects like the Cambo field are ‘designed with lower-operating Project (ETAP) where relatively small additions can be integrated emissions in mind’. In other words ‘advantaged oil’. into an existing, GHG-efficient infrastructure.

Views expressed in Crosstalk are solely those of the author, who can be contacted at andrew@andrewmcbarnet.com.

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HIGHLIGHTS

INDUSTRY NEWS

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Geoex MCG shoots North Sea survey

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Magseis Fairfield wins OBN contract

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Shell plans CCS plant in Canada

Australian study claims that seismic surveys do not harm marine life

No impact on abundance, behaviour and movement of fish was found.

An Australian Institute of Marine Life study has found no evidence that seismic surveys impact marine sea life.

On July 19, the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS), with input from research scientists, fishing associations, fisheries research agencies, seismic technology experts, seismic contractors, and oil and gas representatives, published a paper, A large-scale field experiment finds no evidence that a seismic survey impacts demersal fish fauna in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

To accurately capture the impacts of realistic survey operations, AIMS conducted an eight-month long study within a 2500 km2 study area using BGP Explorer, a commercial survey vessel, as the seismic source. The study employed acoustic

telemetry to track the movements of red emperor fish within the survey area, as well as baited remote underwater video systems (BRUVS) to assess movements, feeding patterns, and abundance of the entire demersal fish community. A total of 135 species were detected during BRUVS surveys, 35 of which are commercially important.

This study is the first to utilize a dedicated seismic survey vessel to measure noise and vibration from the survey concurrently with potential impacts on fish.

The authors noted: ’Multiple lines of evidence from our study suggested that seismic surveys have little to no impact on the composition, abundance, behaviour, and movement of demersal fishes in the coastal shelf environment off northwest Australia.’

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Results from the BRUVS analyses indicated no changes in movements, feeding patterns, or abundance of the entire demersal fish community following exposure to the seismic survey.

Dr Alex Loureiro, IAGC’s director of marine environment and biology said: ‘This research fills a critical knowledge gap regarding the potential effects of seismic surveys on fish species, and should serve to mitigate and allay concerns of stakeholders regarding the use of seismic surveys.

‘Seismic surveys are a critical first step to energy development, used in applications ranging from oil and gas exploration to wind farm site selection.

However, there are conflicting views regarding the potential impacts of surveys on fishes and whether commercial catches may be affected. While numerous studies have been published, the methodologies are typically not representative of real-world seismic survey activities due to the time and expense necessary to complete such a study, and the results have been contradictory and often difficult to interpret.

‘The study adds to the scientific evidence proving that seismic surveys have no negative impacts on marine life populations, including fish, and have been safely conducted for more than 60 years around the world.’

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INDUSTRY NEWS

Rystad downgrades its global oil resources estimate to 1725 billion barrels The world’s remaining recoverable oil resources have been overestimated according to Rystad Energy’s 2021 energy review.

The analyst estimates total recoverable oil resources at 1725 billion barrels, a significant reduction of last year’s estimate of 1903 billion barrels. Out of this total, about 1300 billion barrels are sufficiently profitable to be produced before the year 2100 at a Brent real oil price of $50 per barrel.

‘In this scenario, global production of oil and natural gas liquids will fall below 50 million barrels per day by 2050.

Exploring, developing, processing and consuming this amount of commercially extractable oil will lead to gross greenhouse gas emissions of less than 450 gigatonnes of CO2 from now until 2100.

This is compliant with IPCC’s carbon budget for global warming limited to 1.8°C by 2100,’ said Rystad Energy’s head of analysis, Per Magnus Nysveen.

This year’s review of global recoverable oil resources is based on resources modelled at well level rather than field level. This more detailed approach has removed 178 billion barrels from the expected accounts.

The report also includes revisions for proved reserves. Here, Rystad Energy has applied a consistent set of conservative probabilities, as opposed to official reporting by authorities which is deemed less consistent. ‘We see significant differences among Opec members on the longevity of proved reserves, ranging from well below ten years for some members to almost 20 years for Saudi Arabia and the UAE,’ says Rystad.

In terms of absolute volumes removed from non-Opec producers, remaining recoverable resources in the US are now reduced to 214 billion barrels, losing 30 billion barrels from last year’s estimate.

China has suffered the second-largest loss with its remaining recoverable resources now limited to 50 billion barrels, a downwards revision of 26 billion barrels.

Mexico’s recoverable resources are third on the loss list, downgraded by 12 billion barrels to 26 billion barrels. Most of this year’s revisions are driven by lower upside potential from shale oil drilling due to complex geology and the need for extensive exploration campaigns and improved fracking technologies.

The remaining recoverable resources of Opec countries are reduced by 53 bil-

lion barrels to 741 billion barrels. Iran and Saudi Arabia have the largest revisions, losing 11 billion barrels each, with Saudi Arabian recoverable oil volumes now calculated at 288 billion barrels and Iranian volumes at 101 billion barrels. Iraq follows in third place, its recoverable resources having shrunk by 8 billion barrels to 110 billion barrels.

In this revision, Saudi Arabia remains the largest producer of recoverable oil resources (288 billion barrels). The US follows second (214 billion barrels), Russia third (149 billion barrels) and Canada fourth (138 billion barrels).

In Central and South America, Brazil remains first in recoverable resources, sitting on 83 billion barrels (down 2 billion barrels from last year). In Europe, with 19 billion barrels (down by 1 billion barrels in this update), Norway remains ahead of the UK, whose volumes have shrunk by 2 billion barrels to 10 billion. In Africa, resource leader Nigeria lost 6 billion barrels and its recoverable resources are now estimated at 20 billion barrels.

Unlike most countries in our analysis, Australia’s estimated recoverable oil resources are now estimated at 2 billion barrels higher at 23 billion barrels.

Geoex MCG completes 2D survey in the North Sea Geoex MCG has completed the Regional Deep Imaging 2021 (RDI21) cross border 2D seismic survey in the North Sea. The 8566 km seismic and grav/ mag data was acquired between May and July 2021. Processed data will be ready in Q2 2022. The RDI project consists of 16,300 km long seismic 2D profiles that image large-scale, deep-seated crustal structures. The data has longer offsets than existing data and cross borders (Norway, UK, Faroe Islands and Denmark).

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Meanwhile, Geoex MCG and Seismic Partner have announced that the final processed Quad 35 Hybrid MC3D data is ready.

The Quad 35 Hybrid MC3D survey is the world’s first combined MC3D Ultra High Density (UHD) streamer and node survey acquired simultaneously.

The survey covers several fields and discoveries in addition to a newly released acreage with a large undrilled upper Jurassic prospect available for Norway’s upcoming APA2021.

INDUSTRY NEWS

TGS, PGS and Western Geco prepare big multi-client survey offshore Malaysia

PGS vessel Ramform Sovereign.

TGS, PGS and WesternGeco have secured pre-funding for a 6400 km2 multi-client 3D survey commencing in October in the Sarawak Basin, offshore Malaysia.

The survey is the first phase of a multi-year contract awarded by Petronas in 2020 through competitive bidding to acquire and process up to 105,000 km2 of multi-client 3D data over a five-year period.

The first phase of the survey will be acquired by the PGS vessel Ramform Sovereign using multi-sensor GeoStream-

er technology and is expected to take approximately four months.

The survey area covers acreage included in the Malaysia Bid Round 2021 and fast-track results will be delivered in time for block evaluation. Future acquisition phases are subject to securing sufficient pre-funding.

Nathan Oliver, executive vice president, sales and services at PGS said: ‘We are very pleased to commence the first phase of multi-client acquisition in the Sarawak basin. By combining the Ramform vessel and our multi-sensor GeoStreamer technology, the energy industry will get access to high-quality seismic data to explore this prolific hydrocarbon basin.’

Will Ashby, executive vice-president, Eastern Hemisphere at TGS, said, ‘Through working closely with our clients and consortium partners, we were able to develop this important project which builds upon recent exploration success in the area. This project will support the upcoming bid round offshore Sarawak and will spearhead the next wave of exploration in this region.’

Distributed Acoustic Sensing:

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Sercel takes big order from BGP for new seabed node Sercel has announced the first big sale of its recently launched GPR300 seabed nodal solution to BGP. Inc. The sale includes 18,000 nodes that will be deployed in Q4 2021 on a large-scale, long-term, multi-vessel operation in the Middle East region.

Designed for seismic acquisition in shallow water environments down to 300 m, the new-generation GPR300 nodal solution was developed in partnership with BGP. Featuring the QuietSeis digital MEMS sensor, GPR300, Sercel said the system’s low-noise performance delivers high-fidelity, high-quality datasets for high-precision subsurface imaging.

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Gou Liang, BGP managing director, said: ‘We have chosen to partner with the best seismic equipment manufacturer to acquire this major survey in the Middle East. With Sercel’s QuietSeis MEMS sensor, we can be confident of providing our customer with the best cutting-edge seismic technology available for enhanced imaging resolution.’

Emmanuelle Dubu, Sercel CEO, said: ‘Sercel is the first and only supplier to offer the market an OBN solution with an integrated broadband digital sensor that delivers both ultra-quiet performance and true broadband data.’

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See more at: asn.com /activities /fiber sensing

INDUSTRY NEWS

TGS reports second quarter net loss of $12 million TGS made a second quarter net loss of $12 million on revenues of $72 million, compared with a net loss of $78 million on revenues of $66 million in the second quarter of 2020. The company made an operating loss of $14 million compared to an operating loss of $97 million in Q2 2021.

Net segment revenues amounted to $54 million in Q2 2021, compared to $96 million in Q2 2020.

Multi-client investments amounted to $33 million in Q2 2021, 58% down from $77 million invested in Q2 2020.

Prefunding levels dropped to $14 million compared with $38 million in 2020.

Late sales of $36 million were down from $55 million in Q2 2020.

Operating expenses of $20 million were down by 47% year on year.

Free-cash flow amounted to $18 million in Q2 2021. The cash balance was $223 million at 30 June 2021.

The net book value of the multi-client library was $579.8 million as of 30 June 2021, compared to $788.5 million as of 30 June 2020. TGS’ backlog amounted to $77.5 million at the end of Q2 2021, compared to $81.7 million at the end of Q1 2021 and $98 million at the end of Q2 2020.

‘The market conditions for multi-client seismic data continue to be very challenging, and there are no signs of substantial improvements in the near-term. However, based on dialogue with our largest customers, we remain confident that we will ultimately see a recovery of the market,’ said Kristian Johansen, CEO of TGS.

Magseis Fairfield wins North Sea OBN contract

Z700 ocean bottom node technology will be used on the two-month survey.

Magseis Fairfield has won an ocean bottom node survey in the North Sea for a multi-client company. The duration of the survey is approx. two months and will start in Q3 2021 using the Z700 technology.

The company has a right of first offer to provide OBN acquisition services to the multi-client company with respect to future surveys undertaken by them in 2022 that adjoin this 2021 survey.

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Meanwhile, Magseis Fairfield has negotiated with DNB an increase of its revolving credit facility (RCF) from $30 million to $45 million for six months. The company intends to utilize the extra credit for working capital purposes related to secured contracts. ‘Magseis Fairfield has been able to secure more customer project work than was apparent late last year,’ said Mark Ivin, CFO of Magseis Fairfield.

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CGG and PGS agree to collaborate on multi-client products for CCUS CGG and PGS have signed an agreement with a view to developing multi-client data aimed at the carbon capture utilization and storage (CCUS) industry. The ambition is to unlock the value of existing seismic data for carbon storage evaluation. The companies intend to explore, conceptualize and create new derivative data products using existing seismic data to facilitate screening and evaluation of carbon storage sites.

Dechun Lin, EVP, Multi-Client, CGG, said: ‘CGG is constantly seeking ways to leverage its vast Earth library, technology and expertize.

This MoU with PGS is consistent with our strategy to advance our data and geoscience offering to support the energy transition through accelerating the development and commercialization of CCUS, hydrogen and ammonia storage, and geothermal energy.

The initiative will benefit from the experience of both companies at delivering large-scale high-end seismic products. It will also capitalize on CGG’s 15 years of experience in CCUS projects and the expertize of our CCS & Energy Storage group, across storage evaluation, reservoir characterization, engineering, instrumentation and monitoring.’

Berit Osnes, executive vice-president, PGS New Energy, said: ‘Our comprehensive worldwide multi-client data library and geophysical competence will be valuable resources in addition to our acquisition services for optimal CCUS site derisking.

PGS looks forward to working closely with CGG to offer modern, high-quality data products to support the identification and classification of CO2 storage reservoirs.’

INDUSTRY NEWS

Carnarvon completes 3D survey offshore Western Australia Carnarvon Petroleum has completed the 2600 km2 Keraudren Extension 3D seismic survey in the Bedout Basin, offshore Western Australia.

The survey over the southern portion of WA-436-P and the northern portion of WA-438-P contains a large range of 50 prospects and leads, many with stacked targets, in a diverse range of plays and with direct access to the interpreted hydrocarbon source kitchens, said Carnarvon.

It added that the prospects and leads had previously been identified on 2D seismic data and are expected to be enhanced by the improved structural and stratigraphic images resulting from the 3D seismic technology.

Most of the identified plays are independent of the Dorado-style canyon-edge play, showing the depth of play quality in this already proven basin.

The 21,652 km2 Bedout Basin acreage now has more than two-thirds (68%) of its area covered with modern 3D seismic data.

Meanwhile, the joint venture operator, Santos, is expected to lead the drilling operations for the Pavo-1 and Apus-1

exploration wells by late 2021 or early 2022.

Both wells will be drilled in the southeastern play fairway, with the Apus and Pavo prospects having similar interpreted trap, source, seal and reservoir characteristics to Dorado.

area that has held a great deal of interest within Carnarvon for quite some time.

We are looking forward to then incorporating the processed data into our already extensive database of the Bedout Basin and beginning to identify new targets for future drill programmes in this area.

Keraudren 3D seismic data at the top Caley interval from Roc to Dorado to Apus.

(Courtesy of Carnarvon Petroleum).

Carnarvon managing director and CEO, Adrian Cook, said: ‘The Keraudren Extension 3D seismic survey covers an

Our work in the Bedout Basin continues towards reaching a final investment decision in mid-2022’.

Energy transition briefs Eni has signed an agreement with the Egyptian Electricity Holding Company (EEHC) and the Egyptian Natural Gas Holding Company (EGAS) to assess the feasibility of hydrogen production projects in the country. The parties will conduct a study into joint projects to produce green hydrogen, using electricity generated from renewables, and blue hydrogen, through the storage of CO2 in depleted natural gas fields.

SSE Thermal and Equinor are developing plans for the world’s largest hydrogen storage facility at their Aldbrough gas storage site on the East Yorkshire coast in the UK. The facility, consisting of nine vast underground salt caverns, could be storing low-carbon hydrogen as early as 2028. Expected capacity would be at least 320GWh.

ScottishPower and Shell are bidding to develop the world’s first large-scale floating offshore windfarm in north-east of Scotland in a submission for the Crown Estate Scotland’s ScotWind Leasing programme.

Equinor, RES and Green Giraffe have formed Océole to develop floating offshore wind in France. Océole will evaluate and work towards submitting bids in the country’s upcoming floating offshore wind tenders. Equinor is also bidding for floating offshore wind in ScotWind Leasing.

8 Energy, CVA Group and Avenia have founded the Earth2 initiative to identify hydrogen projects and promote the subsurface contribution to the hydrogen revolution to regional, national and European decision-makers. This includes FIRST

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the natural hydrogen exploration and production path, underground storage, water resources and metal supply.

BP has reached supply agreements with new customers for its proposed clean blue hydrogen production facility in Teesside in north-east ‎England.

The company has signed deals with CF Fertilisers, Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation, Sembcorp Energy UK and alfanar company.

Energy consultancy Xodus has won an engineering design contract for Petronas’ first complete carbon capture and storage (CCS) project, offshore Malaysia.

The Kasawari CCS project, off the coast of Sarawak, will comprise the capture and processing of carbon dioxide from the sour gas field development.

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INDUSTRY NEWS

Shell plans CCS plant in Canada

Inside the Scotford Complex, near Edmonton.

Shell is proposing to build a large-scale carbon capture and storage (CCS) project

at its Scotford Complex near Edmonton, Canada.

The Polaris CCS project will capture carbon dioxide from the Shell-owned Scotford refinery and chemicals plant.

The initial phase is expected to start operations around the middle of the decade, subject to a final investment decision in 2023. Polaris would have storage capacity of about 300 million tonnes of CO2.

The initial phase of the Polaris CCS project would capture and store approx.

750,000 tonnes a year of CO2 from the Scotford refinery and chemicals plant. It would reduce Shell’s direct and indirect emissions (scopes 1 and 2) by up to 40% from the refinery and by up to 30% from the chemicals plant.

The second phase of the Polaris CCS project involves the creation of a CO2 storage hub in Alberta, further decarbonizing Shell’s facilities and storing emissions on behalf of third-party industry sources. Fully built, Polaris could

serve as a CO2 storage hub for more than 10 million tonnes of CO2 each year.

Once fully built, Polaris would contribute to the Edmonton region becoming Canada’s first hydrogen hub. In the initial phase of Polaris, CO2 captured from the refinery’s hydrogen plants would produce blue hydrogen for use in the refining process, with the potential for large-scale blue hydrogen production in future phases. Shell is also exploring the development of additional volumes of blue and green hydrogen at Scotford that ‘leverage Alberta’s abundance of natural gas and availability of renewable sources of power’.

CCS and renewable power will allow Scotford to process new feedstocks such as bio-oils or waste oils to significantly reduce the CO2 emitted in the production of the fuels.

The Polaris CCS project follows the success of the Quest CCS facility at Scotford, which has captured and safely stored more than six million tonnes of CO2 in six years of operation.

PGS reports second quarter net loss of $26 million PGS has reported a second quarter net loss of $26 million on revenues of $186 million compared to a net loss of $111 million on revenues of $90 million in the second quarter of 2020. The company’s operating loss was $7 million compared with a loss of $82 million in Q2 2020.

Segment revenues for Q2 2021 were $152 million, compared to $138.7 million in Q2 2020.

Contract revenues ended at approx. $51 million ($31.3 million in Q2 2020).

Segment multi-client prefunding revenues of $29 million with corresponding prefunding level of 111% compared to $66 million 102% in Q2 2020. Multi-client late revenues were $66 million ($35.5 million in Q2 2020).

Rune Olav Pederson, PGS president and chief executive officer, said: ‘We are well positioned to take advantage of a recovering market, which is trending towards more exploration in proven hydrocarbon basins and energy compa28

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nies optimizing production from existing fields.

‘The increase of our multi-client revenues was driven by sales in mature areas offshore Norway and the UK, where we have industry-leading coverage with our GeoStreamer data. New multi-client acquisition activity was modest in the quarter and focused on proven basins with strong client interest, securing a pre-funding level of 111% of capitalized cash investment.

‘We experienced an increase in demand for new acquisition surveys. Most of the contract work in Q2 was for 4D projects. While we see continued price recovery, revenues were negatively impacted by challenging weather conditions during mobilization for several surveys.

‘Our order book was $255 million at quarter-end, an increase of 65%, compared to Q2 last year. We are close to fully booked for Q3, we have good visibility for Q4 and encouraging indications of a positive start to 2022. Leads for new contract

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work are increasing and we expect this to materialize into healthy bidding activity in the second half of the year. The first bids for 2022 North Sea work are already in the market.

‘With a recovering seismic market, the current booked position, and a healthy multi-client sales leads basket, we are increasingly confident that 2021 segment revenues will be higher than last year.’

PGS expects full year 2021 gross cash costs to be approximately $425 million, an increase from approximately $400 million guided when entering the year due to increased activity level and higher fuel prices. The estimate is based on five 3D vessels in operation through 2021 and Ramform Vanguard in operation from Q2 and through most of Q4.

Full year multi-client cash investments are expected to be approximately $150 million.

Capital expenditures for 2021 are expected to be approximately $40 million.

INDUSTRY NEWS

Oil and gas round-up ExxonMobil has discovered oil at Whiptail in the Stabroek Block offshore Guyana. The Whiptail-1 well encountered 75 m of net pay in high-quality oil-bearing sandstone reservoirs. Drilling is continuing at the Whiptail-2 well, which has encountered 51 m of net pay in high-quality oil-bearing sandstone reservoirs.

The Whiptail discovery is 4 miles southeast of the Uaru-1 discovery that was announced in January 2020 and 3 miles west of the Yellowtail field. Whiptail-1 is being drilled in 1795 m of water.

Whiptail-2, which is 3 miles northeast of Whiptail-1, is currently being drilled in 1895 m of water.

Aker BP has discovered gas in the Barents Sea after drilling in licence PL 858. The well was drilled about 160 km south of the 7435/12-1 (Korpfjell) gas discovery in the eastern part of the Barents Sea and 290 km northeast of Vardø. The well encountered a gas column totalling 57 metres in the Ørn Formation, of which 26 m is in carbonate rocks (dolomite) with

poor to moderate reservoir quality. The well encountered traces of gas in several thin sandstone layers of variable reservoir quality in the Snadd, Kobbe and Havert Formation from the Triassic. Preliminary estimates place the size of the discovery between 1.6 and 2.1 million standard cubic metres (Sm3) of recoverable oil equivalent.

Operator Royal Dutch Shell (60%) and Chevron (40%) have announced the final investment decision for Whale, a deep-water development in the US Gulf of Mexico. The project is expected to reach peak production of approx. 100,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day (boe/d) and currently has an estimated, recoverable resource volume of 490 million boe.

Whale will be Shell’s 12th deep-water host in the Gulf of Mexico and is currently scheduled to begin production in 2024.

The Norwegian Petroleum Directorate has granted a drilling permit to DNO Norge for wildcat well 2/5-15 in production licence PL 006 C. DNO Norge is the

operator (85%) in partnership with Aker BP (15%).

The licence consists of parts of Block 2/5. The well will be drilled about 15 km northeast of the Ekofisk field.

BHP (60%) and Pemex (40%) have approved a $544 million investment into its Shenzi North oil project in the US Gulf of Mexico.

Shenzi North is the first development phase of Greater Wildling, after exploration success in 2017, with the resource and development plan further refined through Ocean Bottom Node seismic data and analysis. The project will take advantage of the nearby Shenzi production facility.

It will establish a drill centre north of Shenzi with the capacity to produce up to 30-million barrels a day of oil equivalent.

Production is expected to begin in 2024.

Meanwhile, BHP has also approved a $258 million investment in the Trion oil project in Mexico with the hope of progressing to a final investment decision from mid-calendar year 2022.

CGG reports second quarter loss of $51 million CGG has reported a second quarter net loss of $51 million on revenues of $172 million compared with a net loss of $147 million on revenues of $239 million in the second quarter of 2020. The company’s operating loss was $1 million compared with $32 million in Q2 2020.

Geology, Geophysics and Reservoir revenue of $110 million was down on $144 million in the second quarter of 2020, but achieved an operating profit of $15 million. Geoscience revenue of $73 million was down 12% year on year but CGG gave an upbeat assessment: ‘Geoscience continued its progressive recovery in Q2. In H1 2021, order intake more than doubled year on year and we are anticipating significant awards in major basins of Gulf of Mexico, Brazil and Guyana,’ said CGG.

Multi-client revenue, within GGR, was $37 million, down from $62 million in Q2 2020. Prefunding of $17 million was down from £46 million in Q2 2020.

However, aftersales of $20 million were up from $15 million in Q2 2020. ‘In Q2 we had two vessels working on multi-client programmes as we have commenced work on a five-month 3D multi-client programme in the Norwegian North Sea in addition to our project in Brazil,’ said CGG. Equipment revenue of $48 million was down from $58 million in the second quarter of 2020. The segment made an operating loss of $16 million compared to an operating loss of $7 million in Q2 2020.

Sophie Zurquiyah, CGG CEO, said: ‘During the first half of the year, the

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Sophie Zurquiyah, CGG CEO.

oil price environment has become more favourable. However, this has not translated yet into increase in geoscience-related spending by our customers. Considering the lack of investments by E&P companies, the need to increase spending, to better understand the subsurface and develop new opportunities, has continued to grow. Among our three businesses, multi-client has been the most affected by the spending delays. Looking forward, following the soft first half of the year, activity is expected to strengthen in the second half of 2021 and onwards.’

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INDUSTRY NEWS

PGS launches energy transition business unit

PGS GeoStreamer data is particularly suited to shifting depth focus from hydrocarbon reservoirs to shallower saline aquifers and near-surface conditions.

PGS has established a new energy business unit aimed at leveraging the company’s geophysical capabilities to support the energy transition.

Headed by executive vice-president Berit Osnes, the unit will develop new imaging solutions and utilize PGS’ worldwide data library. Where the existing coverage is insufficient, PGS said it will offer data acquisition solutions.

‘PGS has planned and managed complex projects in a variety of offshore settings, and we are ready to help the industry identify solutions for tapping into new energy resources. We believe our collaboration, innovation and risk management skills are highly applicable to new energy projects and PGS is ready to take a hands-on role in the development process beyond data delivery,’ said Osnes.

In the carbon capture, use and storage (CCUS) sector consortiums need to identify geological storage in the form of depleted oil and gas fields and saline aquifers. However, reliable geophysical data is fundamental in the selection of specific sites for CO2 storage, and may not be readily available as saline aquifers are underexplored and lack well-data, said PGS. The company said its GeoStreamer data is well-suited to reliably determining subsurface properties, even in the absence of well-data. These data 30

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– combined with PGS’ expertise in characterizing the subsurface – can be used to minimize uncertainty and failure risk when selecting CO2 storage sites.

Using GeoStreamer data, quantitative measures of reservoir quality can be determined to provide robust estimates of geological constraints and control on containment and injectivity. Similarly, a reliable characterization of the relatively shallow overburden is required to ensure the distribution of geological faults in each area is well understood and does not present an undue containment risk.

Meanwhile, seismic data can provide subsurface information to facilitate the selection and planning of offshore wind installations. One of the challenges for offshore wind is the growing geographical size of windfarm licences, many of which will be close to (or are larger than) 1000 km2.

At this scale, detailed seabed and shallow subsurface modelling will be required over areas comparable to those found in hydrocarbon exploration. ‘Today, even the highest resolution windfarm site surveys typically use 2D profiles, limiting severely the reliability of subsurface information to plan and profile the location. Offshore wind energy projects will benefit greatly from similar efficiency gains, using proven broadband seismic data such as PGS’ GeoStreamer,’ said PGS.

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Because of the need to harvest seabed metals for improved battery technologies, the energy sector’s overall appetite for critical minerals could grow six-fold by 2040, according to the IEA World Energy Report. PGS is participating in an industry consortium in Norway, led by the research organization SINTEF, that hopes to define best practices to characterize, quantify, and understand uncertainty for seabed mineral resource exploration. Seismic acquisition tests may include data to establish an environmental baseline.

The company is also looking to get involved in offshore geothermal feasibility projects, such as UK government schemes to evaluate power generation from hot water produced by mature North Sea oilfields.

‘By providing high-quality geophysical data to effectively deal with subsurface risks, PGS will enable customers to execute on energy transition goals safely and efficiently,’ said Osnes. ‘Seismic data will be a fundamental requirement in many of these areas and our aim is to create the solutions of the future, in collaboration with partners. Our extensive data library and expertise in big-data processing and imaging offer value for new applications. For some projects, new measurements and new sensors may be required. For others, we may need to develop radically new offshore solutions from scratch.’

INDUSTRY NEWS

ION expects Q2 revenues of $20 million ION Geophysical Corporation is expecting second quarter 2021 revenues of $20 million, an improvement of approximately 40% sequentially or a decrease of 13% from the prior period. At quarter end, the company’s total liquidity of approximately $33 million consisted of $27 million of cash (including net revolver borrowings of $20 million) and approximately $6 million of remaining available borrowing capacity under the revolving credit facility. Backlog is estimated to be $14 million as the company’s Mid North Sea High 3D multi-client programme in the North Sea proceeded ahead of schedule this quarter.

Fugro wins geotechnical contract for offshore wind farm in Vietnam

‘Second quarter revenues improved sequentially, consistent with our expectations of momentum building throughout the year,’ said Chris Usher, ION’s president and chief executive officer. ‘Our new 3D programme in the North Sea is progressing well with solid industry support. We continue to advance our diversification into ports and offshore logistics with a positive roll-out in CalMac’s series of UK ports and a new Africa maritime digitalization strategy.

Encouragingly, even in this uncertain environment, we are seeing some signs of market recovery – oil prices are up nearly 50% this year and early movers are starting to strategically purchase data again.’

TGS shoots OBN survey in Norwegian North Sea TGS has announced an ocean bottom node (OBN) seismic survey on the Norwegian Continental Shelf (NCS).

The 437 km2 survey will be acquired in the NOAKA area, between Oseberg and Alvheim in the Norwegian North Sea, containing both held and open acreage.

Kristian Johansen, TGS CEO.

This region includes the NOAKA fields, one of the largest developments on the NCS, with recoverable reserves of more than 500 million barrels of oil equivalent.

TGS said it will apply the learnings of its Utsira OBN project in the North Sea (the first large-scale, densely

Wind turbines offshore Vietnam.

A consortium of Vietsovpetro, PTSC G&S and Fugro has won a geotechnical contract from La Gan Wind for large-scale wind farms offshore Vietnam with a potential capacity of 3.5 GW. Fugro will provide offshore geotechnical services utilizing its regional geotechnical vessel, and deliver advanced onshore soils laboratory testing and engineering studies. The initial scope of work will focus on geotechnical boreholes to expand understanding of the La Gan site’s geological features and to build up the geological ground models.

Jerry Paisley, Fugro’s director for marine site characterization in Asia-Pacific, said: ‘CIP and Fugro have worked closely on similar offshore wind projects in the region, especially in Taiwan, and this award to Fugro shows that our Triple A approach of Geo-data acquisition, analysis and advice is clearly recognised by CIP.’ The first phase of the La Gan wind farm is expected to be completed by 2026.

sampled OBN survey for exploration), which the company is reprocessing, including the extraction and use of ultralong offset signal for FWI-based model building.

As with Utsira, the NOAKA survey will utilize full azimuth and ultra-long offsets to understand and illuminate the complex geology in the region. In addition, it will make use of multi-component processing leading to stable low frequencies, high signal-to-noise ratios, reliable AVO and the ability to distinguish between structure and attribute anomalies.

Kristian Johansen, CEO of TGS, said: ‘TGS remains committed to further advancing its position as a leading provider of OBN technology to the energy industry. We continue to focus on areas, such as US GoM and the North Sea, where the enhanced insight from this method can generate economically attractive new exploration opportunities for our clients.’

Acquisition is expected to commence in Q3 2021 with final processing deliverables expected in Q3 2022.

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INDUSTRY NEWS

Fugro redesigns ALB system for vessels Fugro RAMMS, the world’s smallest and lightest ‘deepwater’ airborne lidar bathymetry (ALB) system, can now be deployed from vessels using a Schiebel CAMCOPTER S-100 uncrewed aerial system (UAS).

The specialised UAS incorporates vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) technology, making it an ideal nearshore and coastal mapping solution in areas that lack aviation infrastructure.

RAMMS co-developer Areté Associates undertook a recent demonstration project for the US Navy in Florida. During the test Fugro acquired vessel-based bathymetry over the test site for validation of the field trial data.

In addition to extended geographic reach, Fugro said the RAMMS/CAMCOPTER S-100 solution provides sustainability gains. With low fuel consumption, high in-air endurance and rapid rate of data

collection, Fugro claimed that the new approach reduces carbon emissions by 98% compared to existing ALB systems.

Other benefits include reduced operational risk by eliminating the need for flight crew, and improved feature detection with no limits on data resolution given the system’s ability to hover over areas of interest. The RAMMS/CAMCOPTER S-100 solution is also well suited to mapping waters in high-relief areas, such as canyons and fjords, where crewed, fixed-wing operations can be both difficult and dangerous.

‘The ability to safely and efficiently map remote areas of the world is critical to managing the impacts of climate change and sea level rise,’ said Mark MacDonald, hydrography director for Fugro in the Americas. ‘We’ve had a lot of success using RAMMS to address nearshore and coastal mapping needs in places that can support

Shell appeals against carbon emissions ruling in Dutch court Royal Dutch Shell has confirmed that it will appeal against a ruling issued by the District Court in The Hague, in May 2021, that Shell must reduce its global net carbon emissions 45% by 2030 compared to 2019 levels.

Shell, which is aiming to become a net-zero emissions energy business by 2050, said that it had already set its own short- and medium-term targets for cutting carbon emissions.

‘We agree urgent action is needed and we will accelerate our transition to net zero,’ said Royal Dutch Shell chief executive, Ben van Beurden. ‘But we will appeal because a court judgment, against a single company, is not effective. What is needed is clear, ambitious policies that will drive fundamental change across the whole energy system. Climate change is a challenge that requires both urgent action and an approach that is global, collaborative and encourages coordination between all parties.’

Shell published details of its Powering Progress strategy in April 2021, which set 32

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out plans to reduce net carbon intensity 20% by 2030 and 45% by 2035 on the way to becoming net zero by 2050. The court did not consider this because the hearings that led to the ruling took place several months earlier.

In May 2021, Shell became the first energy company to put its energy transition strategy to a vote of shareholders at its annual general meeting. It secured 89% support. Shell said it will continue to give investors an annual vote on its progress in delivering on its strategy.

Shell has set out its intention to reduce both the emissions from its own operations, referred to as Scopes 1 and 2. It is also working with its customers on reducing Scope 3 emissions, produced when customers use the energy products it sells. Scope 3 emissions account for more than 90% of Shell’s emissions.

Shell has set out actions to reduce Scope 1 and 2 emissions through a combination of energy efficiency improvements, elimination of routine flaring and, carbon capture and storage.

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traditional airborne operations and we now have a truly global solution that can access more remote and challenging locations with a high degree of accuracy and in a safe and environmentally friendly manner.’

Schiebel’s CAMCOPTER S-100 Unmanned Air System (UAS).

PGS sells its CSEM system to OFG PGS has completed the sale of its towed-streamer Controlled Source Electro Magnetic (CSEM) data acquisition system to Ocean Floor Geophysics. The deal includes hardware, software and intellectual property.

‘We receive shares in OFG and open up for a closer collaboration,’ said Berit Osnes, EVP New Energy of PGS. ‘OFG’s expertize in multiphysics (the combination of different geophysical measurements) is unparalleled and particularly important in the emerging markets for our new energy business.

Together, we cover the space from large-scale towed-CSEM and seismic surveys to a full range of AUV-based geophysical measurements at ultrahigh resolution.’

Matthew Kowalczyk, CEO of OFG, said: ‘OFG has been working with PGS for a year to further develop the market for marine CSEM technology. We have been encouraged by the interest in the system.’

INDUSTRY NEWS

US advances wind energy plans offshore California, North Carolina and Virginia The development of federal and state wind energy in the US is continuing apace with several announcements.

First, the US Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Energy Management (BOEM) has published a call for information to determine industry interest in offshore wind energy development for two new areas within a 399-square-mile area located off central California, identified as the Morro Bay Call Area East and West Extensions. The new areas are adjacent to the Morro Bay Call Area, originally identified by BOEM in 2018.

BOEM has also formally designated the 206 mile2 Humboldt Wind Energy Area (WEA) offshore northern California and is now proceeding with an environmental review of this area. The EA will consider potential environmental consequences of site characterization activities (e.g., survey activities and core samples) and site assessment activities (e.g., installation of meteorological buoys) associated with issuing wind energy leases in the WEA. Meanwhile, the BOEM will conduct an environmental review of the first proposed wind energy project offshore North Carolina.

BRIEFS CGG has entered into an agreement with Topicus and Vela Software for the sale of CGG’s GeoSoftware business. Topicus will own 60% and Vela will own 40% of the business. Sophie Zurquiyah, CEO, CGG, said: ‘GeoSoftware has a leading position in its market niche. We expect that together they will further invest and develop the GeoSoftware product suite’.

BOEM will review a construction and operations Plan submitted by Kitty Hawk Wind LLC for a commercial-scale, offshore wind energy project consisting of up to 69 total wind turbine generators, one offshore substation, inter-array cables, and up to two transmission cables that will make landfall in Virginia Beach.

Finally, the Commonwealth of Virginia has enacted the Virginia Clean Economy Act in 2020, which sets a target of producing its electricity from 100% renewable sources by 2045, with 5.2 GW of offshore wind energy by 2034.

The Commonwealth of Virginia, State of North Carolina, and State of Maryland have established the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic Regional Transformative Partnership for Offshore Wind Energy Resources (SMART-POWER) to ‘promote, develop, and expand offshore wind energy generation and the accompanying industry supply chain and workforce’ in the region. Development of the Kitty Hawk Wind Project could help SMART-POWER build the region’s supply of clean, renewable energy.

The Norwegian Petroleum Directorate is gradually reopening Geobank, which is available for viewing core samples and extracting samples for studies. The facility has been closed since 4 January due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The NPD stores core samples and cuttings from exploration and production wells on the Norwegian shelf, as well as oil and reference samples for geochemical standards.

Geodevice has expanded from its European base and opened an office in Calgary in order to serve the increasing demand for geophysical equipment and software in Canada, the US and Central and South America. The Canada office will also serve as the development centre for Tesseral Engineering – the software for near-surface seismic data modelling.

Saudi Aramco has confirmed that company files were leaked after hackers reportedly demanded a $50 million ransom.

Earlier press reports had suggested that 1 terabyte of Saudi Arabian Oil Co. data had been held by an extortionist. The stateowned driller was offered the chance to have the data deleted in return for $50 million in cryptocurrency, the AP said.

BP teams up with UK consultancy on offshore wind BP has signed an agreement with Quaybridge, a UK-based renewables consultancy, to collaborate on advancing BP’s global offshore wind portfolio as part of its zero-carbon growth strategy, and accelerate the building of inhouse offshore wind knowledge for BP. Quaybridge has already worked with BP and EnBW and won ‘preferred bidder’ status for the Mona and Morgan Irish Sea leases in the recent UK leasing Round 4.

Last year, BP formed a partnership with Equinor to develop offshore wind projects in the US, including acquiring a 50% stake in projects with a planned

4.4GW gross generating capacity. With partner EnBW, it was named preferred bidder for two Irish sea leases in UK Round 4, with a total gross generating capacity of 3GW. BP is currently bidding with partners to develop offshore wind off the coasts of Scotland and Norway.

By 2030 BP aims to have developed around 50GW of net renewable generating capacity, up from 3.3GW in 2020. The strategy also includes plans to increase BP’s annual low carbon investment 10-fold, to around $5 billion a year, and also reducing oil and gas production by around 40% from 2019 to 2030.

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BGP has completed a 3D seismic data acquisition for Oil & Gas Development Company Limited (OGDCL) in Pakistan within 8 months, 27 days ahead of schedule. The project comprised 600 km2 while both dynamite and vibroseis sources were used. The project concession area was challenging because of its complexity and varying terrain, e.g. desert, cultivation, swamp, salty lakes as well as a big junction of the Nara canal along with tributaries.

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INDUSTRY NEWS

Oil majors results round-up Equinor has reported adjusted earnings of $4.64 billion and $1.58 billion after tax in the second quarter of 2021. IFRS net operating income was $5.3 billion and the IFRS net income was $1.94 billion.

BP has reported a second quarter profit of $3.1 billion, compared with $4.7 billion for the first quarter of 2021.

Shell has reported second quarter adjusted earnings of $5.5 billion.

ExxonMobil has announced second-quarter 2021 earnings of $4.7 billion compared with a loss of $1.1 billion in the second quarter of 2020.

Chevron has reported a second quarter profit of $3.1 billion compared with a loss of $8.3 million in the second quarter of 2020.

Saudi Aramco has announced a 288% year on year increase in Q2 net income to $25.5 billion. The company’s net income

for the first half of the year was $47.2 billion, representing a 103% increase over the same period in 2020.

ConocoPhillips has reported second-quarter 2021 earnings of $2.1 billion, compared with second-quarter 2020 earnings of $0.3 billion. Excluding special items, second-quarter 2021 adjusted earnings were $1.7 billion, compared with a second-quarter 2020 adjusted loss of $1 billion.

PGS releases data offshore Brazil, Namibia and Angola Fast-track PSDM products are now available from the PGS’ Campos deepwater GeoStreamer X MultiClient 3D survey over Blocks C-M-350, C-M-417, and C-M-485 offshore Brazil.

PGS said the new data are the first 3D seismic products delivered over this area, allowing Brazil’s 17th Round participants to evaluate this acreage prior to the bid round, scheduled for October 2021.

Fast-track anisotropic (TTI) PSDM products are now available and include Kirchhoff and RTM stacks and gathers.

In addition, final processed gravity and magnetic products are also available over the larger Campos Deepwater GSX programme.

PGS’ Campos Deepwater GeoStreamer MC3D project was acquired in

2020 and 2021 with 10km-long offsets to improve depth velocity modelling accuracy of the postsalt, salt, and presalt sections.

Meanwhile, Final PSTM and PSDM products are now available from PGS’ latest multi-client 3D surveys in the Namibe Basin offshore Angola and Namibia.

New 3D GeoStreamer data brings fresh understanding for exploration in deepwater Blocks 29, 30, 44, and 45 in Angola, and Blocks 1710, 1711, 1810, and 1811A in Namibia.

PGS’ ANG Namibe 2020 3D Geostreamer dataset targets more than 14,000 km2, adjacent to the ANG Namibe 2014 3D survey. The NAM 2019 3D GeoStreamer survey covers more than 8900 km2 of exploration

acreage in the Namibian sector of the basin.

PGS now offers continuous coverage of the southern Namibe basin, with final products comprising more than 34,000 km2 of broadband seismic data, tying into important exploration and ODP wells.

Regional 3D GeoStreamer data, incorporating FWI velocity model building, will help to establish target plays and traps in the southern Namibe Basin through better imaging of structure and basin fill, said PGS. Basin-wide broadband coverage enables the mapping of Cretaceous through to Tertiary play elements in a basin framework, facilitating the identification of sweet spots and derisking further exploration, it added.

ExxonMobil joins big UK carbon capture project ExxonMobil has signed a memorandum of understanding to participate in the recently announced Acorn carbon capture and storage project (CCS) in Scotland, UK. The project plans to capture and store approx. 5-6 million tonnes of CO2 a year by 2030 from gas terminals at the St Fergus complex at Peterhead, Scotland, which includes ExxonMobil’s joint venture gas terminal.

The Acorn Project has the potential to provide more than half of the 34

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10 million tonnes a year of CO2 storage the UK government is targeting, and when expanded has the potential to store more than 20 million tonnes of CO2 emissions per year by the mid2030s ExxonMobil has also joined NECCUS, an aliance of industry, government and academic experts committed to developing the technology to reduce carbon emissions from industrial facilities in Scotland.

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‘Our membership in NECCUS and our involvement with Acorn underscores our commitment to addressing the dual challenge of meeting the world’s energy needs while reducing emissions from our operations,’ Exxon Mobil said.

Carbon Clean has been selected to provide the front-end engineering services for the Acorn carbon capture project.

The International Energy Agency projects CCS could mitigate up to 15% of global emissions by 2040.

Special Topic

RESERVOIR GEOSCIENCE AND ENGINEERING The need to get the most out of the largest fields has never been a bigger challenge with more at stake. These efforts require geoscientists to raise their game in terms of reservoir geoscience and engineering solutions that they apply. This month we look at solutions that petroleum engineers are applying to enhance monitoring and analysis of strategic areas, from azimuth-dependent facies analysis to estimating 4D elastic property changes, and also how the disciplines can help to advance the fast-developing energy transition across the industry.

Alexander Inozemtsev et al present a novel technology for azimuth-dependent facies analysis (facies analysis versus azimuth – FACIVAZ) to improve the prediction of hydrocarbon-saturated permeable fractures in terrigenous carbonate reservoirs.

Andrea Damasceno et al show how to overcome the challenges of reliably estimating subtle 4D elastic property changes from seismic acquisitions just one year apart in Maastrichtian age post-salt reservoirs.

Carl Fredrik Gyllenhammar presents formation water analysis from the Barents Sea, Haltenbanken, North Sea, Rhine Graben in Germany, Gulf of Mexico, onshore basins in Canada, and the Sverdrup Basin.

H. Kazemi et al explain why the energy transition engineering challenge should be seen as an opportunity rather than a threat by the geoscience profession.

Cyrille Reiser et al looks at the reservoir characterization of a recently acquired and processed multi-azimuth multi-sensor survey in the prolific South Viking Graben, offshore Norway.

Habib Al Khatib et al present a focused 4D seismic monitoring method that predicts the optimal source and receivers’ location for the monitoring of strategic areas.

Submit an article

Special Topic overview January

Land Seismic

First Break Special Topics are covered by a mix of original articles dealing with case studies and the latest technology. Contributions to a Special Topic in First Break can be sent directly to the editorial office (firstbreak@eage.org). Submissions will be considered for publication by the editor.

February

Reservoir Monitoring

March

Modelling / Interpretation

April

Unconventionals and Passive Seismic

May

Global Exploration Hotspots

June

Geoscience & Engineering in the Energy Transition

It is also possible to submit a Technical Article to First Break. Technical Articles are subject to a peer review process and should be submitted via EAGE’s ScholarOne website: http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/fb

July

Digital Transformation in Geoscience

August

Near Surface Geo Mining

September

Reservoir Geoscience and Engineering

October

Delivering for the Energy Challenge: Today and Tomorrow

November

Marine Seismic & EM

December

Data Management and Processing

You can find the First Break author guidelines online at www.firstbreak.org/guidelines.

More Special Topics may be added during the course of the year.

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FEATURE: WHATSUP!

Work-life boosting with windows Peter Rowbotham draws parallels between DIY and technical work.

I am (un)fortunate to live in an old property with wooden window frames and double glazing. For some years it has not been possible to see clearly through the windows — the double glazing seal has blown, and condensation has built up in the inner gap. My summer months have therefore been dedicated to replacing these, giving me too much time to contemplate the parallels between this manual work and my technical geoscientific work.

A little guidance to start Why not leave this to professionals?

• Economics: A quick calculation of the number of panes requiring replacement at one hour per pane and therefore the cost of employing someone else.

• Self-prestige: I’ve seen a neighbour do it so why can’t I? How hard can it be?

I therefore started by asking a carpenter friend to replace a rotten window frame (not a job for an amateur), meanwhile plugging him for information about materials and tips on how I could replace just the panes in all the other windows.

Planning and practice make perfect My project management skills have come into play, ensuring supply of materials in a ‘just in time’ mindset (I do not have enough room to store all materials, so need to replenish). For a repetitive task, you quickly build up experience of the pinch points, those tasks that can eat up the time. The GANNT chart illustrates the flow, and highlights multiple interdependent workstreams – ordering, painting preparation and installation – each with its own cyclicity. As I write this, there is a hiatus in the

project as I did not anticipate the scarcity of wood in the UK due to the post-lockdown building boom (a ‘black swan’?), and my house is full of panes awaiting installation.

• Pre-paint wooden beading (needs 2 coats, and therefore 4 painting sessions if you are propping them at one end.

• Cut beading to size at 45° (measure twice, cut once).

• Remove old beading, nails, panes, old dry glaze foam tape.

• Install new dry glaze in frame and on beading.

• Place in new pane and hammer in nails to secure new beading.

My initial attempts at installing the new dry glaze were slow because of the challenge of peeling off the backing paper. I soon learnt that this is much easier if you keep it out of the sun and below 15°C, which is usually not difficult in NE Scotland.

Every project plan needs to celebrate achievements, and I ensure family members utter gasps of appreciation.

It’s OK to make mistakes – just not too many Hammers, nails, glass – what could possibly go wrong? I found out when under time pressure. Fortunately, this is an environment where a mistake is not costly, and does not have severe consequences on health and safety, other than on the eardrums of any of my neighbours hearing my cursing. A perfect learning environment, and I have now adopted a much more rigorous check before wielding the hammer. Interestingly in taking the old window panes out, I observe many chips in the edges where the original professionals had done the same as I – survivor bias in play, where I only see those window panes which were not too badly damaged as to be unusable. What I also see is that the double glazing seals were probably breached by these nails before the windows were even installed in the 1990s (see photo right).

Work-life boosting?

Work project management has enhanced this ‘life’ project, which in turn has given me valuable thinking time for work problems.

And the end result – wow, we can see the garden, and wonder why ‘someone’ has taken so long to fix them. I just hope that the wood shortage is resolved before autumn arrives, otherwise this could be a multi-year campaign.

Views expressed in this article are solely those of the author, who can be contacted at peter.rowbotham@apachecorp.com.

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CALENDAR

CALENDAR OF EVENTS 18-21 OCTOBER 2021

82nd EAGE Conference & Exhibition Amsterdam, Netherlands and online www.eageannual2021.org

September 2021 6‑7 Sep

EAGE Workshop on Computational Sciences for New Energy and Oil Recovery www.eage.org

Online

6‑8 Sep

Fifth EAGE Workshop on High Performance Computing for Upstream www.eage.org

Online

6‑10 Sep

Geomodel 2021 23 rd Conference on Oil and Gas Geological Exploration and Development www.eage.org

Gelendzhik and online

7 Sep

First EAGE Guyana-Suriname Basin Seminar www.eage.org

Online

8-10 Sep

Second EAGE Conference on Pre-Salt Reservoir www.eage.org

Online

9 Sep

Geothermal Energy — New Opportunities for the Middle East www.eage.org

Online

10‑11 Sep

ISZA 2021 — The Meeting of Young Geoscientists www.isza.hu

Zalakaros

12-17 Sep

30 th International Meeting on Organic Geochemistry (IMOG 2021) www.imog2021.org

Online

12-17 Sep

Third EAGE Geochemistry Workshop www.eage.org

Online

14-15 Sep

Asia Energy Forum - The Role of Geoscience Through the Energy Transition www.eage.org

Online

20‑23 Sep

Third EAGE Workshop on Assessment of Landslide Hazards and Impact on Communities www.eage.org

Odessa and Online

Ukraine

23‑27 Sep

CLEEDI Workshop Hackathon Week

Foix

France

27‑29 Sep

Fourth EAGE Borehole Geology Workshop www.eage.org

Online

Russia

Hungary

October 2021 4‑6 Oct

International Conference of Young Professionals «GeoTerrace-2021» www.eage.org

Lviv and Online

Ukraine

4‑7 Oct

14th Middle East Geosciences Conference & Exhibition (GEO2021) www.geo-expo.com

Manama

Bahrain

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CALENDAR

5‑7 Oct

Sakhalin 2021 6th Workshop on Hydrocarbon Potential of the Far East www.eage.org

Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk and online

10-14 Oct

BGS Congress 2021 www.bgscongress.org

Online

12-13 Oct

EAGE Conference on Seismic Interpretation Using AI Methods - Going Beyond Machine Learning www.eage.org

Online

18 Oct

Third Young Professionals Summit yp-summit.org

Amsterdam

Netherlands

18-21 Oct

82 nd EAGE Conference & Exhibition www.eageannual2021.org

Amsterdam and online

Netherlands

25‑27 Oct

Third EAGE Conference on Offshore Exploration and Development in Mexico www.eage.org

Merida and online

Mexico

Russia

Russia

November 2021 1‑3 Nov

ProGREss’21 www.eage.org

Sochi and online

2‑4 Nov

Third EAGE/SPE Geosteering Workshop www.eage.org

Online

3‑5 Nov

First EAGE Conference on Near Surface in Latin America www.eage.org

Online

8‑10 Nov

Third HGS/EAGE Conference on Latin America www.eage.org

Online

8-11 Nov

Africa Oil Week 2021 www.africa-oilweek.com

Dubai

United Arab Emirates

9‑11 Nov

Sixth EAGE Borehole Geophysics Workshop www.eage.org

Dubai and online

United Arab Emirates

15-17 Nov

Second EAGE Workshop on Unmanned Aerial Vehicles www.eage.org

Online

15‑17 Nov

First EAGE Workshop on East Canada Offshore Exploration www.eage.org

St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador and online

Canada

17‑19 Nov

Monitoring 2021 www.eage.org

Kyiv and online

Ukraine

23‑24 Nov

AAPG/EAGE Joint Workshop on High CO2, High Contaminant Challenging Fields and Alternative Energy - Impact and Monetization www.eage.org

Online

23‑25 Nov

Second Geoscience & Engineering in Energy Transition Conference (GET2021) www.eage.org

Strasbourg and online

23‑26 Nov

EAGE/Aqua Foundation Second Indian Near Surface Geophysics Conference & Exhibition www.eage.org

Online

29 Nov 1 Dec

AAPG/EAGE Hydrocarbon Seals Workshop www.eage.org

Muscat

Oman

30 Nov 2 Dec

Fourth Asia Pacific Meeting on Near Surface Geoscience & Engineering www.eage.org

Ho Chi Minh City and online

Vietnam

France

December 2021 1‑2 Dec

First EAGE Rock Physics Workshop in Latin America www.eage.org

Buenos Aires and online

Argentina

1‑3 Dec

Third EAGE Eastern Mediterranean Workshop www.eage.org

Larnaca

Cyprus

3 Dec

EAGE-BVG-FKPE Joint Workshop on Hydro- Thermal- Mechanical Modelling (THM) and Ground Truth www.eage.org

Bochum

Germany

7‑9 Dec

SEG/EAGE Workshop on The Deliberate Search for Stratigraphic Traps: Has it Come of Age? www.eage.org

Kuala Lumpur and online

Malaysia

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SEPTEMBER

2021

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