First Break July 2021 - Digital Transformation in Geoscience by EAGE

VO L U M E 3 9 I I S S U E 7 I J U LY 2 0 21

SPECIAL TOPIC

Digital Transformation in Geoscience EAGE NEWS Greatest show on earth science TECHNICAL ARTICLE Viscoacoustic diffraction imaging to delineate karst features

IT’S NOT JUST WHERE YOU LOOK, IT’S HOW.

cgg.com SEE THINGS DIFFERENTLY

FIRST BREAK® An EAGE Publication

CHAIRMAN EDITORIAL BOARD Peter Rowbotham (Peter.Rowbotham@apachecorp.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) • 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) EAGE EDITOR EMERITUS Andrew McBarnet (andrew@andrewmcbarnet.com) MEDIA PRODUCTION Saskia Nota (firstbreakproduction@eage.org) PRODUCTION ASSISTANT Ivana Geurts (firstbreakproduction@eage.org) ADVERTISING INQUIRIES corporaterelations@eage.org EAGE EUROPE OFFICE PO Box 59 3990 DB Houten The Netherlands • +31 88 995 5055 • eage@eage.org • www.eage.org EAGE RUSSIA & CIS OFFICE EAGE Russia & CIS Office EAGE Geomodel LLC 19 Leninsky Prospekt 119071, Moscow, Russia • +7 495 640 2008 • moscow@eage.org • www.eage.ru EAGE MIDDLE EAST OFFICE EAGE Middle East FZ-LLC Dubai Knowledge Village Block 13 Office F-25 PO Box 501711 Dubai, United Arab Emirates • +971 4 369 3897 • middle_east@eage.org • www.eage.org EAGE ASIA PACIFIC OFFICE UOA Centre Office Suite 19-15-3A No. 19, Jalan Pinang 50450 Kuala Lumpur Malaysia • +60 3 272 201 40 • asiapacific@eage.org • www.eage.org EAGE AMERICAS SAS Calle 93 # 18-28 Oficina 704 Bogota, Colombia • +57 1 4232948 • americas@eage.org • www.eage.org 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)

The future of work in exploration: A new model to bring people, technology and data together

Editorial Contents 3

EAGE News

Personal Record Interview

Crosstalk

Industry News

Technical Articles

33 Seismic response of gas-hydrate zones: a case study from the Oman Sea Oz Yilmaz, Ali Misaghi, Nasser Keshavarz and Mojtaba S. Arabani 39 Viscoacoustic diffraction imaging to delineate karst features in a carbonate reservoir William A. Burnett, Craig Hyslop, Jaewoo Park, Alecia Wawrzynski, Arjun Srinivasan, Spyros Lazaratos, Gboyega Ayeni, Da Zhou, Debra Carlo, Mike Lahey, Patricia Montoya, William Espegren, Brandon M. Phillips, ~ ~ ^ ^ Trung Tâm Lê, Thanh Hà Mai, Văn Thanh~Đo , Đúó ng Trung Nguye n, ^ Thi. Minh Huê. Đa ˘ng, and Duy Anh Nguyen .

Special Topic: Digital Transformation in Geoscience

45 Probabilistic forecasting for geosteering in fluvial successions using a generative adversarial network Sergey Alyaev, Jan Tveranger, Kristian Fossum and Ahmed H Elsheikh 51 Using machine learning to detect horizons, alluvial fans and fluvial channels, as well as vertical faults Tsimfer Sergey, Khudorozhkov Roman, Kozhevin Alexey, Goryachev Stepan, Koryagin Aleksander and Sorokina Svetlana 57 Digital platform as a tool for efficient reservoir management Alex Katashov, Kirill Ovchinnikov, Dmitry Tatarinov, Evgeny Malyavko and Valery Ogienko 63 Cloud-computing approach for an environmental, social, and corporate governance focus in universities and businesses Nicholas T. Okita and Tiago A. Coimbra 71 Data mining and machine learning for porosity, saturation, and shear velocity prediction: recent experience and results Roberto Ruiz, Anna Roubickova, Cyrille Reiser and Neelofer Banglawala 77 An integrated geoscience approach to digital transformation for the energy companies of the future Philip Hargreaves and Alex Kurobasa 81 The future of work in exploration: A new model to bring people, technology and data together Paul Genberg

Feature: WhatsUp!

85 Advice to the younger generation Peter Rowbotham 86 Calendar cover: 3D visualization of model generated seismic horizon: it is possible to distinguish even the finest details, making structural interpretation trivial. SeismicQB library processed 2500 km2 filed in two hours (image courtesy of Gazprom Neft).

FIRST

BREAK

VOLUME

JULY

2021

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

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 Aart-Jan van Wijngaarden Technical Programme Officer

Colin MacBeth Education Officer

Peter Rowbotham Publications 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 june 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. PAPER The publisher’s policy is to use acid-free permanent paper (TCF), to the draft standard ISO/DIS/9706, made from sustainable forests using chlorine-free pulp (Nordic-Swan standard).

FIRST

BREAK

VOLUME

JULY

2021

HIGHLIGHTS

Greatest show on earth science is back

Students have great programme in store

Latin America minerals get workshop treatment

Congratulations to our 2021 Award winners Every year at the EAGE Annual Conference, the EAGE Awards are presented to honour individuals who have demonstrated outstanding dedication to science and the EAGE community. As an Association with the mission of promoting innovation and technical progress, EAGE recognizes the efforts of its members and their contributions to development and cooperation in geoscience and related engineering disciplines. Candidates for the 2021 Awards were nominated by colleagues, such as yourself, and submitted to an international Awards Committee who worked hard to select the winners. EAGE is delighted to announce the following exceptional winners for the 2021 Awards. Conrad Schlumberger Award Presented to a member of the Association who has made an outstanding contribution to the scientific and technical advancement of the geosciences, particularly geophysics. Prof Yanghua Wang, Imperial College (UK) Prof Yanghua Wang has had an outstanding career in academia and industry, as an inventor, scholar, teacher, leader of research, editor, conference organizer and inspirational scientist. He has contributed original research in inverse Q filtering, seismic waveform inversion, modelling viscoelastic wave propagation and seismic processing. He is also the founder and one of two Editors–in–Chief of the Journal of Geophysics and Engineering, now a mainstream geophysical journal. Honorary Membership Award Presented to a member of the Association who has made a highly significant and distinguished technical and/or non-technical contribution to the geoscience community at large or to the Association in particular.

John Arthur, Top-Hole Site Studies (UK) John Arthur is awarded Honorary Membership in recognition of his services to EAGE’s Near Surface Geoscience Division for more than a half of a century. He was one of the architects of the division, and one of the main drivers to the successful establishment of the Environmental and Engineering Geophysics community within the Association. Alfred Wegener Award Presented to a member of the Association who has made an outstanding contribution to the scientific and technical advancement of EAGE’s disciplines, particularly petroleum geoscience and engineering. Prof Maša Prodanović, University of Texas at Austin (USA) Prof Maša Prodanović is a talented applied mathematician turned scientist and engineer. Like Wegener himself, she is a scientist of considerable imagination, unafraid to pursue new ideas. She has made many seminal contributions to our understanding of flow in porous media, and has established the digital rocks portal which provides a huge service to the community through hosting images and other results, allowing a free exchange of ideas and data. FIRST

BREAK

VOLUME

JULY

2021

EAGE NEWS

Loránd Eötvös Award Presented to the authors of the best paper published in Geophysical Prospecting in the past year. Callum Walter and co-authors Alexander Braun and Georgia Fotopoulos For their paper High-resolution unmanned aerial vehicle aeromagnetic surveys for mineral exploration targets, published in Geophysical Prospecting, Volume 68, Issue 1, January 2020, 68, p. 334 - 349. Norman Falcon Award Presented to the authors of the best paper published in Petroleum Geoscience in the past year.

We look forward to meeting this year’s winners at the 82nd EAGE Annual Conference & Exhibition in Amsterdam this October.

Arie van Weelden Award Presented to a member of the Association who has made a highly significant contribution to one or more of the disciplines in our Association and who is under the age of 35. Prof Dr Siddharth Misra, Texas A&M University (USA) Prof Dr Siddharth Misra’s research focuses on improving subsurface characterization and prospect evaluation for the exploration of hydrocarbons, minerals and water resources. His major contribution is in the theory of electromagnetic responses of geological formations to various charge polarization phenomena. The theory has enabled him to introduce a multi-frequency electromagnetic log-inversion technique to remove dielectric effects for improved estimation of hydrocarbon pore volume. Nigel Anstey Award Presented to the authors of the best paper published in First Break in the past year. Kees W. Rutten and co-authors Daan den Hartog Jager and Geert-Jan Vis For their paper Unconformity mapping in the Schoonebeek oil field, the Netherlands, published in First Break, Volume 38, Issue 11, November 2020, p. 37 - 42.

Douglas Watson and co-authors Nick Schofield, Alistair Maguire, Christine Telford, Niall Mark, Stuart Archer and Jonathon Hardman For their paper Raiders of the Lost Mud: the geology behind drilling incidents within the Balder Formation around the Corona Ridge, West of Shetland, published in Petroleum Geoscience, Volume 26, Issue 1, February 2020, p. 110 - 125. Ludger Mintrop Award Presented to the authors of the best paper published in Near Surface Geophysics in the past year. Tor Arne Johansen and co-author Bent Ole Ruud For their paper Characterization of seabed properties from Scholte waves acquired on floating ice on shallow water, published in Near Surface Geophysics, Volume 18, Issue 1, January 2020, p. 49 - 59. Robert Mitchum Award Presented to the authors of the best paper published in Basin Research in the past year. Chantelle Roelofse and co-authors Tiago M. Alves and Kamal’deen O. Omosanya For their paper Reutilization of hydrothermal vent complexes for focused fluid flow on continental margins (Modgunn Arch, Norwegian Sea), published in Basin Research, Volume 33, Issue 2, March 2020, p. 1111 - 1134.

Publish with EAGE EAGE is continually seeking submissions for both book publishing and articles for our journals. A dedicated and qualified publishing team is available to support your publication at EAGE. CONTACT OUR PUBLICATIONS DEPARTMENT AT EAGEPUBLICATIONS@EAGE.ORG!

20879-Filler Journal Media Publish with EAGE 171x47.indd 1 FIRST

BREAK

VOLUME

JULY

2021

09/06/2021 09:34

OUR EXPERTS SPEAK HPC SO YOU DON’T HAVE TO. Some high-performance computing (HPC) providers promise you the world, but leave you high and dry while you attempt to learn a foreign language. At DUG, our reliable, green, cost-effective HPC solutions come with a team of experts. Experts that are fluent in HPC and always on hand to help you optimise your software, onboard your code, and make your project successful. Now that’s worth shouting about!

EAGE NEWS

Technical Programme at this year’s Annual offers something for everyone Art-Jan van Wijngaarden, EAGE technical programme officer, breaks down what we can expect in this year’s Technical Programme at the EAGE Annual Conference & Exhibition in Amsterdam. I should say first that it was actually very functional to run the selection meeting for the Technical Programme online. The process was highly optimized and the technical solution provided by the office made the work efficient and effective. There were 374 oral and 222 poster session, which were selected last year and postponed to this year. Next to that, there were 143 papers where the authors indicated that they wanted to present again physically in Amsterdam, after online presentation last year. In addition, there were 895 new submissions. These were assessed this year on average by 5.5 reviewers, which helps to guarantee the quality of papers presented in the final programme.

Art-Jan van Wijngaarden, EAGE technical programme officer.

From the last two categories mentioned, approximately 55% of the submissions were accepted. In addition, the SPE is contributing to the conference with 90 selected papers. Overall the programme contains 99 oral sessions and 60 poster sessions, divided over three days and 18 parallel sessions. The disciplines involved are

divided approximately 50% geophysics, 20% for geology, 20% reservoir engineering and finally 10% digitalization. Of course there is also a large part of digitalization in the geophysical papers. There has been no sudden change in topics, but the trends from the last years continue into this year. Contributions on geothermal and carbon capture utlilization and storage continue to increase, but the number dealing with unconventionals has gone down a little. This can probably be explained by the current focus on energy transition. Environmental impact and technical solutions to reduce impact are still less discussed than traditional exploration and production topics. I hope this ratio will change in the future.

Hydrocarbon prospectivity in energy transition era gets webinar treatment How hydrocarbon prospects should be evaluated with the energy transition in mind was the topic at lunch and learn webinar jointly organized in May by the EAGE Decarbonization & Energy Transition and Young Professionals communities. The invited speaker was Ross Grant of Equinor who presented a study based on his doctoral work on the exploration of the UK Drowsing Graben in the Southern North Sea and discussed its implications for the energy transition. He also added some thoughts on the future of the energy industry for young minds entering the field. Grant’s study explored the existence of an under-explored Lower Carboniferous hydrocarbon play in Southern North Sea, UK, where the smart integration of 6

FIRST

BREAK

VOLUME

JULY

structural mapping and basin modelling enabled identification of previously overlooked prospective structures. The exploration success at Breagh Field demonstrates that western parts of the Mid North Sea High area are prospective despite the absence of the principal reservoirs (Upper Permian Rotliegend group) and the source rocks (Upper Carboniferous Westphalian coal measures) of the Southern North Sea. Detailed seismic and well interpretation has unravelled the complex structural history and the evolution of the petroleum system in the area. The complexity of its overburden means that an accurate picture of the Breagh structure only emerges after accurate depth-conversion that takes the effects of a salt-detached Mesozoic graben above into account. 2021

The study shows how careful structural mapping and basin modelling must be undertaken for the play to be understood and its further potential to be realized. This work demonstrates how a detailed ‘zoom-in-zoom-out’ approach, considering regional factors, can provide valuable insights into the geological evolution of an area with clear relevance for not only hydrocarbon exploration, but in the search for effective carbon and/ or hydrogen storage reservoirs due to the transferability of underlying skills and methodologies. The talk was followed by a short interview based on the questions from the communities and the live audience. The recording is available at the EAGE YouTube channel.

EAGE NEWS

Welcome back to the greatest show on Earth science With four months to go until our 82nd Annual Conference & Exhibition, it’s great to see that everyone is just as excited as we are about the event, and especially the Exhibition. We aim to provide experience of value that meets the expectations of everyone attending the EAGE Annual 2021. The Exhibition is attracting a similar number of exhibitors compared with previous events suggesting everyone is hoping to get back to making new contacts in person and network with professionals around the globe, and find out what companies and universities have to offer. At the RAI Amsterdam Convention Centre this October, we have sold over 250 stands covering 14,000 m2. The Exhibition includes representatives from national and international energy companies, service companies, start-ups, consultants, licensing agencies and governments. If you’d like to see who is attending this year, check out the List of Exhibitors on our website at www. eageannual2021.org. A highlight of the Exhibition will be the multiple special interest areas. The Digital Transformation Area seeks to explore and showcase forward-thinking technology and workflows, through a

programme of presentations alongside the main EAGE technical agenda. In the International Prospect Centre, there is an opportunity to meet with key corporate players and national oil companies promoting exploration and investment opportunities. At the Start-up Area you can see what may be evolving as next generation technology. The Start-up Area will be part of the Innovation Theatre, in which exhibitors of the International Prospect Centre will also be given the opportunity to showcase licensing blocks and discuss exploration possibilities within their countries. In addition there are university booths at the Exhibition, where you can learn about the programme and research focus for departments in the 2021/2022 academic year. Best place to start your Exhibition tour is at the EAGE Community Hub, where the daily programme is available with staff in attendance to steer delegates to what they are looking for. EAGE itself will also organize some activities on the exhibition floor. More details will be announced soon, so stay tuned!

As ever, the Exhibition offers free coffee points, wi-fi, working and seating areas. The Icebreaker Reception will kick-off the Exhibition immediately after the Opening Ceremony, to maximize your networking and socializing experience. Those still facing travel restrictions will be able to attend the event virtually via our Online Exhibition. You will have the opportunity to learn all about the latest business news of the industry during the dedicated BizTalk sessions. The interactive digital platform for online participation allows easy navigation between the technical sessions and the virtual exhibition floor. With only a couple of clicks, delegates will be able to switch from presentations to interactive live sessions with companies and universities. Be sure to register as a delegate or exhibition visitor sooner rather than later. You can still benefit from the early bird registration rates until 15 July 2021. Visit www.eageannual2021.org for more information on the exhibition programme.

® Geophysical Insights0721.indd 1

FIRST

BREAK

VOLUME

14/06/2021 08:47

JULY

2021

EAGE NEWS

Third workshop coming on Eastern Mediterranean E&P hotspots Committee co-chairs Verity Agar (ION) and Prof John Underhill (Heriot-Watt University) describe the Third EAGE Eastern Mediterranean workshop to be held in Larnaca, Cyprus on 1-3 December 2021, following successful previous events in Malta and Athens. The workshop aims to further understand the complex geology, development and evolution of structural styles, depositional systems and their implications for the prospectivity of the Eastern Mediterranean.

Larnaca beach, Cyprus.

Exploration in the Eastern Mediterranean has been reignited by important gas discoveries during the last decade. Finds offshore Egypt and Cyprus and in the Levant Basin as well as new exploration bidding and licensing rounds offshore Greece and Lebanon have transformed the area into a very active petroleum province and a global exploration hotspot. The region’s complex geodynamic history has seen it evolve from two extensional (Tethyan) passive continental margins to one dominated by Alpine collision, mountain building and neotectonic subduction-accretion along its northern flank. Rifting was initiated in the Permo-Triassic, continued through the Mesozoic and was characterized by the development of a mixed siliciclastic-carbonate platform attached to the African, Arabian and Eurasian plates as well as the formation of isolated carbonate outer-high platforms located on continental blocks (e.g., Eratosthenes, Ionian Sea and around Apulia). The subsequent influx of siliciclastic sediments due to the tilting of the African-Arabian shoulders and the initiation of Cenozoic (Tauride, Hellenide, Albanide, Apennine and Dinaride) fold-and-thrust 8

FIRST

BREAK

VOLUME

JULY

systems during the late Oligocene to early Miocene giving birth to younger reservoirs. Subsequent marine isolation and evaporation led to the Messinian Salinity Crisis before rejuvenated clastic systems were restored in the Late Neogene in response to northward drainage off the African continent (Nile Delta), continued collision and a neotectonic overlay. In an effort to unlock the petroleum resources below the Messinian salt layer, ambitious geological and geophysical exploration and drilling has taken place that seeks to identify unexplored prospects in offshore waters. Their identification will require further geological understanding and more technical development in geophysical imaging, rock mechanics and reservoir properties at important depths before proceeding to drill and safety. More recently, attention has turned towards addressing the challenge of the energy transition, decarbonization and meeting net zero emission targets. With a continued demand for oil and gas to meet energy needs, the role of local (indigenous supplies) that carry a lower carbon footprint becomes more important. In addition, evaluating and re-purposing the 2021

subsurface for alternative low-carbon use (e.g., through carbon storage, hydrogen production and storage, geothermal and wind power etc.) will have an increasing importance. The purpose of the event is to integrate new data obtained during oil and gas activities to further the understanding of the complex regional geology, the development and evolution of structural styles, depositional systems and their implications for the prospectivity and further potential of the Eastern Mediterranean. In addition, the workshop will address the potential that subsurface geological studies using methods traditionally deployed in the pursuit of hydrocarbons can be deployed for and contribute to the energy transition and challenge to meet stringent net zero emission targets. We are now accepting abstracts that address the region’s potential for methane gas-storage as well as alternative energies that also rely on subsurface geoscience and engineering (e.g., carbon and hydrogen storage, geothermal resource and other renewable geological opportunities). The deadline for submissions is 31 August 2021. More information can be found on the event website.

EAGE NEWS

Now we have the whole education package for you Education packages are now available for all EAGE online courses. It’s all part of EAGE’s mission to promote the development and application of geosciences and engineering. Recognizing a growing interest in our education offerings, we introduced earlier this year education packages to help you save on registration fees and better organize your learning path with us. Back then education packages were only applicable for Interactive Online Short Courses and Online EAGE Education Tours (EETs). With the launch of the new online education platform - Learning Geoscience - we also introduced new online interactive training formats to give you more opportunities to follow remotely the latest education in different areas of geoscience and engineering. The new training formats include: 1) Self-paced

online courses, i.e., pre-recorded online courses that you can complete in your own time over a set period, and 2) Extensive online courses, i.e., a deep-dive learning experience with extensive selfpaced online materials complemented with regular interactive sessions with the instructors. To give more options and flexibility for those interested in attending multiple formats of our education offerings, we have extended the scope of our education packages to cover all EAGE online courses, including: Interactive Online Short Courses, Online EETs, Extensive Online Short Courses and Self-Paced Online Courses. Now you can combine multiple courses in multiple formats and save up to 50% on your total registration fees compared to individual courses. Packages are available for both individuals and corporates.

Individuals can choose between packages of three, five or ten credits to spend on courses. Each course is worth one or two credits, depending on the format. Your package code is valid for a period of 12 months – at any time during this period you can select any EAGE online course on offer. For corporates, we offer tailored solutions for packages starting from ten credits. Contact corporaterelations@ eage.org for more information.

Learn more about education packages

Discover courses

EAGE Online Education Calendar START AT ANY TIME

VELOCITIES, IMAGING, AND WAVEFORM INVERSION - THE EVOLUTION OF CHARACTERIZING THE EARTH’S SUBSURFACE, BY I. F. JONES (ONLINE EET)

SELF PACED COURSE

6 CHAPTERS OF 1 HR

2 JUL

PERMITS FOUNDATION: HOW WE ADVOCATE FOR DUAL CAREERS IN A CHANGING GLOBAL MOBILITY LANDSCAPE, BY G. GORDON

DLP WEBINAR

1 CHAPTER OF 1 HR

7-9 JUL

SEISMIC MULTIPLE REMOVAL TECHNIQUES: PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE, BY E. VERSCHUUR (ONLINE EET)

SHORT COURSE

3 CHAPTERS OF 4 HRS

8 JUL 8 AUG

DATA SCIENCE FOR GEOSCIENCE, BY J. CAERS

EXTENSIVE COURSE*

5 CHAPTERS OF 1 HR

13-14 JUL

MACHINE LEARNING IN GEOSCIENCES, BY G. SCHUSTER

SHORT COURSE

2 CHAPTERS OF 4 HRS

13 JUL

MODELLING COMPACTION AND CEMENTATION EFFECTS: HYBRID ROCK PHYSICS, BY M. ELLIS

DLP WEBINAR

1 CHAPTER OF 1 HR

14 JUL

SEISMIC ATTENUATION: FRIEND OR FOE, BY M. VARDY

E-LECTURE WEBINAR

1 CHAPTER OF 1 HR

15-16 JUL

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

SHORT COURSE

2 CHAPTERS OF 4 HRS

22-23 JUL

SUBSURFACE UTILITY ENGINEERING DETECTION & MAPPING OF SUBSURFACE UTILITIES, BY S. RANA

SHORT COURSE

2 CHAPTERS OF 4 HRS

22-23 JUL

NEAR-SURFACE GEOSCIENCE, BY A. LAAKE

SHORT COURSE

2 CHAPTERS OF 4 HRS

27-28 JUL

SEISMIC ACQUISITION PROJECT ESSENTIALS: FROM CONCEPT TO COMPLETION AND BEYOND, BY J. DE BRUIN

SHORT COURSE

2 CHAPTERS OF 4 HRS

3-4 AUG

INTEGRATED SEISMIC ACQUISITION AND PROCESSING, BY J. BOUSKA

SHORT COURSE

2 CHAPTERS OF 4 HRS

5-6 AUG

CLOUD BASICS FOR GEOSCIENCES, BY G. HOLMES

SHORT COURSE

2 CHAPTERS OF 4 HRS

* E XTENSIVE 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.

FIRST

BREAK

VOLUME

JULY

2021

EAGE NEWS

Fault and top seals analysis set to grow across new applications Conference co-chairs Emma Michie Haines (University of Oslo) and Volker Schuller (OMV Upstream) describe what lies ahead for the sixth Fault and Top Seals conference due to be held in Vienna, Austria on 26-28 September 2022.

Conference co-chairs Emma Michie Haines and Volker Schuller.

We are excited to bring together those working on faults and top seals from a range of disciplines, as this is crucial to enhance and share our knowledge in order to reduce uncertainty for any future applications. As in the previous events, the aim of next year’s conference is to create a forum for scientists, experts and professionals covering a range of disciplines from academia and industry to share and discuss the latest research and application results focused on fault and top seals. The importance of scientific objectives describing the properties of fault and top seals has been studied by different industries using various applications. Not only do traditional methods of assessing fault and top seals remain crucial for exploration and production of petroleum reservoirs, but the ever-increasing efforts to reduce our carbon footprint means that

accurately characterizing both fault and top seals for carbon capture and storage, geothermal energy solutions and radioactive waste disposal is crucial. Further, the application of fault and top seal prediction within these emerging technologies often leaves low/no wiggle room for any uncertainty. This has shown by the notable increase of interest in attribute prediction of fault and top seals over the last years to improve our knowledge and reduce the subsequent uncertainties. Estimating the membrane capillary behaviour together with the mechanical properties of fault/top seal lithology is crucial for any subsurface risk assessment at any project stage, i.e., early subsurface exploration to late production/utilization. For a complete fault and top seal assessment, a multi-disciplinary approach is required. Hence, the conference aims to bring together those working from a wide range of disciplines (structural geology, geomechanics, geophysics, petrophysics, geochemistry, reservoir engineering, and hydrogeology), from both academia and industry. Presentations are being invited which show the latest advances from a range of approaches, i.e., outcrop analogues, laboratory analysis, framework and reservoir modelling, simulations, etc.). Enhancing our knowledge from differing techniques will ultimately lead to a reduction in the uncertainty for traditional

Fabrizio Agosta (Unibas) and Emanuele Tondi (Unicam) leading the group through San Vito lo Capo Peninsula during the 2019 field trip.

FIRST

BREAK

VOLUME

JULY

2021

applications, but also for future applications or growing industry sectors. Most recent scientific results and application case studies will be shown in oral sessions and poster presentations followed by discussion sessions. Key topics will include new applications for fault and top seal analysis, geomechanical modelling, fault seal in carbonates, and many others. The conference will close with a one-day field trip in the Vienna area. Visit www.faultandtopseals.org for more details.

Vienna will be the host city of the 2022 event.

Taking a closer view. As in 2019 a field trip will be a feature of the event.

EAGE NEWS

EAGE student activities hit the ground running this term The 2021-2022 academic year will likely be one to remember. After a year and a half of lockdown and restrictions, many students and staff will see a gradual reopening of campuses around the globe. When returning to your studies next term, EAGE will be there along the way, providing you with a variety of online and in-person activities to help you get the best out of your academic year. We’ve got a varied programme of activities and opportunities coming up, specifically meant to complement your studies at university. Through to the end of the year, we will be bringing students together on a variety of topics, reflecting the interests of students and our mission. We start the year with a deep dive into the shallow subsurface. Many student activities in September will focus around the Near Surface Geoscience (NSG) conference in Bordeaux, France, where we hope to see many students participate. Special emphasis here is on the introduction of our first ever hydrogeophysics parallel conference, a topic generating a lot of interest and research. To complement the NSG meeting, we will also be bringing students online activities with a near surface focus, such as a dedicated e-summit and a brand new webinar ‘Confronting the Challenges of Reappraising Legacy Seismic Data’ by Michael Westgate (University of the Witwatersrand). Later in the year, you should also be on the look-out for new near surface inspired webinar deliveries.

In person learning may be coming back.

Following our Near Surface meeting early September, make sure to watch out for our further announcements around the EAGE Annual Conference & Exhibition. Throughout the conference, we will be providing students with an engaging programme - both online and in-person. We hope to see many student chapters represented at the Annual — either with presentations in the Technical Programme, or participating in our activities — including the global EAGE Student Geo Quiz! We are also bringing a range of energy transition-related student activities to you in the upcoming months. We’re starting the academic year strong with the 2021 Minus CO2 Challenge. This is our multi-disciplinary team challenge where we invite students from around the world to contribute ideas to reduce CO2 emissions. Following wins by the University of Manchester and IFP School Paris, does your university team have what it takes to take on this year’s challenge?

With energy transition high on the EAGE agenda, the Minus CO2 Challenge is part of a much larger framework for our student activities. For starters, students with an interest in the topic should check out the programme of the upcoming Geoscience & Engineering in Energy Transition (GET) conference, as well as our e-summits and webinars related to the topic. Whether it is advice on career advancement, research updates or e-summits, throughout the year students will have the opportunity to really get to grips with the various elements related to the many facets of energy transition. If you’re keen to hit the ground running this academic year (and we hope many of you will be), make sure to stay in the loop of all student activities. Secure your EAGE student membership today or, better yet, get involved with your university’s EAGE student chapter. You can find the latest updates and details on the EAGE Students LinkedIn page, Facebook and the EAGE website.

EAGE Student Calendar 29 AUG 2 SEP

NEAR SURFACE GEOSCIENCE 2021

BORDEAUX, FRANCE AND 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

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

FIRST

BREAK

VOLUME

JULY

2021

EAGE NEWS

Workshop to focus on realities and possibilities of mineral exploration in Latin America A key part of EAGE’s first Latin America Near Surface Conference & Exhibition in Bogota on 4-5 November is the Online Workshop on Mineral Exploration in Latin America. Here Prof Alireza Malehmir (Uppsala University), member of the Technical Committee and chair of EAGE Near Surface Geoscience Division, shares some thoughts on the event’s significance. Can you outline the role of EAGE in this event? We at EAGE have a chance to exchange knowledge and facilitate communication among various players through workshops, short courses and debates. A smooth energy transition without mining and access to minerals is impossible, however one needs to make sure that the first step is taken correctly. A successful exploration based on environmentally-friendly technologies and interaction with the public and communities around the exploration site would guarantee that follow up mine planning, mining and closures are also successful with no harm to the environment and cultural heritage. This is possible but requires commitments and good planning and execution also capital and skilled resources. Which minerals are receiving the most investment in Latin America? Latin America geology has historically been attractive for large-size deposits such as copper and nickel but also for iron and chromite as well as gold and silver. Chile, Peru and Brazil host several tier-1 deposits and are the main suppliers of copper and iron in the world. Latin America is endowed with diverse natural resources because of its active subduction tectonics where, for example large copper porphyry deposits are usually found. Giant international mining companies are present in the region as well as national ones. Some of the national companies like Vale are global players in nickel and iron ores. Most of the investment in Latin America is towards copper. For many reasons copper is attractive for investors and mining companies as demand is spiking up for green technologies, for electric vehicles and traditionally as the main 12

FIRST

BREAK

VOLUME

JULY

metal of electrical wiring and motors. Nickel is also critical in battery technologies and ferroalloys. Mineral exploration is a worldwide business. What are the particular challenges in Latin America? Mineral exploration is global and players in this field are also global. Giant companies like BHP, Vale, Rio Tinto and Antofagasta among others are present in the region and contribute with their stateof-the-art technologies. Progress has been great although decremental and more is required. Innovative exploration methods need to address the exploration needs in the region especially in the high and rough

low grade but high in tonnage, therefore the mining footprint is enormous. Tailings are usually acidic and rich in toxic elements such as heavy metals and sulfides. Unfortunately, there are several failed cases in the region that have strongly influenced the public perception on mining and mineral exploration. Therefore, social acceptance and license to operate (SLO) is a great issue in the region and requires more than ‘talking’ about best practices and the better standards in Australia, Canada and Europe. There should be more joint research-innovation projects supported by companies and governments. Universities also have to play their role in a full chain of actions addressing sustainable mining and exploration.

Mineral country in the Andes.

altitudes where access is difficult and logistics very complex. Tier-1 greenfield discoveries are likely possible in Latin America more than anywhere else in the world, hence Latin America has a chance to serve the world’s metal needs for decades to come. Deep cover and complex geology imply modern and tailored geological and geophysical solutions. What issues do you expect to be discussed in the segment on society, government, and communities? It is clear for many people that mining and mineral exploration in Latin America is challenged because of their high negative environmental impacts. Most deposits are 2021

What do you hope will be the takeaway from the workshop? We hope the workshop will showcase good practices and case studies of discovering tier 1 and 2 deposits from the region and elsewhere that can be applicable in Latin America. Social acceptance and environmental aspects will also be discussed as well as how human capital endowment in the region is empowered for mineral resource exploration. A new generation of explorationists and innovators can come out from the region that is more concerned about the environment and develop mineral solutions that are more environmentally friendly and cost-effective addressing the needs of the region.

EAGE NEWS

London hosts cracking session Use of drone photographic missions has been added to the toolbox for the detection of cracks in outcrops. The benefit was explained by Prof Gerard Schuster from King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Saudi Arabia in a Local Chapter London evening talk last month on the topic of ‘Semi-universal Geo-Crack Detection by Machine Learning’. Prof Schuster explained that cracks are an outcrop’s stress fingerprint etched by a region’s tectonic forces and weathering patterns. To deduce the stress history, the cracks of outcrops must be detected and catalogued over a wide area, and then interpreted by the structural geologist. Tens of thousands of high-resolution photographs can now be conven-

iently obtained by inexpensive drone surveys, so that cracks to a resolution of centimetres can be recorded. Use of the term crack in this context indicates any discontinuity on the surface of the rock face, whether it is a bedding surface, a shearing surface, a fracture or a joint where the rock face separates due to cooling. The high-resolution outcrop photographs can be conveniently obtained by inexpensive drone surveys and used for training of a U-Net model to detect geo-cracks in the rock images with over 95% accuracy. The same U-Net model originally trained on outcrop images from Saudi Arabia has since then been successfully used for detection of the cracks and faults in other remote sensing images from the Earth, Mars and Enceladus. This was achieved by transfer learning using

additional labelled images from other, previously unused locations in different geological settings. The presentation was followed by the Q&A session and interactive online communication between the speaker and the audience, where practical and technical aspects of the presented workflow were discussed and debated. Recording of the talk is available on the EAGE’s YouTube channel. Prof Schuster’s book covering issues of semi-universal Geo-Crack Detection by Machine Learning will be published by the SEG soon. EAGE Local Chapter London would like to thank Artem Kashubin of PetroTrace, Bingmu Xiao of CGG, Lok Lee of Schlumberger, Celina Giersz and, of course, Gerard Schuster for organizing this event.

OBN for the Future of Energy

Unique exploration-grade OBN survey with data driven attributes to maximize ILX potential and improve E&P decision making Our Utsira OBN survey in the Norwegian North Sea combines high-end model building that leverages ultra-long offset Ocean Bottom Node data with historical exploration and production knowledge. We create data-driven geological insights and Geobody extraction (in collaboration with Earth Science Analytics) to resolve the sub-surface on scales, resolutions, and with regional attributes never seen before.

TGS0721.indd 1

FIRST

BREAK

VOLUME

11/06/2021 14:55

JULY

2021

EAGE NEWS

Papers invited for Geophysical Prospecting special issue on integrating different survey techniques and data A special issue of Geophysical Prospecting titled “Advanced techniques, methods and applications for an integrated approach to geophysical prospecting” is being planned on the joint use of different prospecting techniques, which is becoming an increasingly pressing need and opportunity. Mining, sedimentology, polar and ice studies can all benefit from the combined use of GPR and remote sensing or seismic or geoelectric techniques, as well applications of environmental interest such as the identification and characterization of an irregular dump. Integrated techniques can be of interest also with regard to the identification of subsoil liquefaction zones in relationship to earthquakes, as well as in archaeological applications and for monument monitoring. Integration of different techniques is often proposed, but less frequently subject of more systematic analysis. The special

Modern artificial intelligence technologies are being used for production.

issue is intended to produce contributions that propose and illustrate systematic analyses and integration of several geophysical data and their benefit. In particular, it is of interest to understand what is more promising and less promising, and why. The editorial board of Geophysical Prospecting is therefore inviting contributions papers to the special issue which propose integration of geophysical techniques and data, e.g., GPR, geo-resistivity, seismic, magnetometry, etc., and possibly to combine them with other kinds of data, e.g., satellite data, photogrammetric data, laser data, infrared data, chemical data, etc. Authors are invited to submit original manuscripts, prepared according to the ‘Guidance for Authors’ published on the Geophysical Prospecting website at https://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/gp. It is very important to indicate in your cover letter that your paper is intended for this special issue. All manuscripts will

be peer-reviewed in accordance with the journal’s established policies and procedures. The submission is free of charge and no pre-invitation is needed. This special issue also targets presentations given during the 11th International Workshop on Advanced Ground Penetrating Radar (IWAGPR2021). However, contributions outside IWAGPR2021 are also welcome. The selection of final papers for publication will depend on both results of the peer-review process and reviews by the guest editors (Raffaele Persico - University of Calabria, Sebastiano D’Amico - University of Malta, Francesco Panzera - Swiss Seismological Service, and Erica Utsi - EMCradar Consulting) as well as by the editor-in-chief. For specific questions, please contact the special issue editor Raffaele Persico (raffaele.persico@unical.it) or the editorial office (gpeditorial@wiley.com). The deadline for the submission is 31 May 2022.

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 ! 14

FIRST

BREAK

VOLUME

JULY

2021

PERSONAL RECORD INTERVIEW

Musa Manzi

Personal Record Interview

An astonishing tale of mission impossible achieved There can be few geoscientists with a more remarkable story to tell than Musa Manzi. From an impoverished village in South Africa to associate professor in seismology at the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits), Johannesburg has been an extraordinary journey and now one of his ambitions is to inspire others.

Where were you born and raised? I was born and raised in Ndwedwe, one of the poor rural villages in South Africa. I had a tough early childhood. My father died when I was two years old, leaving my mother to raise me and my five siblings from her low income as a domestic worker. Though my mother did not have an opportunity to go to school she worked hard to instil discipline and the importance of education in my life. So she was my greatest strength and true inspiration. What was school like? I used to hate school because getting to school every morning was a daunting task as I used to walk more than 8 km, and usually on an empty stomach. I would struggle to focus in a class because I was hungry and tired. My mother couldn’t afford to buy me a proper school uniform, so I was bullied a lot because of how I looked. As a result I dropped out of school numerous times. My teachers encouraged me to come back because I was good at maths. What persuaded you to keep on studying and matriculate? My mother used to tell me that the pathway out of poverty was through education. So,

when my siblings dropped out of school, her words motivated me to not give up. When I was in high school a lady from a local church offered to look after me and pay for my studies through to Matric. Her assistance blew me away and I began to love school, teaching my classmates maths and physics as we had no teachers for these subjects. In matric, I received outstanding results, including 100% for maths and 98% for physics Your passage at university was not easy, was it? After passing Matric I realized that I had not applied to study at the university, so my mother gave me her last money to pay for the bus to go to Wits University in Johannesburg to submit a late application for the Bachelor’s degree in maths and physics. In my undergraduate years I struggled financially with no place to stay, so I slept at the computer labs and libraries. How did a fateful intervention make things even more of a struggle? A week before my final undergraduate exams, my mom and sister died within a day of each other, leaving my five and six year old nieces behind. With no one to care for them, I brought my sister’s two young daughters to Johannesburg to live with me at the university classrooms. You finally got back on track. How did that happen? One day, a classmate’s parents invited my nieces and me to stay with them at their FIRST

home, and they became our parents. This helped me to fully focus on my studies. In 2007 I graduated with BSc degree in maths and physics; and in 2008 I graduated with BSc honours degree in Geophysics. In 2013 I graduated with PhD in Geophysics at Wits, specializing in reflection seismology for hard rock mineral exploration. What are your responsibilities at Wits and the focus of your studies? I am an associate professor in seismology at Wits, a director of the Wits Seismic Research Centre, and a visiting scholar at Uppsala University in Sweden. I am co-supervising more than 30 postgraduate students in the field of seismology. My current research is concerned with the development of innovative seismic technologies for mineral exploration. How are you involved in encouraging a new generation of geoscientists? I believe that I am who I am today because certain individuals took an interest in my life and invested in it. So, my dream is to see every young person in Africa having the same opportunities that helped me succeed. To achieve this, I volunteer in a number of organizations and schools in South Africa to teach science and maths, and to mentor and inspire the next generation of geoscientists. I have also co-founded Dr Musa Manzi Foundation and Wits Mathematics Competition with an objective to encourage geoscience education in Africa. BREAK

VOLUME

JULY

2021

CROSSTALK BY AN D R E W M c BAR N E T

•

Rocky road to net zero In Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, Alice says The tone of these observations has been echoed in some other at one point: ‘There’s no use trying, one can’t believe impossible oil producing nations, notably Australia for some reason. Industry things.’ To which the Queen replies: ‘I daresay you haven’t reaction in the US as expressed by the American Petroleum had much practice. When I was your age, I always did it for Institute (API) was much more restrained. In confirming US oil half-an-hour a day. Why, sometimes I’ve believed as many as six companies’ commitment to a lower carbon future, API vice presimpossible things before breakfast.’ ident of corporate policy Stephen Comstock issued the statement Unfairly certainly, this light-hearted exchange in the Victorian that ‘any pathway to net zero must include continued innovation children’s classic comes to mind when hearing the reaction to the and use of natural gas and oil, which remains crucial to displacing latest International Energy Agency (IEA) publication Net Zero coal in developing nations and enabling renewable energy.’ by 2050: A Roadmap for the Global Energy Sector. It contains None of this adverse comment is entirely fair to the IEA. It is what the International Energy Agency (IEA) describes as the first only carrying out its mission – maybe impossible - as it perceives comprehensive study of what it will take the world to meet the net it. Even so, some of its assumptions are far-fetched. IEA was zero emissions target by 2050. Before and after breakfast, there’s established in the framework of the Organisation for Economic certainly a lot of believing – or is it suspension of disbelief – to Co-operation and Development (OECD) in 1974 after the 1973 think that the 400 milestones set out in the report to guide the oil crisis. Its role then was to respond to physical disruptions in global journey will actually be reached. the supply of oil, as well as provide information on the interWhat instantly captured the attention of two of the world’s national oil market and other energy sectors, epitomized by its largest oil producers was IEA’s call for an well-respected annual World Energy Outlook. immediate halt to new fossil fuel supply proNowadays IEA has taken on an expand‘None of this adverse jects, stating ‘the trajectory of oil demand … ed role not only covering traditional energy comment is entirely means that no exploration for new resources sources such as oil, gas, and coal but renewis required and, other than fields already ables and other clean energy investments in fair to the IEA’ approved for development, no new oilfields order to assess the conditions for a sustainable are necessary.’ No further final investment decisions for new recovery and long-term structural decline in carbon emissions. That mandate has broadened to focus on reaching net zero emisunabated coal plants should be contemplated either, according sions. to the IEA. Global players in the energy markets, such as Russia and Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak described Saudi Arabia, are not members of the IEA club, nor is China. this approach as simplistic and unrealistic. ‘I can assure you Their absence will always be liable to diminish the authority of that the Russian Federation, its plans, its strategy is to continue the agency’s pronouncements and guidance. Even at the recent to invest in both oil and gas and in coal. But we also invest in G7 meeting hosted by the UK, where all the countries involved renewables as well, in hydrogen, in electric cars and electric sponsor IEA, leaders were tough on coal but said nothing notable charging stations, so we see the coming decade as using a mix of about future restrictions on oil production. renewables and fossils fuels.’ Forecasting future energy scenarios, particularly for a period The Saudi Arabian oil minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman over 25 years from now, can only be a guess based on current was even more dismissive: ‘It is a sequel of the La La Land’ trends. As such they should be treated as well intentioned crystal movie. Why should I take it seriously?’.

FIRST

BREAK

VOLUME

JULY

2021

CROSSTALK

ball gazing and not cause for too much castigation when those focused on the oil business. It has not yet followed the example guesses turn out wrong. of its European counterparts who are busy distancing themselves In this case IEA really has scored an own goal. In its defence, from hydrocarbons by referring to themselves as energy comIEA probably felt under pressure to deploy its expertise to set the panies. Now two directors (and possibly three when voting is agenda for the 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties complete) have been elected onto the ExxonMobil board of 12 (COP26) in Glasgow taking place in November. After all, IEA proposed by the hedge fund Engine No. 1. Supported by some can rightly claim that no other agency has been prepared to spell of the most important institutional investors in the US, Engine out the potential pain and disruption to the global community No. 1 claimed that the company’s current board was ill-equipped necessary to bring the carbon emissions target and not doing enough to handle the transforseriously into view by 2050. mations that are reshaping the energy sector. ‘Governments must IEA definitely delivered a wake-up call In Europe a warning shot across the bows that no one wants to hear, but details of the close the gap between of international oil companies was delivered roadmap got lost in the furore over its price recently by a judgement in a Dutch district net zero rhetoric assumptions. For example, common sense court ordering Shell to cut its absolute carbon and reality’ alone suggests that shutting down future oil emissions by 45% by 2030 compared to 2019 production plans beyond existing operations levels, in line with the Paris 2015 agreement. will upend IEA’s belief that there will be enough oil to power us As in similar litigation brought by climate change and human into the renewables era without roller-coast supply and demand rights activists, the case was based on a ‘duty of care’ clause and volatile oil prices. in the Dutch legal system. This is said to have provided judges Analysts at the Canadian bank BMO have probably nailed the some liberty consider links to human rights and the effect climate argument as well as any in critiquing the key IEA assumptions change has on the right to a healthy environment. that global oil demand will steadily shrink based on changed The ruling landmark may not be as consequential as it seems, consumer behaviour and tightening of government regulations. and is certainly destined to an appeal process that could last for ‘A more likely scenario’, BMO argues, ‘is that global oil demand years. Shell is already aiming to reduce the ‘carbon intensity’ continues to grow for at least the next ten years, albeit at a slower of products it sells by 20% up to 2030 from a 2016 baseline. pace than in the past’. This is because the linkage between popuThis sets up a problem of how to define reduction of greenhouse lation growth, economic growth and oil demand cannot be easily gases and, further down the road, how to measure compliance. In broken until there are viable economic substitutes that are widely addition Shell will argue that the reference target on emissions available, the analysts say. They also cite the United Nations prowas something agreed internationally by countries and not by jection that the world’s population will increase to 9.7 billion company entities. people in 2050, up from 7.7 billion in 2019, driven by growth in Leaving aside its improbable oil price scenarios, what is places including sub-Saharan Africa, India and Pakistan. admirable about IEA’s analysis is that it brings out into the open In the short term it is arguable that an immediate sharp rise what is really needed to meet the 2050 net zero target. As Fatih in oil price in the post-Covid economic recovery may be averted. Birol, IEA executive director, says, ‘Governments must close the Revived talks on Iran’s compliance with the 2015 deal on develgap between net zero rhetoric and reality’. opment of a nuclear weapon capability and the lifting of some Unsurprisingly everything IEA suggests in its roadmap US sanctions is expected to bring additional Iranian output into is subject to criticism. The timelines for adopting renewable the market. Meanwhile OPEC+ oil producers agreed in April to energy are said to be unrealistic. It admits that a significant part return 2.1 million barrels per day (bpd) of supply until at least the of its estimates are based on the contribution of yet-unproven end of July. It remains to be seen whether this will be sufficient to technology (e.g., carbon capture and bioenergy). Behavioural stabilize oil prices that have risen 30% this year with Brent crude changes are another issue. People will need to be buying electric last month edging over $70 per barrel. cars exclusively by 2035, retrofitting their homes, avoiding longHowever, BMO among many others warns that ‘global haul flights, driving no faster than 100 km an hour, and maybe supply could fall well short of demand over the next five years line-drying laundry, as someone has written. Then there is the amid growing pressures to slow investment, setting the stage for huge problem of engineering a global equitable energy transition. an unprecedented spike in oil prices.’ Oil supermajors are all This only starts by providing electricity to around 785 million coming under pressure from their stakeholders to meet reduced people who have no access to it and clean cooking solutions to carbon emission targets that will likely limit their freedom to 2.6 billion people. initiate significant new E&P projects. Alice of Alice in Wonderland remarks at some point, ‘It Even ExxonMobil is having its wings clipped. Up to now the would be so nice if something made sense for a change.’ So far company has been unembarrassed about its intention to remain the terms of the energy transition have not got there yet.

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

FIRST

BREAK

VOLUME

JULY

2021

HIGHLIGHTS

INDUSTRY NEWS

PGS releases Gulf of Mexico data

Shearwater wins 4D contract offshore Brazil

TGS buys wind consultancy

Covid-19 has cut $285 million in planned global oil and gas investment, says Rystad The negative impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on upstream investments in the first two years is estimated at $285 billion while global government income from oil and gas taxation has nearly halved over the past year to $560 million, according to research from Rystad Energy. In February 2020, before Covid19 started impacting the global energy system, Rystad Energy estimated global upstream investments for the year would end up at around $530 billion, almost at the same level as in 2019. However, as the Covid-19 pandemic triggered a collapse in oil prices during the early part of the second quarter last year, E&P companies slashed investment budgets to protect cash flow. This spending trend was not reversed in 2021, when prices rose. Compared to pre-pandemic estimates for 2020 and 2021, spending fell by around $145 billion last year and will end up losing $140 billion by the end of this year. Covid-19 has effectively removed 27% of planned investments confirming the worst fears of seismic companies who will need to permanently reset their strategies as a result of less investment in seismic surveys from big energy companies. Upstream spending was limited to $382 billion in 2020 and is forecast to marginally grow to $390 billion this year. And though

spending will start to grow from 2022 – it will not return to the pre-pandemic level of $530 billion. Growth will be limited and investments will only inch up annually, rising to just over $480 billion in 2025, when the Rystad report’s forecast ends. Between 2020 and 2021, shale/tight oil investments are the ones most affected, losing $96 billion of the previously expected spending, or 39% for the sector. Exploration spending is expected to drop by $19 billion, or 22%, compared to what was previously forecast. Greenfield investment in new conventional projects will suffer a $78 billion loss, or 28%, while brownfield investment in existing projects will fall by $92 billion, or 20%. ‘Since shale/tight oil is both the segment with the highest decline in activity and the supply source in greatest need of continuous reinvestment to keep production growing, the immediate impact on output from this sector has been significant,’ said Espen Erlingsen, head of upstream research at Rystad Energy. Meanwhile, Rystad research has also shown that the global government income from oil and gas taxation fell to a multi-year low in 2020 of around $560 billion, as production and prices shrunk. Before Covid-19, oil and gas taxes usually exceeded the trillion-dollar mark, but with the energy transition accelerating this FIRST

source of state income will never again exceed or meet $1 trillion. This year global oil and gas taxes will approach the trillion-dollar mark, reaching about $975 billion according to Rystad Energy estimates, assisted by high oil prices. From 2022, taxes will be limited to the low $800 billion range, only ticking up in the early 2030s to about $900 billion, before starting their final and uninterrupted decline to as low as $580 billion in 2040 and about $350 billion in 2050. Structural changes will be crucial to stabilize petroleum-reliant economies and avoid geopolitical instability, added Rystad. ‘Using Saudi Arabia as an example, we see that about half of the government take is at risk towards 2050, while total tax income from oil and gas made up 27% of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) in 2019.’ Algeria, Iraq, Kuwait and Libya – all of which are heavily dependent on tax revenue from the upstream industry – all garnered around 40% of GDP in 2019 from oil and gas tax revenue. In these countries, about 50% of the government take is at risk, meaning that this group is the most exposed to revenue risk as a result of the energy transition. Overall, Rystad modelling shows that petrostates will lose a cumulative $4.8 trillion in taxes until 2050. BREAK

VOLUME

JULY

2021

INDUSTRY NEWS

PGS releases final Gulf of Mexico data PGS has released final data from its Flex Vision data rejuvenation programme in the Gulf of Mexico. Application of new imaging technology to the prolific Flex Trend has revealed nearfield opportunities that boost potential far beyond original estimates.

The original dataset was acquired between 1993 and 1999 comprising 21 individual surveys and covering 32,930 km2 across the US shelf and shelf break. PGS said that the final data from the Flex Vision programme demonstrates striking improvements in image quali-

Flex Vision rejuvenation improves frequency content, removes complex multiples, builds a data driven and accurate sediment velocity model, solves complex salt geometries and recovers subsalt events in the associated low illumination areas.

‘New data unlocks opportunities adjacent to existing discoveries to enable infrastructure-led exploration in an area of the Gulf of Mexico that has been producing oil and gas for more than two decades. Salt, the biggest challenge for exploration on the Flex Trend, is resolved with high-quality depth imaging and improved velocity control,’ said PGS.

ty, resolution, bandwidth, and geologic accuracy. The data rejuvenation process started from field tapes and applied the latest broadband imaging techniques and workflows, from data conditioning, noise, and multiple suppression, to new model building and imaging algorithms. This has provided the most comprehensive and geologically sound dataset to date.

The seamless Flex Vision rejuvenated dataset covers 727 blocks (approx. 17,000 km2) over the mature Shelf and Shelf Break areas of the US Gulf of Mexico, from Vermilion in the west to Grand Isle in the east, along with northern portions of Garden Banks and Green Canyon. PGS has released high-resolution Kirchhoff and least-squares RTM products. Meanwhile, PGS and Joseph Exploration (JEX) have agreed a technical collaboration in the West Cameron protraction area in the US Gulf of Mexico, which includes the Flex Vision data. PGS will provide seismic data from the dataset for prospect development work to be undertaken by JEX. The study area in West Cameron is a subset of the PGS Flex Trend dataset. The latest dataset supports the exploration of deeper prospective intervals below the Pleistocene level than was possible with earlier imaging. This area is well-positioned to leverage existing infrastructure. ‘Joseph Exploration (JEX) brings an exploration methodology that leverages the importance of salt kinematics to unlock overlooked hydrocarbon potential. There remains a prospective trend in this area of the Gulf of Mexico and quality seismic data being provided by PGS is critical to successful exploitation,’ says Elazar Ovalle, CEO of JEX.

Magseis Fairfield completes 100th OBN survey Magseis Fairfield has become the first company to complete the acquisition of 100 ocean bottom node (OBN) surveys. The survey for BP over various assets in the US Gulf of Mexico used ZXPLR node technology and is offsetting carbon emissions, making it what Magseis Fairfield claims is the first carbon neutral survey to be acquired. ‘OBN seismic data is key for our operations in Gulf of Mexico and continues to provide significant value when

FIRST

BREAK

VOLUME

JULY

imaging our reservoirs, derisking our drilling programmes, and enabling a shift in performance through a data driven development strategy.’ said Peter Evans, vice-president Subsurface GoM and Canada at BP. Meanwhile, Magseis Fairfield has announced its strategy to become carbon neutral by 2040 or earlier. Over the last year Magseis Fairfield has switched to low sulphur diesel fuel in Q3 2020, reducing overall SOx emis-

2021

sions by 87% on the crews which were operational at that time, and by rolling out Maress software in Q1 2021 on all vessels. ‘This software allows us to accurately measure the remaining emissions, and then enables a science and technology-based approach to further reduce emissions,’ said the company in a statement. Over the last year Magseis Fairfield has also reduced waste streams, implemented remote access, reuse and recycle, and supported the clean ocean initiative.

INDUSTRY NEWS

CGG suffers reports first quarter net loss of $81 million CGG has reported a first quarter group net loss of $81 million on revenues of $209 million compared to a net loss of $98 million on revenues of $253 million in Q1 2020. The company’s operating loss was $14 million compared to an operating loss of $40 million in Q1 2020. Segment revenue of $213 million was down 21% year on year from $271 million in Q1 2020. However, IFRS operating loss of $14 million in Q1 2021 was an improvement on an IFRS operating loss of $40 million in Q1 2020. Geology, Geophysics and Reservoir revenue was $100 million, down from $197 million in the first quarter of 2020. Geoscience Revenue was $66 million compared to 93 million in Q1 2020. Multiclient revenue dropped from $104

million in Q1 2020 to $34 million in Q1 2021. However, the segment reduced its losses from $22 million in Q1 2020 to $8 million in Q1 2021. Equipment sales improved from $75 million in Q1 2020 to $113 million in Q1 2021. The improvement was driven by Sercel’s land sales, comprising 125,000 channels and 50 vibrators worldwide, mainly for Saudi Arabian megacrews. The WiNG land node system has also sold well to new clients, said CGG. Sophie Zurquiyah, CGG CEO, said: ‘With our successful refinancing we delivered the last milestone in our CGG 2021 strategy while normalizing our capital structure. We are now actively developing our new ambitions, focusing on growing our core highly differentiated businesses as the market gradually

strengthens, and accelerating our growth beyond the core into sectors, including digitalization, observation and monitoring, and energy transition. As anticipated, we continued to execute projects from our Geoscience backlog and delivered land equipment for the Saudi mega crews this quarter. Multi-Client saw a seasonal low in the first quarter and some shift in timing of sales. Overall, we generated $28m of positive net cash flow this quarter. With the oil price firming up above the $60/ bbl level, we started to see in March a resumption in commercial activity and contract awards, which gives us confidence in our 2021 financial objectives.’ In its results statement CGG confirmed a $1.2 billion debt refinancing and liquidity of $407 million.

Shearwater wins 4D contract offshore Brazil

SW Empress will mobilize in late Q2.

Shearwater Geoservices has won a 4D monitoring contract for towed streamer seismic acquisition in the Campos Basin offshore Brazil. The 3D and 4D programmes will be conducted over nine months by the SW Empress, over the Marlim, Albacora and Voador fields, starting in late Q2 2021.

‘Brazil has one of the most advanced programmes of deepwater 4D seismic monitoring for reservoir management. This large 4D towed streamer seismic award by Petrobras adds significant backlog to the substantial programmes already awarded to Shearwater in Brazil,’ said Irene Waage Basili, the CEO of Shearwater GeoServices.

TGS and Horisont team up on CCS Horisont Energi and TGS have signed an agreement to jointly develop carbon capture and storage (CCS) technologies. The companies will develop methods for both the identification and classification of CO2 storage reservoirs, and 4D monitoring technology for the surveillance of

CO2 injection. The research will initially focus on Horisont Energi’s acreage on the Norwegian Continental Shelf. Using imaging and monitoring technologies such as 4D seismic, Distributed Acoustic Sensing (DAS) and P-Cable technology, the companies aim to derisk FIRST

and monitor potential CCS reservoirs in Norwegian waters. Initiatives may utilize both active and passive geophysical methods and include seismic processing focused on optimized vertical and horizontal resolution at the reservoir level and in the overburden. BREAK

VOLUME

JULY

2021

INDUSTRY NEWS

TGS and PGS combine forces again for new survey offshore Newfoundland TGS and PGS have started acquisition of the Cape Anguille 3D programme with an anadditional 10,000 km2 of 3D coverage offshore Newfoundland. The survey covers existing lease blocks and open acreage in the prospective Orphan Basin, which has, among others, potential Cretaceous and Tertiary infill depocentres. The data acquired and processed will include Kirchhoff 3D PSTM volumes. The PGS vessel Ramform Titan will perform the long offset acquisition, utilizing Geostreamer technology. Kristian Johansen, CEO at TGS, said, ‘The Cape Anquille 3D survey will be instrumental in assessing potential prospects that have initially been identified from our comprehensive 2D library in the region. Leads have been identified from seismic data and work supported by amplitude variations (AVO). Our com-

bined seismic, well log and interpretation datasets provide the industry with invaluable subsurface insight. This data will enable our clients to provide improved geophysical and geological insights to derisk their exploration activities and prepare for upcoming licensing rounds.’ Rune Olav Pedersen, president and CEO of PGS said: ‘Canada remains a good investment for explorers and for the 11th year we experience solid industry interest for expansion of our high-quality multi-client library offshore Newfoundland. We will deploy two Ramform Titan-class vessels for the full season with GeoStreamer technology, a tailored towing configuration and advanced imaging workflows to deliver data that can provide significant insights to help derisk the prospects and plays offshore Canada.’

Ramform Titan will perform long offset acquisition.

Fast Track Kirchhoff PSTM stacks are scheduled to be delivered by November 2021. Final Kirchhoff PSTM stacks are expected to be delivered to TGS Data by March 2022.

CGG signs agreement with Geoptic to enhance CCS monitoring CGG has signed an R&D collaboration agreement with Geoptic to jointly research and assess a novel borehole solution for monitoring the spread of CO2 in subsurface storage sites for carbon capture and storage (CCS).

The JV will study the use cosmic ray muons for subsurface imaging.

The agreement focuses on developing a new version of Geoptic’s DIABLO muon tracking tool specifically for CCS

FIRST

BREAK

VOLUME

JULY

applications. Geoptic deploys DIABLO as part of its pioneering use of cosmic ray muons to passively and non-intrusively image the internal structure of objects. It has already gained award-winning experience in deploying muon technologies for subsurface surveys, such as its innovative imaging through the overburden of railway tunnels. Building on this success, Geoptic is developing muon sensors suitable for use down boreholes for the imaging of CCS projects several kilometres underground, as they can be especially useful for environmentally sensitive areas. Application of these sensors could expand to include surveying construction sites, structural monitoring, mining and other subsurface monitoring arenas. The collaboration is part of CGG’s initiative to develop technologies that

2021

advance the measurement, monitoring and verification (MMV) of CO2 storage. CGG will draw on its extensive expertise in geophysical imaging and integrated geoscience solutions to process and model the data acquired by Geoptic’s downhole tools. The collaboration is focused on delivering a new continuous long-term subsurface monitoring solution that will reduce the risks associated with CO2 leakage. Professor Jon Gluyas, chairman and co-founder of Geoptic, said: ‘Geoptic was launched in 2019 by the universities of Durham, Sheffield and St Mary’s following the successful development and testing of muon detectors that could operate in the deep, hot and hostile environments found deep below the Earth’s surface and typical of planned CO2 storage sites beneath the North Sea.’

INDUSTRY NEWS

Inpex shoots 2D survey in Western Australia Inpex is carrying out a 2D seismic survey of exploration permits WA-532-P and WA-533-P in the Browse and Offshore Canning Basins, offshore Western Australia. The survey for client Nopsema will also include the acquisition of seismic data in WA-50-L, also within the Browse Basin. At the closest point, the project will be undertaken 87 km west of Broome and 42 km offshore the Dampier Peninsula. Seismic data acquisition will mainly take place in water depths between approx. 50 m and 600 m below mean sea level. However, some data acquisition may occur in shallower areas located at Lynher Bank in the southern part of WA-532-P where the shallowest water depth is 30 m, and east of WA-533-P where the shallowest water depth is 37 m. Inpex is planning to acquire the 140day survey between November 2021 and May 2022.

Sercel launches shallow water seismic node Sercel has launched a new nodal seismic acquisition solution for deployment in shallow waters down to depths of 300 m. Developed in partnership with BGP, the solution expands Sercel’s existing GPRNT range which includes GPR1500 for high-end deepwater subsurface imaging. GPR300 features Sercel’s QuietSeis broadband digital sensor technology designed for ultra-quiet performance and digital fidelity. Its ability to record high-fidelity low-frequency signal also makes it suited for high-end seismic imaging with full-waveform inversion (FWI), said Sercel. In addition, its omni-tilt sensor package corrects for node inclination on the seabed, ensuring the most accu-

SeaBird Exploration to rebrand group as Green Energy SeaBird Exploration is proposing to rebrand the company as the Green Energy Group to signify its commitment to the energy transition. The company, which is relocating from Cyprus to Norway, will retain the name SeaBird Exploration for its offshore seismic business. SeaBird will become a subsidiary of Green Energy Group. The group’s change of strategy includes the formation of its subsidiary Green Minerals, which has now been listed on Euronext Growth, aimed at finding minerals in the seabed vital for producing batteries needed for the energy transition. The company has already signed an agreement with a consortium led by OSI Industries (UK) Ltd for a harsh environment deep sea mining system (HEDSMS). SeaBird has

rate 3C recording, the company added. BGP provided valuable input from the field, ensuring that this new-generation node is tailored to latest seismic industry requirements, said Sercel. Emmanuelle Dubu, Sercel CEO, said: ‘Sercel is now able to offer to the market a complete portfolio of products – from sources to receivers.’

GPR300 is a shallow water seabed solution.

Fugro wins geophysical site survey in UK North Sea

also won its first ever contract award in offshore wind. Meanwhile, the company has won a 90-day OBN source contract in the Eastern Hemisphere and has reported a first quarter EBTIDA loss of $0.5 million.

Fugro has won a geophysical and geotechnical site survey over the Pensacola Prospect in the UK southern North Sea for clients Shell and Deltic Energy. P2252 is a 28th Round licence located to the north west of the Breagh gas field. Deltic has identified a number of targets within Zechstein carbonates including the Pensacola Reef Prospect which has gross P50 recoverable resources of 309 BCF. The licence was the subject of a farm-in by Shell in 2019 and the partnership acquired new 3D seismic data across the Pensacola area in August 2019. Graham Swindells, chief executive of Deltic Energy, said: ‘The commissioning of the site survey is a key part of the well planning process. We look forward to continuing to progress through the planning phase towards drilling in May 2022.’

Petrel Explorer will serve as an accommodation vessel for a wind farm maintenance campaign in the Baltic Sea.

FIRST

BREAK

VOLUME

JULY

2021

INDUSTRY NEWS

TGS net profit rises to $42 million

Kristian Johansen, CEO of TGS.

TGS has reported first quarter net profit of $42.5 million on revenues of $186 million compared with a net loss of $30 million on revenues of $52 million in Q1 2020. Operating profit was $69 million compared to an operating loss of $58 million in the first quarter of 2020. Net segment revenues amounted to $75 million in Q1 2021, compared to $152 million in Q1 2020.

Organic multi-client investments were $36.5 million, compared with $138 million in the first quarter of 2020. Prefunding revenues of $25 million compared to $83 million in the first quarter of 2020. Late sales of $45 million in Q1 compared to $63 million in Q1 2020. TGS’ backlog at end of quarter was $82 million compared to $89 million in Q1 2020. Free-cash flow amounted to $484 million in Q1 2021, up from $1 million in Q1 2020. The cash holding increased by $58 million to $254 million on 31 March 2021. ‘Despite a substantial increase in the oil price over the past six months, exploration spending remains muted. Our clients are indicating that their strong cash flow will mainly be directed at div-

idends, share buybacks and deleveraging balance sheets. Consequently, the market for subsurface data and insights is likely to remain challenging in the near term, which in turn influences the risk level of the multi-client investments we will pursue for the remainder of this year. While we remain cautiously optimistic for a pick-up in activity towards the end of the year, we expect our near-term organic multi-client investments to be lower, partly due to use of supplier risk-sharing and JVs. As a result, we continue to add high volumes of data to our library and generate strong cash flow,’ said Kristian Johansen, CEO of TGS. The company’s guidance for 2021 is multi-client investments of between $150 million and $180 million (previously $200–230 million).

Stryde and Explor claim land seismic trace density record after Canada field test Stryde and Explor Pinpoint have claimed a world record in land seismic trace density after a 1 km2 field test at the Carbon Management Canada (CMC) research station delivered more than 256 million traces/km2. In the field test, Stryde’s Nodes and Explor’s source are being trialled against alternative monitoring technologies, such as distributed acoustic sensing (DAS) and other geophone products, with the final dataset to be compared to a previous 3D survey that was undertaken using a conventional seismic layout with a buggy-mounted vibratory source. Stryde, Explor and CMC have been collaborating to demonstrate the suitability of these ground-breaking technologies for carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS) project development and monitoring. The aim of the test was to demonstrate that Styde’s nodes in combination with Explor’s PinPoint source can be used to map out and monitor the subsurface for CO2 injection without the need 24

FIRST

BREAK

VOLUME

JULY

for clearing the area or compromising on data quality. ‘Subsurface monitoring is critical to the secure operation of any CCUS facility, but faces several challenges, including cost and space,’ said Stryde in a statement. ‘As storage projects are usually built near existing infrastructure, subsurface image quality is hampered by the constraints of costly and cumbersome legacy seismic acquisition technology and methods. As a result, many previous CCUS projects have struggled to produce high quality subsurface imaging due to the wide spacing between seismic nodes and constraints over source positioning.’ Mike Popham, CEO of Stryde, said, ‘Put simply, we are making high density seismic acquisition accessible for CCUS developers, which will help to drive the uptake of this crucial technology.’ Allan Châtenay, president of Explor said: ‘Our collaboration with Stryde and CMC is changing the game for subsurface imaging in support of CCUS, and 2021

we are proud to have achieved trace density 2.5 times the previous Canadian record.’ Don Lawton, director, Carbon Management Canada, said: ‘The scaling down of the size and cost of seismic technology has opened up so much potential for making both development and monitoring affordable. ‘This record-breaking high density has allowed us to accurately model the very shallow subsurface. In prior tests with 3D seismic imaging with wide line spacing, the data for shallow depths cannot be used – ultimately preventing us from exploring what could be valuable information. The density that we can achieve using Stryde and Explor really opens up new possibilities for a range of geotechnical purposes.’ Stryde, CMC, and Explor plan to make data from the demonstration project available under a no-cost licence to academic institutions. Datasets will also be available to license for companies who are considering CCUS.

INDUSTRY NEWS

Shearwater launches 11,000 km2 survey of UK Mid North Sea Shearwater GeoServices has launched the second and significantly larger phase of ION Geophysical’s 11,000 km2 UK Mid North Sea High 3D seismic survey programme using the vessel Oceanic Vega. ‘The Mid North Sea High’s proximity to shore and existing energy infrastructure supports lower development costs, making it an attractive development region for companies both within the oil and gas and the low carbon energy sectors,’ said Shearwater in a statement. ‘The acquisition of this large data set, prioritizing acquisition before wind farm installation, and covering areas with potential for carbon storage, represents

a unique opportunity for Shearwater and ION to support future energy transition activities.’ The five-month second phase builds on the initial survey last year. Upon completion in mid-October, the survey area included in the programme will have increased six-fold, Shearwater said. Meanwhile, Shearwater has become a partner in the Centre for Geophysical Forecasting (CGF), hosted by the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU). ‘This partnership with CGF enables us to collaborate and develop solutions towards improved geophysical monitoring and forecasting

Oceanic Vega will acquire the survey over five months.

with applications in and beyond the conventional hydrocarbon sector,’ said Irene Waage Basili, CEO of Shearwater GeoServices.

Halliburton and TGS plan to incorporate seismic imaging into fibre-optic sensing Halliburton and TGS are developing a solution that will combine fibre optic sensing and advanced seismic imaging for operators determining reservoir potential for oil and gas production or carbon storage. The Halliburton FiberVSP and Odassea distributed acoustic sensing solutions will now incorporate TGS’s seismic imaging workflows that process

the entire seismic wavefield to generate high-resolution reservoir images. ‘We are excited to transform vertical seismic profiling to a full-field, digital, and intervention-less surveillance solution,’ said Trey Clark, vice-president of wireline and perforating at Halliburton. ‘Through our collaboration with TGS, we can now enable real-time monitoring of production across an entire field,

allowing our customers to make better decisions and increase ultimate recovery.’ Jan Schoolmeesters, executive vice president of TGS operations and new energy solutions, said: ‘This solution enables enhanced reservoir understanding for our customers with a lower total cost of ownership relative to conventional 4D seismic.’

PGS wins Black Sea survey

Ramform Vanguard will tow a 12x8000 m spread.

PGS has won a big 3D survey in the Black Sea to start mid-August 2021 and complete in November with options to extend the contract well into 2022. The vessel Ramform Vanguard will acquire the survey using an exploration configuration towing a 12x8000 m spread. ‘We reactivated the Ramform Vanguard for the North Sea summer season

FIRST

because of increased seismic acquisition activity. The plan was to take her out of operation after the summer season. Sales leads and active tenders remain healthy, and this contract award is evidence of a continued positive market sentiment, which we believe will extend into the winter season,’ said president and CEO of PGS, Rune Olav Pedersen.

BREAK

VOLUME

JULY

2021

INDUSTRY NEWS

TGS develops North America CO2 storage altas TGS is developing a CO2 storage risk assessment atlas for North America in collaboration with consultancy firm Canadian Discovery Ltd. The atlas, designed for use as a screening and assessment tool for subsurface carbon storage sites, will consist of an interpretation data set delivered in a digital atlas format. Data will be visualized via TGS’ Pathfinder app for instant, interactive analysis of potential CCS hubs and subsurface

information to assess existing geologic resources potentially suitable for carbon storage. The digital atlas data will include consistent volumetrics with risk and confidence assessments and prospect ranking based on various criteria, along with supporting data appendices. The first phase of the atlas project will focus on enhanced oil recovery (EOR) and depleted reservoirs in the US onshore Gulf Coast region and will be available in Q3, 2021.

The TGS data library holds more than 9 million well logs, including Analytics Ready LAS (ARLAS) products. Onshore interpretation products include 19 key basins covered by basin temperature models (BTMs) and have more than a million hand-interpreted formation tops. ‘TGS positioned to develop this tool by leveraging its subsurface data and knowledge,’ said Katja Akentieva, vice president of TGS New Energy Solutions for the Western Hemisphere.

Ikon Science launches solution to manage data in single workspace Ikon Science has launched Curate, a knowledge management solution that enables energy companies to collaborate within a single workspace to access all subsurface data. ‘Energy companies are challenged to navigate the large amounts of complex data they possess as it is often siloed within different departments and software programs,’ said Ikon in a statement. ‘This inefficiency causes 20-30% in lost personnel time. The inability to instantly access data leads to

Ikon’s Curate knowledge management solution.

isolated workflows, poor utilization, and compromised decision-making resulting in locked in capital and delayed revenue due to sub-optimal exploration, appraisal and development processes.’ Curate provides instant access to subsurface information and tight integration with legacy databases and open industry standards such as the OSDU data platform. It also gives companies the flexibility of deploying scalable solutions from SaaS delivery through to Enterprise deployment.

Energy transition round-up The Dutch government has granted a consortium including Shell and ExxonMobil $2.4 billion in subsidies to develop what is set to become one of the largest carbon capture and storage (CCS) projects in the world at the Port of Rotterdam. The project aims to capture CO2 emitted by factories and refineries in the Rotterdam port area and store it in empty Dutch gas fields in the North Sea. The US has approved the construction of the Vineyard Wind project – the first large-scale, offshore wind project in the United States. The 800-megawatt Vineyard Wind energy project will contribute to the Biden administration’s goal of generating 30 gigawatts of energy from offshore wind by 2030. The project will be 26

FIRST

BREAK

VOLUME

JULY

located approx. 12 nautical miles offshore Martha’s Vineyard. Vineyard Wind will install 84 or fewer turbines off Massachusetts as part of an 800-megawatt offshore wind energy facility. It will power 400,000 homes. Total shareholders have voted to change the company’s name from Total to TotalEnergies with an accompanying new logo to signify its transformation into a broader energy company. IGas has received planning approval from Stoke-on-Trent City Council in the UK for a deep geothermal project in the Etruria Valley that will supply zero carbon heat to the city for decades to come. BP is buying 9GW of solar development projects in the US from independent 2021

US solar developer 7X Energy for $220 million. The deal will grow BP’s renewables pipeline from 14GW to 23GW. The assets will be developed through BP’s 50-50 solar joint venture Lightsource BP. Cerulean Winds has launched plans for an integrated 200-turbine floating wind and hydrogen development that could abate 20 million tonnes of CO2 through simultaneous projects in the UK North Sea West of Shetland and in the Central North Sea. The £10 billion venture is now calling on UK and Scottish governments to grant seabed leases. Cerulean Winds is led by entrepreneurs Dan Jackson and Mark Dixon, who work together on largescale offshore infrastructure developments in the oil and gas industry.

INDUSTRY NEWS

PGS and Ion Geophysical complete 3D survey for Shell offshore Egypt PGS and ION Geophysical have completed a 3D survey offshore Egypt acquired on behalf of Shell with an innovative Extended Long Offset (ELO) design in combination with ION’s Gemini source technology. This is the last in a string of PGS programmes in the Mediterranean starting in July 2020, and the first proprietary deployment of ION’s extended frequency source. The vessel Ramform Tethys towed a wide multi-sensor GeoStreamer configuration, while the Ramform Sovereign towed Ion’s extended frequency source, designed to help capture richer low frequencies to improve subsurface characterization while limiting higher frequencies to a more ecologically friendly range. Gerard van Drempt, Shell global category manager geophysics said, ‘PGS survey execution, combined with the ION Gemini source performed well and Shell is pleased to see the expected uplift in low-frequency content.’

Digitise The World

Bring Light to Your Dark Data Capture, index and manage all of your subsurface data in one repository that’s been proven for over 80 petabytes of E&P data. Katalyst can get you started. Contact sales@katalystdm.com.

katalystdm.com/iglass

Ramform Sovereign towed ION’s extended frequency source.

Nathan Oliver, EVP sales and services at PGS said: ‘The ELO configuration in combination with ION’s extended frequency source enabled efficient recording of offsets up to 16 km. The innovative ELO survey design combines optimal spatial sampling for better subsurface imaging together with long offset multi-sensor GeoStreamer acquisition for accurate velocity model building. ELO is a cost-competitive and efficient configuration compared to other solutions for imaging deep targets.’

FIRST

Katalyst Data Management0721.indd 1

BREAK

VOLUME

JULY

2021

14/06/2021 08:24

INDUSTRY NEWS

PGS reprocesses 15,000 km2 of PSDM data offshore Cyprus

PGS has begun the first phase of the Cyprus Vision data rejuvenation project in partnership with the Cypriot Ministry for Energy, Commerce and Industry. The 14,750 km2 PSDM reprocessing project will deliver a single data volume over several highly prospective blocks in the Cypriot EEZ. Four surveys acquired between 2013 and 2017, the majority of them as multi-client projects, will be reprocessed and delivered on a common grid. ‘Cyprus has attracted strong industry interest. Multiple commercial gas dis-

coveries have been made in recent years, most notably Zohr, Calypso, and Glaucus, and there is also the possibility of presalt Miocene sand-hosted reservoirs,’ said Joshua May, PGS business development manager Africa, Mediterranean and Middle East. Final PSDM reprocessed data from Cyprus Vision Phase One will be ready in Q2 2022, and this will be immediately followed by the commencement of the Cyprus Vision Phase Two. Meanwhile, PGS is offering multi-client seismic data covering all blocks on

offer in the Egypt Offshore Licensing Round. The Ministry of Petroleum recently announced the round in a highly prospective area of the eastern Mediterranean. Offshore Egypt is bounded to the south by the mature onshore Western Desert basins and includes the prolific Nile Delta cone. PGS’ broadband data library coverage reveals multiple opportunities, including potential presalt carbonate build-ups, Shelfal plays that have direct analogs to the onshore Western Desert and additional clastic plays that are comparable to the Nile Delta pre- and postsalt clastic plays. ‘Blocks in this round are particularly well covered by our 37,500 km of 2D data with well and field ties, said PGS. PGS has a 22,000 km regional long-offset GeoStreamer 2D dataset and an additional 6000 km2 of 3D coverage offshore Egypt, offering an important link between mature eastern acreage and the western frontier. A PGS interpretation based on a basin modelling study that links the Nile Delta to the western frontier area has also been performed.

TGS buys offshore wind consultancy TGS has acquired 4C Offshore, a market intelligence consultancy providing research and insights to big players in the offshore wind industry. Based in Lowestoft, UK, with 29 employees, 4C Offshore provides data on more than 2000 offshore wind projects. The company has almost 350 clients and in 2020 subscription payments for the company’s data services accounted for almost 80% of revenues. ‘The company carries a strong reputation within the industry for its quality data that is highly trusted for asset-level decisions. The strengths of 4C Offshore

FIRST

BREAK

VOLUME

JULY

fit perfectly with TGS’s ambition to become the leading global provider of energy data and insights to support decision-making processes across the energy value chain,’ said Kristian Johansen, TGS CEO. Chris Anderson, chairman and CEO at 4C Offshore, said: ‘Last year renewable electricity sources grew at their fastest rate in two decades, despite the pandemic. Together with TGS, we expect to grow and improve upon our services and capitalize on the expected increase in demand for high quality data and insights on offshore wind.’

2021

Offshore windfarms will benefit from TGS insights.

INDUSTRY NEWS

TGS starts 2D survey offshore Brazil TGS has started acquisition of the Pelotas 2D multi-client phase 3 offshore Brazil as it continues to build a 2D grid along the Atlantic Margin. The survey in the Pelotas Basin covers approx. 17,000 line km and extends the existing TGS Pelotas 2D dataset. It is designed to provide high-quality 2D data that will enhance geological understanding of the area, allowing clients to derisk investments in future bidding rounds, such as the upcoming Round 17. Early data was expected to be ready in two tranches (June and July) to allow clients to analyse the data well ahead of the upcoming licensing round. TGS currently holds more than 447,500 km in 2D multi-client data and 69,500 km2 in 3D multi-client data in Brazil.

The Pelotas dataset will cover 17,000 km.

Equinor working with RWE and Hydro REIN to develop wind power offshore Norway

Sørlige Nordsjø II in the Norwegian North Sea is becoming an offshore wind hub.

Equinor, RWE Renewables and Hydro REIN have signed a collaboration agreement to develop a large-scale bottom-fixed offshore wind farm in the Sørlige Nordsjø II area in the Norwegian North Sea. The Norwegian Ministry of Petroleum and Energy has opened two areas for offshore renewables (Utsira Nord and Sørlige Nordsjø II) and is currently working on the licensing process for offshore wind power projects in Norway. The area borders the Danish sector in the North Sea and is ideally located for supply of electricity to Europe, said Equinor. ‘The Sørlige Nordsjø II area, with water depths between 53 and 70 m, has

potential to deliver a significant amount of renewable energy to countries aiming to transform their energy mix, following the EU and the UK’s ambitions for 300 GW and 100 GW respectively of offshore wind capacity by 2050 to reach their net zero ambitions,’ said Equinor in a statement. Equinor and RWE have jointly developed the 385-megawatt Arkona offshore wind farm in the German part of the Baltic Sea. This was commissioned in 2019 and is delivering sustainable renewable electricity for the equivalent of 400,000 German households.

US launches plan for windpower off the coast of California The US has announced plans for offshore wind off the northern and central coasts of California to generate 4.6 GW of clean energy to the grid. The Department of the Interior, in cooperation with the Department of Defense and the State of California, has identified an area (the Morro Bay 399 Area) that will support 3 gigawatts of offshore wind on roughly 399 square miles off California’s central coast region, northwest of Morro Bay.

The Department of the Interior is also advancing the Humboldt Call Area located off northern California. A lease sale auction is expected to take place in mid-2022. While advancing wind power, the Department of the Interior dealt a blow to oil and gas by suspending the Coastal Plain Oil and Gas Leasing Programme in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge pending completion of a comprehensive analysis under

FIRST

the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). Under the previous administration, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) held a lease sale on 6 January, 2021, and subsequently issued 10-year leases on nine tracts covering more than 430,000 acres. The department has now identified a lack of analysis of a reasonable range of alternatives in the EIS conducted under NEPA.

BREAK

VOLUME

JULY

2021

INDUSTRY NEWS

Equinor and Horizont commit to the Polaris carbon storage project in Norway

Polaris is targeting total carbon storage capacity of more than 100 million tonnes offshore.

Equinor has struck an agreement with Horisont Energi to further develop the Polaris carbon transportation and storage project off the coast of northern Norway. The scheme is expected to have a carbon storage capacity in excess of

100 million tonnes, which is equivalent to twice Norway’s annual greenhouse gas emissions. The offshore carbon storage reservoir is a key part of the planned Barents Blue project, which will be Europe’s first world-scale carbon neutral ammonia production plant. If developed, Barents Blue will have a production capacity of 3000 tonnes of ammonia per day, making it one of the largest ammonia plants in the world. In its first phase, the facility will convert natural gas from the Barents South region to carbon neutral blue ammonia, an easily transportable hydrogen carrier, which can be converted back to hydrogen at destination or used directly in many applications. Currently at the end of the feasibility phase and soon entering the concept phase, an investment decision for Polaris and the

Barents Blue project is expected towards the end of 2022. In December 2020 Horisont Energi and Equinor started a joint feasibility study for the Barents Blue project. The plant is intended to have the capacity to produce more than 1 million tonnes of blue ammonia per year once operational in 2025, and will have a CO2 capture rate above 99%, making it the most carbon-efficient gas-fed ammonia plant in the world. In the first phase, Polaris will store 2 million tonnes of CO2 annually from the Barents Blue ammonia production. At the Sleipner and Snøhvit fields, Equinor has captured and stored 26 million tonnes of CO2 to date. The company is also a partner in the Northern Lights CO2 transport and storage project.

PGS says seismic companies are ready for carbon capture monitoring The energy industry will continue to use high-resolution seismic acquisition to understand the subsurface risks and opportunities in marine areas as we transition to renewables and lower-carbon energy sources to complement fossil fuels, says PGS. Captured carbon (CO2) stored in aquifers must be monitored for shallow seal integrity and offshore wind farms require

geotechnical ground models and seismic characterization of the near-surface. In the company’s latest Industry Insights article, PGS chief geoscientist and technology commentator Andrew Long addresses the question of whether new types of seismic acquisition solutions will be required for new energy projects, or whether existing methods can be adapted to provide new value and insights.

Towed-streamer seismic acquisition using tailored acquisition configurations provides an efficient method of accessing high-resolution datasets for several purposes, said Long. He also shows how full wavefield imaging solutions can high-grade existing seismic data to significantly enhance the resolution and quality of shallow imaging.

Repsol moves into renewables Repsol has made its first move into the renewables market by acquiring 40% of Hecate Energy, a US company specializing in the development of PV solar and battery projects for energy storage. Hecate Energy, based in Chicago, has an extensive portfolio of renewable projects 30

FIRST

BREAK

VOLUME

JULY

totalling more than 40 gigawatts (GW). Of these, 16.8 GW are PV solar projects and energy storage associated with these assets, all at advanced stages of development. The company also participates in Hecate Grid, a battery platform for energy storage with a capacity of 4.3 GW. 2021

The agreement will make Repsol a significant player in the US solar and battery storage development market. The company will also have the option of acquiring Hecate Energy’s outstanding shares three years after the closing of this transaction.

INDUSTRY NEWS

Eni and Progressive Energy sign UK carbon capture deal Eni and Progressive Energy have signed a framework agreement to accelerate carbon capture and storage (CCS) within the HyNet North West low carbon cluster project. Eni will develop and operate both the onshore and offshore transportation and storage of CO2 in its Liverpool Bay assets, while Progressive Energy will lead the capture and hydrogen aspects of the project on behalf of Hynet North West. Memoranda of understanding in respect of the capture and storage of future CO2 emissions have been signed between

BRIEFS

Eni and multiple industrial companies for use of the facility. In October 2020, Eni was awarded a CO2 storage appraisal licence which targets Eni’s offshore fields in Liverpool Bay to be utilized as a permanent store for CO2. The project secured a funding commitment of £72 million ($99 million) in March 2021, comprising £33 million ($44 million) from UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) through the Industrial Decarbonisation Challenge (IDC) fund, and £39 million ($55 million) from the HyNet consortium.

Fugro to carry out site investigations for German offshore windfarms Fugro has won a multi-year site investigation contract from Germany’s Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency for offshore windfarm site investigations. The three-part programme to be completed over three years comprises geotechnical investigations for offshore wind farm development areas in the German sector of the North Sea. Fugro’s site characterization services will consist of geotechnical data acquisition from multiple geotechnical drilling and seabed

testing vessels, followed by laboratory testing and reporting by its German and UK laboratories. Fugro is mobilizing for the first phase, starting with seabed cone penetration drilling of the boreholes with downhole CPT testing, sampling and geophysical logging from dedicated geotechnical vessels. The laboratory testing results will be used by future wind farm developers to prepare their bids.

Magseis Fairfield has won a 4D Ocean Bottom Node (OBN) monitor survey in the Norwegian North Sea. The one-month survey using Magseis Fairfield’s MASS node technology will start in the third quarter of 2021. The UK Oil and Gas Authority (OGA) has launched a virtual map gallery showcasing six of the OGA’s most popular and recent apps allowing users to explore a huge range of data. The apps are UKCS lease agreements, daily production data, exploration and appraisal wells, offshore activity, relinquishment requests and production dashboard. PGS has come to a settlement with DUG Technology and Polarcus for alleged patent infringement. The company filed a lawsuit in Australia in 2018 against certain subsidiaries of DUG Technology and Polarcus alleging infringement of certain of its patents.The settlement terms include a cash payment by the DUG parties to PGS and the grant of a worldwide, royalty-free, non-exclusive licence by PGS to DUG and its subsidiaries of the marine seismic patents. Getech has reported 2020 revenues of £3.6 million, down from £6.1 million in 2019. The order book at the end of 2020 was £2.7 million compared to £3.1 million in 2019. The company reported an EBTIDA loss of £0.5 million compared with a profit of £0.9 million in 2019. Net cash at 31 December 2020 was £1.4 million compared to £2.7 million at the end of 2019. In April 2021 Getech raised £6.25 million through a shares subscription. This will be used to grow and diversify Getech’s activities in the green hydrogen, carbon capture, geothermal and strategic minerals sectors. Kris Energy has announced it is going into liquidation having taken into consideration the significantly lower ultimate recovery and cashflow from the Apsara Mini Phase 1A development, resulting in the company’s restructuring exercise being no longer viable. The company submitted a winding-up petition to the Grand Court of the Cayman Islands on 4 June.

Fugro data will help developers prepare their bids for windfarm projects.

FIRST

BREAK

VOLUME

JULY

2021

INDUSTRY NEWS

Exploration Round-up Shell has discovered oil at the Leopard prospect in the deep-water US Gulf of Mexico (GoM). The Leopard well encountered more than 183 m net oil pay at multiple levels. Leopard is located in OCS block Alaminos Canyon (AC) 691, 32 km east of the Whale discovery, 32 km south of the recently appraised Blacktip discovery and 53 km from the Perdido host. Leopard is an opportunity to increase production in the Perdido Corridor, where Shell’s Great White, Silvertip and Tobago fields are already producing. Meanwhile, the Whale discovery, also in the Perdido Corridor, is progressing towards a final investment decision in 2021. Leopard is operated by Shell (50%) and co-owned by Chevron (50%). Wintershall Dea has made a big gas, condensate and oil discovery at the Dvalin North prospect in the Haltenbanken area of the Norwegian Sea. The Dvalin North discovery, estimated to hold between 33-70 million barrels of oil equivalent (boe), is 12 km north of the company’s operated Dvalin field, and 65 km north of the Maria field. The well also encountered hydrocarbons in two shallower secondary targets, with a combined resource estimate of 38-87 million boe. The well encountered gas,

condensate and oil columns of 33 m and 114 m respectively in the Cretaceous Lysing and Lange Formations. In the primary target in the Garn Formation, the well found a gas column of 85 m. Wintershall Dea is the operator with a 55% share. Other partners are Petoro and Sval Energi. Equinor (operator), ExxonMobil, Petrogal Brasil and Pré-sal Petróleo (PPSA) have decided to develop phase one of the Bacalhau field in the Brazilian pre-salt Santos area – the first greenfield development by an international operator in the presalt area. For an $8 billion investment, the break-even is below $35 and estimated recoverable reserves in the first phase are more than one billion barrels of oil. First oil is planned in 2024. Reconnaissance Energy Africa (Recon Africa) has confirmed a working petroleum system in the Kavango Sedimentary Basin in Namibia. Based on initial analysis, 134 m of light oil and gas shows from the 6-1 well. The shows are similar in character (with clastic and thick carbonate sections) to those seen in the 6-2 well, 16 km to the south. The 6-1 and 6-2 wells are in the same sub-basin, one of five major sub-basins of the larger, more laterally extensive Kavango Sedimentary Basin. The upcoming 2D

seismic survey will tie in the data from these two wells and provide the first regional interpretation of the overall basin. Schlumberger, Geomark Research and Netherland Sewell and Associates have been providing research. Eni has encountered 43 m of gas-bearing net sands with excellent reservoir characteristics of Pliocene Age after drilling the Maha 2 appraisal well in the West Ganal block offshore Kalimantan, Indonesia. The field is 16 km south-east of Jangkrik FPU, operated by Eni. The well has been drilled to a depth of 2970 m in 1115 m water depth. Through the test and the coring of the reservoir, important data have been collected to perform all the studies required for the preparation of a field development plan for the Maha field, where two other appraisal wells are planned. The development plan foresees a sub-sea completion and a tie-in to Jangkrik FPU. Eni is the operator of West Ganal Block holding 40% interest while Neptune and P.T. Pertamina Hulu hold a 30% each. Turkey has discovered 135 billion cubic metres of additional natural gas in the southern Black Sea with the Amasra-1 well in the Sakarya gas field, raising the total discovery in the region to 540 billion cubic metres.

Mind Technology announces two seismic equipment deals Texas-based Mind Technology has made a $5 million deal with an international seismic exploration company to provide two GunLink 4000 systems and associated equipment and spares. Guy Malden, MIND Co-CEO, said, ‘We see this as another example of improving activity within the marine exploration market.’ Meanwhile, Mind’s Seamap unit has entered into a framework agreement with PGS for the provision of 32

FIRST

BREAK

VOLUME

JULY

source controllers and related services over an ‘indefinite delivery period’. Malden said: ‘We are pleased to expand our long-standing relationship with PGS. Under this new framework agreement, we expect to provide advanced source controller technology over the coming years, adding to the GunLink and SourceLink products currently deployed in the PGS fleet.’ 2021

Gun Firing and Sensing Module (GFSM).

Special Topic

DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION IN GEOSCIENCE Geoscientists are utilizing artificial intelligence to do the work once done by human minds. People are consequently freed up to focus on the bigger picture. We showcase the latest digitization initiatives in the industry that are enabling energy companies to improve exploration of new and existing fields and also ramp up for the energy transition. Sergey Alyaev et al demonstrate a workflow for geosteering in an outcrop-based synthetic fluvial succession and explain why their method reduces uncertainty and correctly predicts most of the major geological features. Tsimfer Sergey et al present the deployment of machine learning at one of the world’s largest oil companies. Alex Katashov et al analyse a new digital platform combining the use of actual downhole data, machine learning, and verification of the results obtained with hydrodynamic simulators. Nicholas T. Okita et al show how cloud computing helps to improve ESGtype practices while also providing a cheaper alternative to the huge cost of acquiring an infrastructure. Roberto Ruiz et al explore the potential of mining an extensive petrophysics and rock physics well database in the Norwegian Sea through advanced machine learning algorithms for estimation of reservoir elastic properties, and what it could mean for the optimization of workflows. Philip Hargreaves et al discuss how digitization is helping the geoscience profession to widen its scope in the search for cleaner sources of energy Paul Genberg presents a new a new exploration studio that is using AI to break down silos and help its young geoscientists to flourish.

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.

FIRST

BREAK

VOLUME

JULY

2021

FEATURE: WHATSUP!

Advice to the younger generation Peter Rowbotham writes to his former self about things to remember when starting out in geoscience. Those EAGE members fortunate to have children will have often faced the challenge of guiding them to make the best choices, without shielding them too much in an all protecting cocoon from the outside world. It pays to think back to our own experiences of growing up and stepping through our educational careers through to our early years of employment. If you had the super power of time travel, what would be the key pieces of advice you would give your younger self? Dear son/daughter (or my younger self), as you start out on your own career path in the adult world, here are some life lessons I would like to share with you. I trust they help you navigate the uncertainties of the future. People and success No matter whether your future is technical, managerial or creative, whether you work for a small or large organisation, or whether you work in the government or private sector, the one constant formula for success is how you deal with people. Treat everyone with the respect and compassion that you would like to be treated with yourself. The working world you are joining is a small village. Never, ever be rude about people or advance yourself at the expense of others. ‘What do I mean by success?’ I hear you ask. You can’t (just) measure success by job title, salary, happy family and relationships, number of publications or discoveries. For some these may be the motivating factors, but your definition of success is for you to decide – a sense of fulfilment in your job, of doing something worthwhile that makes a difference, whilst maintaining a healthy balance with life outside your work. Try not to define yourself by your job – you are much more than that. Be disciplined about stepping away from your keyboard. There may be trouble ahead You will encounter bullies and manipulators in the future. Just as in school, don’t let them get you down and avoid them in future. When you see others suffering from their actions, step up and support the victim; you know that is the right thing to do. Your educational and early career life was clearly laid out with a few well-defined choices – lessons, exams, lessons, more exams, choice of course and university, choice of job or further post-graduate study, job interviews. Don’t expect that your future career path will be so clearly mapped out.

There will be set-backs. Don’t take interview rejection or job loss personally. It’s just that there was someone else on this occasion who ticked more boxes, or your job position was unsustainable in the economic climate. If they didn’t want you, someone else will. If the opportunity is right, consider stepping down or sideways. ‘Where do you see yourself in five years’ time?’ – a typical interview question but also a very useful mantra. Work backwards from this target. What actions do you need to take in the next year to reach your five year goal. Don’t say to yourself ‘I wish I had …’ – weigh up the pros and cons of every decision and choose your path with no regrets. Develop yourself Who are your role models? What impresses you about what they do and how they do it, and what skills do you need to develop to emulate them? Take time to listen to others but when it comes to the advice you are given, try to understand the perspective of those giving you that advice. What’s right for them is not necessarily so for you. (No, that doesn’t mean you can stop reading now!) Actively seek feedback on your performance in your working role and quell your natural emotional response to shut out criticism. Learn how to listen. Figure out what you are good at, and what you are not. Accept yourself, rather than wasting time trying to be what you are not. Know yourself and what makes you tick. Seek out a role that you enjoy. That said, take every learning opportunity that will complement your skills. Take time to understand your biases and how you can mitigate them. Learn something new every day. The enquiry skills you have been developing at university will put you in good stead for future challenges. Keeping your skills up to date will help your job retention and satisfaction, and give you the best opportunity of being in the right place at the right time for future opportunities. You don’t have to get the right answer every time. It is much more valuable to know the range of possibilities. Learn to express your uncertainties. It’s OK to say ‘I don’t know’. And to end: Don’t be distracted by the noise. Keep your promises – do what you’ve said you will do. Don’t worry – you’re doing just fine, and we’re all proud of what you’ve achieved so far. Wishing you all the best for the future, and enjoy the ride.

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

FIRST

BREAK

VOLUME

JULY

2021

CALENDAR

CALENDAR OF EVENTS 6-10 SEP 2021

Geomodel 2021 23rd conference on oil and gas geological exploration and development

Gelendzhik, Russia and online www.eage.org

July 2021 Goldschmidt 2021

4‑9 Jul

Online

August 2021 4-6 Aug

Data Science in Oil and Gas 2021 www.eage.ru

Novosibirsk and Online

19‑20 Aug

First EAGE Workshop on Geothermal Energy in Latin America www.eage.org

Online

22‑28 Aug

9 th International DHC+ Summer School

Karlshamn

24‑25 Aug

First EAGE Workshop on Faults in Groundwater, CO2 and Hydrocarbons in Asia Pacific www.eage.org

Online

29 Aug ‑ 2 Sep

Near Surface Geoscience Conference & Exhibition 2021 www.nsg2021.org

Bordeaux and online

Russia

Sweden

France

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

Russia

8-10 Sep

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

Rio de Janeiro and Online

Brazil

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

EAGE Events

FIRST

BREAK

Non-EAGE Events

VOLUME

JULY

2021

Hungary

CALENDAR

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

October 2021 4‑6 Oct

International Conference of Young Professionals «GeoTerrace-2021»

Lviv and Online

Ukraine

4‑7 Oct

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

Manama

Bahrain

5‑7 Oct

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

Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk and online

Russia

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

Mexico

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

8‑10 Nov

Bogotá and online

Colombia

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

Houston and online

United States

9‑11 Nov

Sixth EAGE Borehole Geophysics Workshop www.eage.org

Dubai and online

United Arab Emirates

14‑16 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 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

Vietnam

EAGE Events

France

Non-EAGE Events

FIRST

BREAK

VOLUME

JULY

2021