OGA issues further contracts to build frontier seismic database
The Oil and Gas Authority (OGA) has awarded two contracts worth more than £2.5 million to Schlumberger WesternGeco and DownUnder Geosolutions (DUG), in collaboration with Geopartners Ltd, to supply around 15,000km of reprocessed multi-client 2D seismic data in six areas around the UK Continental Shelf (UKCS)
This includes data from the Southwest Approaches, Northern Approaches and Bristol Channel, Cardigan Bay and Celtic Sea, Morecambe Bay and East Irish Sea, the East Shetland Platform and North Western Britain (including the Minches and the Firth of Clyde).
The datasets will complement data being acquired by the 2016 UK Government funded seismic acquisition programme of the East Shetland Platform and South West Britain, which began last month, and will extend the seismic coverage out to surrounding areas. Mirroring last year’s programme, the seismic data will be reprocessed using modern processing workflows and is expected to be made available to the industry in Q2 2017.
In addition, the OGA is pleased to announce a second tender of six lots to reprocess a further 10,000 km proprietary seismic 2D data from around the UKCS. Amongst other areas, this includes a large regional 2D seismic dataset from the Anglo-Paris basin (incorporating the Wessex basin) where both land and marine seismic data will be reprocessed.
Nick Richardson, OGA Exploration and New Ventures Manager, said: “The combination of the Rockall and Mid-North Sea High data acquired in 2015, the two new broadband seismic datasets being acquired this summer in South West Britain and the East Shetland Platform, and the reprocessing of legacy datasets in 2016 and 2017 will form part of a consistent, modern, regional 2D seismic dataset across large, underexplored areas of the UK Continental Shelf that will be provided to the industry for a nominal fee.
“These data have the potential to unlock exploration potential in areas that have not been looked in earnest for decades and consequently have not benefitted from the latest acquisition and processing techniques. The data packages will support the evaluation of acreage to be made available in the 29th Offshore Licensing Round, which is open now, and future planned licence rounds.”
ENDS
Notes to editors:
- For more information about additional reprocessing tender opportunity, please visit the Delta eSourcing portal
- The 29th Offshore Licensing Round opened on 27th July and closes for applications at 14:00 on the 26th October 2016.
- 1261 blocks are on offer in all. A full list of the blocks on offer can be viewed on the licensing rounds page
- The 2016 seismic programme will focus on South West Britain and the East Shetland Platform. Contracts were awarded to WesternGeco and PGS respectively and acquisition is meant to complete in Q4 2016.
- It is expected these areas will be made available for licensing in the 31st Frontier Licensing Round.
- The 2015 UK Government funded seismic acquisition programme acquired 8,896km of full-fold seismic in the Rockall Trough area, 10,849 km of full-fold seismic acquired in Mid-North Sea High which was published under the Open Government Licence on 31st March 2016.
- Data is available to download via Common Data Access (CDA)
- Common Data Access (CDA) is an operating subsidiary of Oil & Gas UK, set up in 1995 to provide cost-effective data management services to its members and to the UK oil industry in general.
- The OGA recently awarded four contracts for surface and subsurface studies to improve geotechnical understanding and issued more than £200,000 in the final stage of its inaugural Exploration Licence Competition.
For more information please contact:
Leona Minellas
Press and Media Advisor
Oil & Gas Authority
Tel: +44 (0) 300 020 1072