| Azlan Othman |
GLOBALLY, lives and livelihoods, economies, and communities depend on convenient, reliable and affordable energy to thrive. By 2050, the Earth’s projected population is estimated to be nine billion. Society is thus confronted with a dual challenge: How to make a transition to a low-carbon energy future to manage the risks of climate change, while also extending the economic and social benefits of energy to everyone on the planet.
In an interview with the Bulletin, Gijs Holstege, an exploration manager at Brunei Shell Petroleum Company Sdn Bhd (BSP), who was delivering a talk as a plenary speaker
at the 1st International Congress on Earth Science in Southeast Asia at Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD) yesterday, discussed growth and exploration from an industry perspective.
“There is clearly a growth in energy demand as the (world) population and wealth increases, with more urbanisation in the (next) couple of decades. But there is debate around the role of fossil fuels and carbon dioxide,” he said. “We are in an energy system transition and it is good to ask about the role of hydrocarbon transition.
The whole transition takes a long time and there is role to play for – for example – gas, which is a very clean fossil fuel.
“To supply energy (to satisfy) this increasing demand, we still require oil and gas exploration and discovery over the next couple of decades. Complexity in geology gives (rise to) opportunities as there are still a lot of hidden traps to be discovered. The better we get the technology, the better we are able to find these traps that have so far (eluded us),” Holstege added.
“In terms of exploration of oil and gas, BSP is on a growth trajectory. There is an active exploration programme in place to provide longevity using the existing infrastructure, expanding where needed.”
In his keynote speech, entitled ‘Hydrocarbon resources exploration – Is there a future?’, Holstege set the global scene and shared examples of using leading-edge geoscience and technology to achieve exploration success in Brunei.
Brunei’s petroleum geology system is one of the most important in the world in terms of understanding of these depositional systems.
It is a vibrant and young system – with lots of deposition in a short geological time span – which is still active today, meaning that there is still a lot of room and opportunity for further exploration.
The deployment of technology for exploration and growth is quite exciting, with the use of seismic broadband and 4D seismic technology, among others. What is equally key is the employment of human talent; quite a few Bruneian geologists, geophysicists and explorers – in using such technology – are now looking at old data with new eyes and fresh mindsets.
Testament to this is the company’s recent success with the Layang-Layang well discovery earlier this year.
Perhaps the most exciting development in the industry is the Earth Model. It is one of the critical technologies deployed in BSP’s exploration operations and recognised as a global best practice tool.
“Brunei has captured the entire subsurface, all the data, in a single integrated subsurface model. What this means is that we can see with more accuracy where oil and gas can be found, and where and how best to get to them. The next step moving forward is to up the level of detail and resolution, leveraging on yet more technology,” said Holstege.
In addition, the industry’s current interest in digitalisation of all this data will allow for more speed, efficiency and even closer integration between the various disciplines employed in this field, which will unlock even more opportunities.
In line with their mission statement, “BSP…Fuelling Brunei’s Future”, and in support of Brunei Vision 2035, BSP continues to be a centre of excellence for many subsurface disciplines. Brunei Darussalam is blessed to be home to one of the most productive hydrocarbon regions (Belait) in Southeast Asia, which plays a pivotal role in generating value for Brunei, driving its economy and sustaining the wellbeing of its people.
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