Drilling & production

ExxonMobil Production Co. has resumed drilling on two wells started earlier this year at Point Thomson and is on schedule to reach total depth by the end of 2010.

Cemtrex Inc. has entered into an agreement with a South American coal mine company to develop, supply and construct a coal mine methane (CMM) project.

A BP investigation into its Lisburne pipeline leak suggests extensive ice plugs could be to blame for excess pressure in the line.

The UK Coal Authority has awarded Clean Coal Ltd licences to investigate the potential for underground coal gasification (UCG) at five sites in the UK. If the investigations are successful, commercial operations could start by 2014/15 and could lead to UGC producing 3 – 5% of the UK’s total energy requirement.

Production has now hit over 1 million bbls of oil at the Parque das Conchas fields 120 km off the coast of Brazil, where ultra deep water and a constant swell makes for tough operating conditions.

A renewable technology that generates heat from below the ground could produce a third of the UK’s renewable heat by 2020, a report from the Environment Agency has found.

Essar Group and ONGC Videsh have announced new investments in two African refineries.

Polarcus Ltd recently held a double naming ceremony for the modern, purpose built 3D seismic vessels Polarcus Nadia and Polarcus Naila. The ceremony, at the Drydocks World – Dubai shipyard in the United Arab Emirates, was attended by over 200 local and international guests.

This article provides an overview of the North African hydrocarbon industry, assesses its vital regions and considers a future of promise to coincide with the global economic recovery.

New research by energy analysts Douglas-Westwood predicts offshore operations and maintenance expenditure to total in excess of $330 billion over the next five years – with the largest share allocated to North America during that time.

Siemens Energy and Meridian Energy have signed an order for the supply of 28 SWT-2.3-101 wind turbines for the Te Uku wind power project near Hamilton, New Zealand.

West Africa has emerged as one of the hottest battlegrounds for the world’s major powers in their race to corner increasingly scarce oil and gas resources. Ng Weng Hoong details the major players vying for oil and gas resources in West Africa.

NASA has been applying space technology to a process that links the production of algae-based fuel with an inexpensive method of sewage treatment. This is done by growing algae in plastic containers filled with sewage floating in the ocean.

CIC Energy’s Mmamabula project could be the most significant economic milestone in Botswana’s development since the diamond mines opened. However, the project has had to cut back its potential by 50% and could face further uncertainty unless South Africa lets its power generator, Eskom, play a strong card soon.

Total has announced that its subsidiary, Total E&P Vietnam, and its partners on Block 15-1/05, have discovered oil in the Lac Da Nau prospect, located in the southern part of the block offshore Vietnam.