SPE-GCS Blog

January 1st, 2022

JANUARY 2006

Saudi Arabia’s position in the global petrochemical market is predicted to grow substantially during the next five years due to an ongoing and significant growth wave that will add substantial petrochemical capacity.

There have been nine “deepwater” (greater than 1,000 feet) oil and natural gas discoveries announced by operators in the Gulf of Mexico through November 2005, the US Minerals Management Service reported. (That’s nothing compared to today’s 3,000-meter deepwater international wells).

The US Senate kept Congress true to form Dec. 21 when it rejected the latest effort to authorize oil and gas leasing of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge Coastal Plain.

JANUARY 2009

China reportedly has large volumes of low-permeability natural gas resources with unique characteristics that could be exploited with appropriate technologies. At present, however, lack of development and management technologies have hindered effective exploitation of …

December 1st, 2021

Adios to 2021, the Membership Taskforce Report and a Scholarship Endowment Fund Update

What an interesting year it’s been. We started the year not knowing how it would end, but things are getting back to normal. There have been trials this year, but overall, it’s been a positive one. It’s a blessing to see most of our colleagues and loved ones who lost their jobs getting back into the workforce and providing for their families. In this month’s edition of the “Chairs Corner,” I will focus on two main things: the report from the membership task force and the Scholarship Endowment Fund (SEF).

One of the key things I mentioned in the August “Chair’s Corner” was creating a task force to review and discuss the decline in membership. I want to thank John Vozniak and the membership task force team for …

December 1st, 2021

DECEMBER 2012

The Canadian government approved two acquisitions by international, state-owned energy companies (Petronas and CNOOC) for Canadian oil sands and shale gas assets, but indicated that approval for future transactions by other state-owned enterprises for petroleum assets would be approved only under exceptional circumstances.

Latest forecasts call for oil and gas companies to spend $28 billion in the South Texas Eagle Ford play during 2013.

Noble Energy Inc. plans to invest $1.7 billion in the Denver- Julesburg basin, primarily in northern Colorado, during 2013, and the company estimates its net reserves in Wattenberg and Niobrara at 2.1 billion boe.

Light sweet crude: $85/bbl

Natural gas: $2.40/MMbtu

DECEMBER 2015

US Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee members generally agreed that tougher federal offshore oil and gas well control regulations should be adopted soon, but they disagreed over whether the Obama …

November 1st, 2021

We have one more month until the end of the year, and it’s been an interesting one. We began with a great deal of uncertainty about the pandemic and how it will change the norm. We’ve seen more than half of the workforce return to the office; the surge of the delta variant; and many of our colleagues, friends and family return back to work and school. We’ve also seen oil getting back to encouraging prices and rig counts returning to normal levels. I’m glad things are turning around and I’m looking forward to the New Year. With regard to SPE-GCS, it’s a healthy section, as we are hosting events and sessions to engage our members. In this month's “Chair's Corner,” I’ll review the benefits of SPE membership.

I encourage all SPE members to renew their membership. If you are a current member, …

November 1st, 2021

NOVEMBER 2018

The country boasting the second largest city in South America reports a three-well drilling program spurred by a discovery well that is currently producing 2,000 b/d of heavy crude. PetroTal, based in Calgary and Houston, will be the operator. Without Googling, how many of you can name the second largest city in South America? The answer will be hidden somewhere in the text that follows.

The IEA forecasts oil supply outstripping demand throughout 2019, with US production increasing by 2.1 MMbbl in 2018 and an additional 1.3 MMbbl in 2019, but nevertheless, oil prices should not fall precipitously during this period.

The Ichthys project’s production is forecasted to elevate Australia to top LNG exporter, and its annual production should overtake that of Qatar within a year.

NOVEMBER 2019

The UK government has imposed a moratorium on hydraulic fracturing …

October 1st, 2021

The upsurge of the delta variant cases in the United States has slowed the US economic recovery from the COVID-19 Pandemic because of the public still being uncomfortable returning to normal operations. According to an article published by the Houston public media, the new strain makes up more than 75% of new covid-19 cases in the Houston area. In Texas, new cases are up 92%, and hospitalization is up 49%. The gulf coast section has done a phenomenal job following the CDC rules and guidelines in all our events. We have adopted a hybrid approach to our events, still delivering high-level technical content to our members. For those not comfortable attending an in-person event, there is always a virtual option present.

As previously discussed, we are going to focus on a few key areas this year. We are first going to take …

October 1st, 2021

OCTOBER 2001

An onshore injection well in Brazil is the site of an all- electronic, multizone intelligent well completion being tested for eventual use by Petrobras in its deepwater Campos basin wells.

The World Renewable Energy Report lists the following as the forecasted order of renewable energy contributions for 2001-10: 43% biomass, 27% wind, 15% solar, 9% small-scale hydro, 4% geothermal and 2% others.

The American Petroleum Institute reports that US jet fuel deliveries fell nearly 10 percent in September due to reduced air travel following terrorist attacks.

Light sweet crude: $22.66/bbl

Natural gas: $2.42/MMbtu

US active rig count: 1,147 

OCTOBER 2011

The US Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) issues an initial round of citations resulting from the Joint Investigation Team's final report on the April 2010 Macondo well blowout and crude oil spill. Fifteen citations are issued Oct. …

September 1st, 2021

We kicked off the 2021-2022 SPE-

GCS year in person and virtually at the Core Laboratories facility. We had the opportunity to thank the outgoing board for their time and for helping us navigate the challenges of the pandemic. I want to take this opportunity to congratulate Simeon Eburi, past chair, for his excellent leadership during his term and wish him the best in his new role, Regional Director, North America Region, on the SPE International Board of Directors.

The event at Core Laboratories was also an opportunity to welcome new board members. I had a chance to discuss and engage with them during the kickoff, review the section's financial health and share my section goals for the upcoming year, including:

• Establish a committee to examine and analyze the decline in SPE-GCS membership, and report to the SPE- GCS Board of Directors. …

September 1st, 2021

SEPTEMBER 1992

Development of South Pars gas field in the Persian Gulf off Iran will begin soon under an agreement between National Iranian Oil Co. and Italy’s Saipem and Technologic Progetti Lavori SpA. South Pars is an apparent extension of Qatar’s 150 tcf North field and has estimated reserves of 100 tcf of gas and 2.5-3 billion bbl of oil.

Hurricane Andrew struck South Florida Aug. 24, churned west into the Gulf, then swung north and hit the South Louisiana coast Aug. 25. By the close of business Sept. 8, MMS had received damage reports covering 83 pipeline segments and 193 platforms and satellite installations. An MMS official in New Orleans reported that any further damage discovered likely will be by underwater inspections.

Conoco Inc. is drilling one of the deepest rank wildcats ever in the southern Illinois basin. The …

August 1st, 2021

The SPE-GCS extends a warm welcome to our new chair, Nii Ahele Nunoo. We thought we’d introduce him by sharing part of our conversation.

Connect: Where are you originally from and how did you wind up in Houston, Texas?

Nii Ahele Nunoo: I was born in Accra, the capital city of Ghana, an oil-producing country in sub-Saharan Africa on the west coast.

After college, I moved to New York in 2008 to find a job during the economic recession. To increase my chances of landing an engineering position, I soon relocated to Houston. During my early years in Houston, I watched the movie “Big Men” about the oil discovery in Ghana. It solidified my resolve to be a part of the oil and gas industry and learn all I could, so I could one day return home to help …