SPE-GCS Blog

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 …

July 1st, 2021

Simeon Eburi - 2020-2021 SPE-GCS Chair

Thank you from The Virtual SPE-GCS Chair

It’s been a great pleasure serving you as SPE-GCS chair for the past twelve months! On August 1st, 2021 the new SPE Gulf Coast Section chair for the 2021-2022 fiscal year will be Nii Ahele Nunoo. He will lead the section and its members to new highs. The section is in great hands, and I wish Nii and the board continued success as they lead the section through the post-COVID environment and the previously announced intention to explore a merger with AAPG. In this final article, I will provide an update of some of the goals and accomplishments and share some final thoughts.

At the annual SPE-GCS kickoff meeting last year, I outlined some of the goals for the section with support from the board. Here’s an update: …

June 1st, 2021

The SPE-GCS Podcast is Here!

It’s my pleasure to announce that this month, the SPE Gulf Coast Section will launch its first podcast episode. It took a lot of hard work and dedication by the SPE-GCS Communications Committee volunteers, speakers and podcast hosts, but the SPE-GCS podcast is here! This month, I will share thoughts on how the post- COVID world may affect our section programs and give you more details about the podcast launch.

With a larger percentage of people in the US getting vaccinated, there is growing optimism that soon we will return to normal – or the “new normal.” You may have heard about companies in our industry sharing or discussing return-to-the-office plans. Some companies are going back to the office in person; others are still fully or partially working remotely. One word you will hear frequently in …

May 1st, 2021

The Future is Bright

In Texas, all adults are now eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. This is a moment many have been waiting for, as it symbolizes a big step closer toward getting back to some normalcy. The combined effect of more and more people getting vaccinated by the day, and the reported effectiveness of the vaccines administered, gives me hope that one day soon we will overcome the challenges we have all lived through over the past year. As a section, we cannot wait to get back to doing what we do best – providing opportunities for our members to exchange technical knowledge and allowing them to build relationships through networking. This month, I will highlight a few upcoming events, including Geothermal Experience (GTX 2021) and our flagship event for Young Professionals – Roughneck Camp (RNC).

A few months ago, …

May 1st, 2021

MAY 2003

With shallow water reserves being steadily depleted worldwide, big oil is increasingly targeting its dollars at deepwater. The “World Deepwater Report” forecasts a global capital expenditure for deepwater developments of $57.9 billion in 2003-07, more than double the $25.6 billion that is estimated to have been spent in the previous five years. The US Gulf of Mexico and West Africa together account for 70% of the deepwater capital expenditure forecast. With some 17 billion BOE in 250 prospective offshore fields, Africa now accounts for 16% of all reserve prospects for the period 2003-07. It is of note that prospects for the region now exceed western Europe, which has 12% of the world total, while North America trails with 7%.

US Central Command announced early last week the surrender of Iraq’s former oil minister, Amir Mohammed Rashid, described as …