Roundtable Discussion; The Future of Mineral Sands. Watch the video here.
Few on here will need any reminding of the criticality of the Irish energy situation, but interesting live decision ongoing as reported by the business post. I’ve shared before that I think the pressure from US based major players in tech/data arena probably gives New Fortresses’ proposals some edge. Increasingly there looks to room for both NFE and PRD, with PRD’s big sell being the timeframe in which they can begin to deliver gas.“Ireland is on shortlist of three alongside Germany and Poland, but the tech giant is understood to have concerns about this country’s worsening energy crisis.Ireland’s chances of securing a new multibillion-euro Intel microchip plant are in doubt due to the severe strains on the country’s energy infrastructure and water services, the Business Post understands.Pat Gelsinger, the global chief executive of Intel, confirmed last week that Ireland was one of ten countries on the shortlist of possible locations for the plant and the 10,000 jobs it could bring with it.”
Thank you GRH. I would hope we get the opportunity to meet someday, it goes without saying these days on this forum that I am immensely grateful for the contributions of yourself and select others. Individually those posts are thought provoking( to say the least), together as the sum of the parts, they are potent.
I’d love to have been privy to some of your dialogue with Mr Samarrai. I worked on a number of early production facilities in the Kurdistan region, probably unbeknown to me a number of his finds…
The next few months will be very interesting, one way or another, of that there is no doubt.
When considering the exploration sector in general, I think a lot of people remain sceptical that huge potential reserves are left out there to be found on a planet that has had 50+ years of intensive search for hydrocarbons.
It got me thinking about Exxon’s success in Guyana, which in an indirect way has kept me employed the last few years. Explored sporadically by supermajors in the 1960’s, Exxon have had offshore license concessions since the late 90’s - it took them a long time to get into the action with partners, but following the Liza-1 well in the Stabroek block in 2015, Exxon have had an 87% success rate on their first 15 drills, now totalling over 9 billion barrels of oil.
Two thoughts there:
1) Success rates are similar to those of SDX in the Rharb basin.
2) There are still monstrous quantities of hydrocarbons awaiting discovery, even more so with Gas where as others have pointed out, this wasn’t a high commercial focus for so many years.
Recent history is littered with other examples of vast finds - Zohr Gas Field, Egypt. Leviathan & Karish/Tanin, Israel. The list goes on - certainly gives me faith when supported by the information available to all of us on what’s currently happening in Morocco.
GRH, I am interested in your view (and that of others), on the New Fortress proposal. I don’t recall which poster (Nicidemus maybe, he has been active on the topic), but someone mentioned Ireland’s major challenge, not only in security of raw materials for energy generation(gas), but also the actual plant for energy generation itself - eg Gas fired power plants that are out of action.
In this circumstance, it is not so helpful to have available gas going into an existing grid, as per PRD proposal. Surely the NFE proposal that includes building brand spanking new power generation infrastructure (huge capex - effectively saving Irish govt the money) is inherently more attractive when ageing Irish plant has reached the stage it has? When you factor in NFE’s impressive ‘zero future’ credentials and now explicit link to hydrogen, as well as probable backing from all the US data centre owners, it looks like it might fly to me.
In other people’s view, where does that leave the Mag Mell project? Can two co-exist? Have I missed something very obvious about NFE’s offering or underestimated Irish existing power gen capability?
Hello Sir Wacky and other bright minds.
I have been rolling round the Morocco FSRU in my head for some time. Does anyone have any thoughts on why the choice of partners is different between Mag Mell/Ireland and Morocco? It could be as
simple as the scoping/size, but the partners for Morocco (Schulte Group I think) do not appear to offer any sort of vessel or turnkey solution, more management of an existing asset. I find it intriguing, anyone else got views or something blatent that I’ve missed…
Hello Sir Wacky.
I like the train of thought, but alas must share what insight I possess to confirm that the government block on UKEF’s support for fossil fuel projects extends to ‘CCUS with EOR’.
“4.5 Support for Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) or Carbon Capture Usage and Storage (CCUS) projects in the gas power sector
Support will only be allowed for Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) or Carbon Capture Usage and Storage (CCUS) projects in the gas power sector, and only where projects will significantly reduce emissions over the lifetime of the asset and support transition pathways to clean energy.
CCUS with enhanced oil recovery (EOR), enhanced gas recovery (EGR), coal bed methane (CBM) or equivalent technology will not be allowed.”
I used to work with a company who did very well out of UKEF lending to international projects, where such financing imposed an obligation to achieve spend with UK companies… all gone now in the oil and gas sector.
Hi GRH,
You’ve drawn valid geo comparisons with Leviathan previously. I did some work around Karish/Tanin FPSO in Israel and recall from conversations then that the some of the incoming systems might be designed to handle around 8000 psi. The benefit of that is because API 6A standards for valves typically give design options at 5000psi, 7500psi, 10000psi. By designing products specifically to suit the down-rated pressure around 8K psi, it was possible to reduce wall thicknesses of piping and valves and achieve large raw material savings vs applying a 10K standard. Unsure if that route was pursued, but the point is that field with analogous geology has a significant formation pressure, not ultra high, but not to be sniffed at.
I’m assuming you’ll have devoured the below document before but if not it is an interesting read. The wire line logs are included in it…
https://www.energean.com/media/2078/energean-karish-and-tanin-field-development-plan-web-version.pdf
Hi Micktrick - I’m almost certainly not right - I assume that mud weight etc also help with the actual drilling scenario - eg you could have 8K psi contained in drill shaft, but you’d be in trouble if that pressure reached the rig…
Hello Micktrick, GRH,
How does the concept of an ultra HP gas field interface with the drilling rig design parameters? The BOP and chokes on star valley 101 are rated to 5000psi. With ample safety factors etc is that not an indicator of the anticipated and found max pressures? Looking for guidance from someone who understands drilling far better than me here. By the way, I remain confident that commercial gas has been located.
NH, the absolute best (and only) way to try to ‘save’ people would be to reveal as a minimum your qualifying experience (requested over 10 times on here) If you really want to be level on credibility with GRH then your identity would help too. Until that point, given the vast disparity in the content and substantiation of your posts vs the people that you make derisory comments about then you will fail in your stated mission!
Good point Highland Matt.
Just to remind anyone who might need it what the commonly held petroleum definition of ‘Appraisal’ is:
“Appraisal
1. n. [Geology]
The phase of petroleum operations that immediately follows successful exploratory drilling. During appraisal, delineation wells might be drilled to determine the size of the oil or gas field and how to develop it most efficiently.”
Hello Himuptheroad. Of course I don’t know any more than anyone else, but to elaborate on the queries on your post:
- Many countries with significant domestic hydrocarbon production, particularly those with economic ambitions (= power requirement) have LNG import infrastructure to boost locally available sources. Basically exactly what we’re trying to do in Ireland. No one denies the existence of producing Corrib field, but they need more. If PRD want to be part of the total energy solution in Morocco then the LNG import proposal is part of that picture, it doesn’t mean they don’t have any gas (none of us know that definitively yet).
Secondly, for MagMell, the important bit is the ‘acquirer of gas assets’. Someone is obviously looking at buying our Corrib, and PRD are in talks of a side deal. That player would have to be significant to be looking at those options. Last point would be that almost certainly no FSRU will be built for PrD projects, they will lease an existing vessel.