Page 18 - Oil&Gas-AustralAsia-2015-Issue-4
P. 18
I NDONESIA
Exploration for the Future
By George BARBER – Marketing Partner Terra Energy & Resource Technologies PLC
to low value targets. If the modern day
I ask one very simple question: Indonesia explorer continues to utilise tradition-
states that it is very rich in minerals, oil al methods and does not incorporate
& gas, geothermal, etc., but where are technology that has been developed
they exactly? The answer is that we do for the specific purpose of enhancing
not know, if we did know, costly exploration the modern day explorers capabilities,
that gives a return of a dry hole would the development of new resources will
not happen so often. Major oil companies not progress at the rate it should or is
would not return their blocks having lost required to, and, the resources that are
a considerable amount of money. There- discovered will cost far more money
fore alternative methods of exploration than they should. To arrive at the results
has to be considered in order to increase as indicated, the wheel has not been
Indo-nesia’s knowledge of the resources reinvented; some of the ideas have been
that they believe they have in order to on the table for a very long time.
attract investment.
In exploration, there’s always risk in 1976 is still operational today. The The Minister of Energy and Minerals
associated, along with high costs, we Earth is organized; it is not chaotic. stated, that Indonesia needs to carry-
need to be able to decrease the time, This technology is not new; it has been out exploration and it needs to attract
the cost and the risk for exploration in in devel¬opment for over 35 years and investment, the way to do this, is to
order to bring production to fruition in continues to be developed. The tech- do something different and be in the
a shorter amount of time, and of course nology took a major step in 2002, when driving seat by knowing what and where
we must always be optimistic a scientific discovery of “Small circular your resources are. Indonesia needs to
The first 50 years of Earth observations structures (SCS) of unconsolidated spend money on exploration in order to
from space imparted the fundamental sediments of the Earth’s crust was made. attract investment for production.
lessons that everything connected with By capturing the Earth’s natural acoustic New methods need to be used, and if we
the land, ocean, and atmosphere is in- emissions and processing the informa- are realistic and truthful with ourselves,
tricately intertwined and that the Earth tion, different resources can be recog- exploration has not really advanced in
is a complex and dynamic system, not nised and processed with a result that the past 20 years and possibly more. It
only on the surface, but also beneath the can give the position and depth. should be noted, that new technology
sub-surface. In addition, “each (satellite) Over 120 projects have been carried does NOT replace what the explor-
mission taught scientists, geologists and worldwide out with very good results, er does today, it ENHANCES, and it
others something new about the Earth’s some of the results have saved the increases the knowledge of a given area
system, it also allowed the development exploration company’s large of amounts prior to mobilizing expensive seismic
of new technology, both in instrumen- of money by simply being able to advise equipment, personnel and drilling
tation and software that allows explora- them of the difficulties that will be rigs, it allows the explorer to confirm
tion for the future to be viable and cost encountered when drilling due to the na- the resource instead of looking for the
effective. In the 1970s, laser technology ture of the sub-soils. Two projects have resource.
was first employed in combination with been completed in Indonesia, one for It should be noted, that satellite infor-
satellites (Laser Geodynamics Satellites oil and gas in Sumatra (Lampung area) mation that is mostly public information
[LAGEOS] 1 and 2) that were designed and one for gold in Papua. Both projects is only 10% of what we do, 90% is how
for maximum reflectivity to allow for the showed positive resources. the information is processed. This article
study of the Earth’s geoid and the move- The modern day explorer needs to will be continued in the next issue. In
ments of tectonic plates. Interestingly, elevate the early exploration result; they the meantime visit the website for more
this type of satellite does not contain any need to drill valid targets as opposed information. §
instrumentation, and for that reason the www.terrainsight.com
first such satellite launched
A A16 OIL & GAS ustral SIA SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2015 www.oilandgasaustralasia.com
Exploration for the Future
By George BARBER – Marketing Partner Terra Energy & Resource Technologies PLC
to low value targets. If the modern day
I ask one very simple question: Indonesia explorer continues to utilise tradition-
states that it is very rich in minerals, oil al methods and does not incorporate
& gas, geothermal, etc., but where are technology that has been developed
they exactly? The answer is that we do for the specific purpose of enhancing
not know, if we did know, costly exploration the modern day explorers capabilities,
that gives a return of a dry hole would the development of new resources will
not happen so often. Major oil companies not progress at the rate it should or is
would not return their blocks having lost required to, and, the resources that are
a considerable amount of money. There- discovered will cost far more money
fore alternative methods of exploration than they should. To arrive at the results
has to be considered in order to increase as indicated, the wheel has not been
Indo-nesia’s knowledge of the resources reinvented; some of the ideas have been
that they believe they have in order to on the table for a very long time.
attract investment.
In exploration, there’s always risk in 1976 is still operational today. The The Minister of Energy and Minerals
associated, along with high costs, we Earth is organized; it is not chaotic. stated, that Indonesia needs to carry-
need to be able to decrease the time, This technology is not new; it has been out exploration and it needs to attract
the cost and the risk for exploration in in devel¬opment for over 35 years and investment, the way to do this, is to
order to bring production to fruition in continues to be developed. The tech- do something different and be in the
a shorter amount of time, and of course nology took a major step in 2002, when driving seat by knowing what and where
we must always be optimistic a scientific discovery of “Small circular your resources are. Indonesia needs to
The first 50 years of Earth observations structures (SCS) of unconsolidated spend money on exploration in order to
from space imparted the fundamental sediments of the Earth’s crust was made. attract investment for production.
lessons that everything connected with By capturing the Earth’s natural acoustic New methods need to be used, and if we
the land, ocean, and atmosphere is in- emissions and processing the informa- are realistic and truthful with ourselves,
tricately intertwined and that the Earth tion, different resources can be recog- exploration has not really advanced in
is a complex and dynamic system, not nised and processed with a result that the past 20 years and possibly more. It
only on the surface, but also beneath the can give the position and depth. should be noted, that new technology
sub-surface. In addition, “each (satellite) Over 120 projects have been carried does NOT replace what the explor-
mission taught scientists, geologists and worldwide out with very good results, er does today, it ENHANCES, and it
others something new about the Earth’s some of the results have saved the increases the knowledge of a given area
system, it also allowed the development exploration company’s large of amounts prior to mobilizing expensive seismic
of new technology, both in instrumen- of money by simply being able to advise equipment, personnel and drilling
tation and software that allows explora- them of the difficulties that will be rigs, it allows the explorer to confirm
tion for the future to be viable and cost encountered when drilling due to the na- the resource instead of looking for the
effective. In the 1970s, laser technology ture of the sub-soils. Two projects have resource.
was first employed in combination with been completed in Indonesia, one for It should be noted, that satellite infor-
satellites (Laser Geodynamics Satellites oil and gas in Sumatra (Lampung area) mation that is mostly public information
[LAGEOS] 1 and 2) that were designed and one for gold in Papua. Both projects is only 10% of what we do, 90% is how
for maximum reflectivity to allow for the showed positive resources. the information is processed. This article
study of the Earth’s geoid and the move- The modern day explorer needs to will be continued in the next issue. In
ments of tectonic plates. Interestingly, elevate the early exploration result; they the meantime visit the website for more
this type of satellite does not contain any need to drill valid targets as opposed information. §
instrumentation, and for that reason the www.terrainsight.com
first such satellite launched
A A16 OIL & GAS ustral SIA SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2015 www.oilandgasaustralasia.com
