A Resource-based Data Set for Global Resource Studies

Kenneth J. Chew
IHS Energy, Killin, United Kingdom

Reserves and resources mean different things to different people, a situation that is not helped by casual misuse of the two words. This paper describes a global data set of 2P (best estimate) resource estimates that is believed to be a superior tool for use in worldwide assessment studies compared with the reserve estimates currently used, for example, in financial reporting.
There are many contexts in which analysts require a best estimate of how much resource has been discovered: to estimate remaining resources on a global, regional or national scale; to evaluate the assets or performance of a company; to assess the maturity of a basin or productive extent of a play; to examine trends over a period of time.
To accomplish all of these objectives requires a data set of resource estimates that is described in geographical, geopolitical and geological space, by time of discovery and resource estimation, and by ownership.
This has been achieved by designing, building and maintaining a data set of field and reservoir (pool) data which contains all of the above attributes in addition to a best estimate of ultimate and remaining recoverable oil, gas and condensate resources.
The paper will illustrate the use of this data set by a range of examples including best estimates of the world's remaining discovered oil and gas resources, global discovery trends, regional basin maturity, play distribution and company analysis.

AAPG Search and Discovery Article #90072 © 2007 AAPG and AAPG European Region Conference, Athens, Greece