Reinga Basin: Access Through Innovation

Abstract

Access of the undrilled Reinga Basin in New Zealand showcases Statoil's exploration ambition for early access at scale. The bid was done in a region that has a potential to become a core area for Statoil in the future. The aim of this presentation is to demonstrate the stepwise approach from new ideas to country entry. The approach includes investigations of the tectonic history, source rocks and stratigraphic development in areas with relatively sparse well and seismic data. We demonstrate how Norwegian Continental Shelf analogues and the results of cooperation between multi-disciplinary teams are used to unlock value in basins on the other side of the world. The Reinga Basin in Northern New Zealand was opened in 2009, but no bids were made for the acreage. During the period from 2010 to 2013 Statoil has performed basin scale and super-regional studies covering the continental shelves of New Zealand and Australia. This work has generated new ideas that revitalised interest in the area and led to application for acreage. The commitment levels and flexibility of the work programme allows for a timely and high-quality de-risking of the play elements. The first exploration phase with the acquisition of multibeam swath bathymetry and seismic 2D data is completed and initial observations from these makes Statoil believe that the Reinga Basin has a good potential for a working petroleum system. Our planned piston coring program will add to our understanding of the basin and put Statoil in a good position for high-grading prospect candidates for a potential future drilling campaign. Statoil believes that the frontier basins of New Zealand are underexplored and have the potential of holding large volumes of hydrocarbons. By joining forces with local academia and contractors we hope to unlock this potential for the benefit of all parties.

AAPG Datapages/Search and Discovery Article #90217 © 2015 International Conference & Exhibition, Melbourne, Australia, September 13-16, 2015