B. C. Duval¹ and M.-F. Chabrelie²

¹INSTITUT FRANÇAIS DU PÉTROLE, Paris
²CEDIGAZ, Paris

ABSTRACT: Strategic Trends and Challenges in Gas Exploration

The industry has, in the past two decades, added much more gas than it has produced, resulting in a 300% replacement rate over the period, and doing much better than oil. Therefore the resource base is no longer considered a serious constraint in satisfying the industry's needs, and one may ask the question: is exploration for gas, a risky and expensive budget item, still needed? One way in which we may deal with the issue is to analyze the changes occurring in the upstream world and their impact on future trends.

The paper includes three parts related to changes in technology, gas reserves and strategies respectively, and their impact on risk management, economics, regional policies and investment decisions. Finally, a case history will be used to illustrate some major issues and conclusions.

AAPG Search and Discovery Article #90906©2001 AAPG Annual Convention, Denver, Colorado