Review of Current Activities for Unconventional Resources in Continental Europe

摘要

The emergence of hydrocarbon production from unconventional reservoirs in the US has spawned high hopes of similar results in Continental Europe. Recently, a true pursuit to acquire acreage for exploration of unconventional resources has been undertaken by companies of all sizes, from supermajors to small players, often securing significant acreage positions.As a result, little unlicensed prospective areas remained available by end-2010. Presently, the main players on Europe’s unconventional scene are the US majors ExxonMobil, Chevron, ConocoPhillips and Marathon Oil, followed by Eni, Talisman Oil, BNK Petroleum, Composite Energy, Lane Energy, San Leon and Toreador. Other companies, like Total, have pending applications, or are evaluating the resources (e.g. OMV). Several companies are bringing hands-on experience from the US shale gas operations. Field activities to assess shale gas/CBM potential have started in several European countries, including France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Sweden and the UK, and the level of operations is on the rise. Data amassed from the new operations will provide a better understanding of the geological and technical constraints of the hydrocarbon systems, testing also Europe’s regulatory and economic conditions. They will provide tangible estimates of the prospective resources, reason for much speculation so far.