Understanding the full lifecycle for unconventional gas

Understanding the full lifecycle for unconventional gas

Jan 18, 2016  | Energy 

Understanding the full lifecycle for unconventional gas
(Photo by: Golder Associates)

Golder Associates is one of the few consultancies offering skills that encompass the full unconventional gas lifecycle: exploration, appraisal, development, production and rejuvenation or decommissioning.

In this interview with the organisers of the European Shale and Oil Gas Summit, Mark Cottrell, UK Oil and Gas leader and FracMan Europe leader, discusses Golder’s international experience of working in the appraisal and development of unconventionals.

Ahead of the second tranche of awards for the 14th onshore licensing round, Cottrell suggests that operators look at both subsurface and near surface operations simultaneously, and should consider using Golder’s Fracman technology to locate and stimulate new development wells. Getting a detailed understanding of these issues ahead of completing the permitting/ESIA process and will provide operators with the best chances of obtaining licenses.

Cottrell also highlights the benefits that shale gas could have on the UK manufacturing and domestic energy markets. He stresses that more should be done to get the message across that the industry has the necessary skills to extract the gas from the ground and, more importantly, that it can do it safely according to set of strict guidelines.

Golder Associates are one of the few consultancies offering skills that encompass the full unconventional gas lifecycle: exploration, appraisal, development, production and rejuvenation or decommissioning. On the subsurface side, Golder has extensively supported the appraisal and development process through their FracMan Technology Group and its FracMan DFN software, helping to best locate wells and optimise hydraulic fracture stimulation. On the near surface side, Golder is also extremely active in providing the services required for completing the necessary permitting and ESIAs, as well as operational areas like water and waste management.

Golder Associates were Gold Sponsors for this year’s European Shale Gas & Oil Summit, which took place in Manchester on the 15th & 16th October. We caught up with Mark Cottrell, UK Oil and Gas Leader and FracMan Europe Leader for Golder Associates at ESGOS 2015 to learn more about their work within unconventionals.

What experience do Golder Associates have working in unconventional resources to date?

‘Golder Associates has a long and varied history of working in the appraisal and development of unconventional resources. Golder’s first unconventional project was back in the early 1980s when we worked on a North African oil shale project for one of the supermajors. Obviously things have come a long way since then. With the focus on North American unconventionals, Golder has developed into one of the most experienced environmental and ground engineering consultancies and has, since 2008, worked extensively in shale and coal resources in the US, Canada, Colombia, Argentina, Australia, China, South Africa, Mozambique, Morocco, Poland, and here in the UK’.

Via Golder Associates
Image,video ©: Golder Associates