Annual Report 2005
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Energy resources |
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Greenland's oil –
a new area to play with
The Bureau of Minerals and Petroleum (BMP) under the Greenland Home Rule is preparing an upcoming licensing round for an offshore area west of Disko-Nuussauq in Northwest Greenland. In this context, GEUS has been working together with the BMP to evolve an exploration strategy and has been participating in marketing efforts aimed at the international oil industry. New geophysical data reveal the presence of deep basins and large geological structures in the area not far from the sites on the island of Disko and the peninsular Nuussuaq where oil is seeping from the rocks. In 2005, geologists from GEUS continued the work on interpretation and analysis of data from the area. Seismic and other geophysical data need to be interpreted in order to adjust the geological models and analyses of source rocks, reservoir rocks, and oil seeps. Finally, GEUS has commenced conversion of all relevant exploration data from the area, so that they can be made available for GIS systems in the future. |
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Another licensing round
in the North Sea
The 6th licensing round for exploration and extraction of oil and gas in areas in the North Sea began on 20 May 2005 when the Danish Energy Authority announced the terms of the new concessions. By the deadline on 1 November 2005, the Danish Energy Authority had received 17 applications from twenty oil companies. Companies included some that have not previously had concessions in Denmark. In connection with the licensing round, GEUS marketed a comprehensive series of geodata from the North Sea and offered special data compilations to industry. In 2005 GEUS also evaluated the quality of the work programmes of applicants, preparing memos hereon for the Danish Energy Authority. |
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Danish-Canadian collaboration on delimitation of the continental shelf
Denmark and Canada will work together to collect the data necessary to support possible claims for expansion of Canada and Greenland's continental shelf beyond 200 nautical miles into the Arctic Ocean north of Ellesmere Island and Greenland.This was the content of a memorandum signed by representatives of the Earth Sciences Sector (ESS) of Natural Resources Canada and GEUS in 2005. Both countries have ratified the United Nations' Convention on the Law of the Sea which allows coastal states to make claims on subsurface and seabed resources beyond 200 nautical miles. However, seabed depth and geology must live up to a number of conditions described in article 76 of the Convention.The Arctic Ocean is an area which is difficult to access and the ESS and GEUS have therefore agreed to collaborate on the efforts to collect and process data, so as to make work as efficient as possible.The preliminary joint work programme covers the collection of refraction-seismic, gravimetric and ocean-depth data in 2006 from the submarine Lomonosov Ridge which stretches into the Arctic Ocean north of Ellesmere Island and Greenland. In connection with these activities in the Arctic Ocean, GEUS collected data from three seismic stations onshore in Northeast Greenland in 2005.The purpose was to document the composition of the earth's crust. Furthermore, GEUS collected and processed data from two other areas where there is potential for making claims.These include an area northeast of the Faroe Islands where ocean-depth data were collected, and an area southwest of the Faroe Islands where, during the course of 2005, seismic data were interpreted and borehole samples from the seabed were subjected to chemical analysis.These activities are being funded by the Ministry of Science,Technology, and Innovation with contributions from the Faroese Home Rule Government, and are a collaboration between GEUS and other institutions from Denmark, the Faroe Islands, and Greenland. |
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CO2 storage
in a European perspective
In 2005, GEUS took part in a number of EU-funded international research projects to clarify the possibilities for subsurface storage of CO2, thus reducing emissions of this greenhouse gas to the atmosphere. At Ketzin near Berlin, researchers have been working to establish a geological model of the sand layers where CO2 storage will be commenced in 2007. This will be the world's first plant for storage of the greenhouse gases from a power plant. This work is part of the project CO2SINK, and activities in 2005 also included seismic surveys for planning boreholes for injection of the CO2 and two observation boreholes. GEUS is moreover part of the CASTOR project, which is to examine the storage capacity in eight Eastern European countries, and of the ULCOS project, the objective of which is to develop methods for halving the CO2 emissions from the European steel industry. In both projects, researchers have been working to identify suitable sedimentary basins for CO2 storage near power plants and industrial plants in Eastern Europe and near the four largest steel works in the EU. Information and collaboration within international activities take place in a number of formal networks. GEUS participates in several European networks and is a representative in the global Carbon Sequestration Leadership Forum together with the Danish Energy Authority. In November 2005, GEUS hosted a workshop in the European Network of Excellence on Geological Storage of CO2(CO2GeoNet).The purpose of this network is to strengthen Europe's scientific and technological positions within CO2storage through pooling resources and expertise. |
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New oil/gas resources
in the North Sea
Oil and gas from the North Sea have supplied Danish society with energy for many years and large quantities of hydrocarbons are still hidden in the limestone.The oil is pumped up from highly porous layers in the limestone and knowledge about the structure and composition of the limestone is therefore of great significance when identifying new areas where oil may be found. In 2005 GEUS concentrated on an area around the Gorm Field and the Dagmar Field which already yields oil, and which could be holding more oil.The area covers several subsurface basins from the late Cretaceous with individual stratigraphical characteristics and development. During the course of the year, geologists carried out work to update the stratigraphy of the area in order to gain insight into the possible presence of hitherto unknown, highly porous layers.Work also included identifying possible zones in the limestone with enhanced porosity using seismic data.The continuous subsidence of the limestone in the North Sea causes the oil to flow in a very complex pattern, which in turn means that the oil can be found outside and on the flanks of upfaulted limestone structures too, places where one would normally not expect to find oil. In recent years the oil industry has had its eyes on these flank potentials and in 2005 GEUS carried out modelling work to estimate oil saturation in the flanks of the South Arne field in collaboration with an international oil company. |
