The purpose of the work in this programme area is to procure a geologic basis of knowledge that can promote efficient exploration and exploitation of Danish, Greenland and Faroese energy resources.
The accumulated knowledge forms the basis of GEUS's advisory services to the authorities in the energy area and of the solution of scientific tasks for the corporate sector, especially the oil industry.

In Denmark, the energy activities are primarily related to hydrocarbon exploration and exploitation in the North Sea. In the performance contract, this work is covered by three specific focus areas.

The main task in the hydrocarbon area in Greenland is to contribute to the geological and geophysical data collection and to communicate knowledge of the Greenland potential in order to attract the international oil industry. This work is covered by two specific focus areas in the performance contract.

On the Faroe Islands, GEUS carries out general geological surveys and presents knowledge that can describe the hydrocarbon potential of the area. GEUS extends advisory services to the Faroese government in connection with the preparation of a future licensing round.

GEUS's experiences in the hydrocarbon area are used in connection with Danish development aid projects in Vietnam, the Baltic States, etc.
To a limited extent, GEUS is involved in consultative tasks concerning a possible exploitation of geothermal energy and in research projects aimed at achieving environmental improvements in the coal and biomass combustion processes. The geothermic work is included in the performance contract as a specific focus area.

The 1997 level of activity was higher than anticipated, primarily because the institution solved a large number of consultative tasks as part of foreign oil companies’ preparations for the fifth licensing round on the Danish shelf.
The work and projects supported by the Energy Research Programme (EFP) of the Ministry of Environment and Energy yielded results that may contribute to further discoveries of oil and natural gas in the Danish part of the North Sea. Improved insight in the migration of hydrocarbons from source rocks to potential reservoirs and in the distribution patterns of sandstone reservoirs was achieved.
Part of the exploration-related work in 1997 was carried out for oil companies operating on the Norwegian shelf.

With support from the Energy Research Programme, a five-year co-operation project with participation of Mærsk Olie og Gas A/S, DTU and GEUS was commenced. The purpose of the project is to procure knowledge that can contribute to an improved rate of recovery from the North Sea oilfields which produce from tight and argillaceous limestone reservoirs. Furthermore, GEUS participated in EU financed projects aimed at developing safer reservoir simulation methods, e.g. for fractured reservoirs.

In West Greenland, field work was carried out in the Disko-Nuussuaq-Svartenhuk region. In connection with this field work, oil seepage in the surface of the ground was demonstrated to an extent by far exceeding previous observations.

An Energy Research Programme project concerning investigations of Greenland reservoir rocks was completed. Besides, several three-year projects financed by the Government and the Greenland Government were completed and reported.
In East and North Greenland field surveys were carried out as part of the Danish polar exploration programme (TUPOLAR) supported by the Danish Natural Science Research Council. Another Energy Research Programme project on sequential stratigraphy in Jameson Land was completed and reported.

GEUS co-ordinated the geological work in connection with the deepening of the Faroese well Lopra-1 carried out in 1996. In 1997 the results were gathered and reported in a confidential report submitted to the oil companies that financed the well. In co-operation with the oil industry, GEUS is participating in a project aimed at improving the seismic exploration methods in basalt-covered sediment areas. In 1997 GEUS participated in sea bed surveys as part of an assessment of the environmental and technical conditions to be taken into consideration in connection with future hydrocarbon activities in Faroese waters.
International work supported by DANIDA and the Energy Research Programme was concentrated on Vietnam. Through employees stationed in Hanoi and training courses in Copenhagen, GEUS helped Vietnamese experts and authorities improve their competence.

As participant in the Danish Energy Agency’s committee concerning geothermics, GEUS contributed to an evaluation of the geothermic resources available to several Danish district heating cities. It is estimated that considerable exploitable resources are present.

An Energy Research Programme project characterising ashes from biofuels was completed. Several projects concerning the possibilities of achieving environmental improvements of the coal combustion processes were commenced in co-operation with the power plants.
To reduce the emission of greenhouse gases, an initiative to evaluate the possibilities of depositing CO₂ in the underground in an international forum was taken.

	R996	B1997	R1997	B1998
Man-year consumption (number)	118	105	121	110
Total turnover (DKK million)	65.8	56.3	64.1	59.1
Of this basic funds (DKK million)	25.5	25.3	25.3	29.0
External funds (DKK million)	40.3	31	38.8	30.2
External funds ratio	61%	55%	60%	51%