Schlumberger Ltd (SLB), one of ExxonMobil’s major subcontractors, is providing training to the key regulatory body here, GGMC on subsurface mapping and reservoir engineering among other areas.
In a release on Tuesday, the Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) said that in keeping with the government’s commitment to consistently develop and transform the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) as the regulatory agency of the oil and gas sector, MNR in collaboration with Schlumberger Ltd (SLB) has implemented a series of training sessions for technical staff of the GGMC and MNR.
Since the GGMC would at some point have to regulate SLB’s operations, observers say that the training arrangement could be seen as inappropriate. The release said that two key components identified to efficiently and effectively function as a regulator are access to industry leading subsurface software and the expertise of its human resource. With support from the World Bank, the release said that GGMC made its first purchase of industry leading subsurface software from SLB which included the Petrel, Techlog and Eclipse packages. The release said that the technologies associated with these types of software have provided the GGMC with a thorough understanding of subsurface petroleum reservoirs. Additional benefits of the software include “assistance in planning for future hydrocarbon development and the regulation and verification of field development plans submitted by operators”. Based on years of experience generated in the United States and Trinidad, SLB designed and implemented a multi-phase technical training plan, tailored to the specific needs and priorities of the GGMC, the release said.
Previously completed training sessions focused on the geophysics domain which included subsurface mapping, finding reservoirs and integrating various data sources into the evaluation of reservoirs. The technical teams of the GGMC and MNR also learned the geology domain through hands-on exercise and sharing of best practices. There was also a demonstration on how to create digital models of the oil and gas reservoirs allowing for better evaluation of operators’ field development plans. The most recent training session facilitated on Tuesday, concentrated on Reservoir Engineering, which is the simulating of the hydrocarbons paths from the rock into the well and up to the surface. Further training sessions are planned. “The combination of SLBs software and GGMCs newfound experience will allow more effective regulation of the oil and gas industry for years to come and provide Guyana with the income stream needed for a successful future”, the release said.
Also present during the training session held on Tuesday were Minister of Natural Resources, Vickram Bharrat, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Natural Resources, Joslyn McKenzie and representatives of the World Bank.
