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01 Aug 2024

De-Risking African Exploration through Seismic

De-Risking African Exploration through Seismic
Seismic companies are flocking to Africa, which features strong market demand for geophysical research and development activities. On one hand, the continent is home to vast underexplored oil and gas territory, from large swaths in the West African deepwater to frontier basins onshore Kenya and Uganda. On the other hand, African upstream markets are often associated with a high degree of risk and lack of technical data and insights. As a result, expanded geophysical data investments – ranging from basic aerial surveys and basin analysis to more advanced 3D and 4D subsurface imaging – represent the key to de-risking and unlocking a new chapter in African exploration.

The role of seismic acquisition, processing and imaging technologies in the sector will be a key focus of the Invest in African Energy 2025 Forum taking place in Paris next May, which serves as the premier African energy project showcase outside of the continent. Uniting seismic, geoscience and technology providers with Africa’s leading operators, energy ministries and regulators, the forum will explore the latest proprietary technologies shaping the sector and identify areas for further investment and partnership.

Africa’s geophysical sector has witnessed an uptick in activity in recent months. In May 2024, French marine seismic firm CGG announced plans to conduct two new multi-client 3D reimaging programs off the coast of West Africa in partnership with Ivory Coast’s General Directorate of Hydrocarbons and national oil company Petroci. Merging with legacy data, the new programs will cover a total volume of more than 16,000 km², overlapping with the recent Calao discovery and located near the existing Baleine field. Following the Calao discovery in March, Ivory Coast has emerged as a principal target of upstream investment and is seeking to unlock its deepwater prospects.

Earlier this month, oil and gas explorer 88 Energy launched a 2D seismic acquisition program for PEL 93 in Namibia’s Owambo Basin, comprising a minimum of 200-line km of 2D seismic data and set to be completed by Q3 2024. The program aims to estimate maiden prospective resources and pinpoint potential drilling locations, with 10 independent structural closures already identified from airborne gravity and magnetic data. Seismic activity in the underexplored Owambo Basin will be critical to expanding the geological understanding of Namibia’s acreage and positioning the country as a leading onshore exploration hotspot.  

Last November, PGS – which recently merged with Norwegian seismic company TGS – secured a 4D seismic contract offshore West Africa, leveraging advanced high-quality 3D seismic data acquired at different times over the same area to evaluate changes in the hydrocarbon reservoir over time. TGS also recently secured an extension for its deepwater Ocean Bottom Node data acquisition campaign in West Africa, reflecting the rise in exploration drilling activities in the region. International energy majors including Shell, Chevron, Eni and ExxonMobil are leading a renewed exploration focus in countries like Nigeria, Liberia and Ivory Coast, which show promising untapped oil and gas reserves located within the West African Transform Margin.

Across the continent, enhanced seismic data investment serves to produce expanded data and clearer images of deep structural plays – as well as generate new value from legacy data – with a view to identifying future drilling sites and unlocking additional hydrocarbon reserves. 

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