Pre-salt discoveries in Brazil, shale gas potential and tight gas exploration in eastern Europe and, in Africa, a virtual continent of activity and opportunity.
And there’s more. Much more. So much, in fact, that some key observers say many valuable discoveries and developments may be in store for the profession and industry in 2010.
There will be challenges, too, the same experts quickly add. Geopolitics, financial concerns and geographical barriers are all potential deterrents to not just positive dreams but actual fruition of plans.
Welcome to the new decade.
And welcome to a new emphasis by the EXPLORER to follow and report throughout the year the triumphs, frustrations and ongoing trends from all six AAPG Regions.
Starting with this issue we’ll take periodic, specific looks at the general state of exploration and activity around the world through contacts with AAPG’s Region leadership.
After all, in addition to being important strategic bodies for Association activities and structure – plus key tactical communication channels for internal AAPG operations and promotion – Region leaders by definition speak to members throughout their spheres of interest. And they listen.
They’re also uniquely wired to the latest industry developments. They know where the seismic crews are heading. They know about the latest technological creations – and where they’re being used. They know the latest breakthroughs in scientific thoughts and understandings.
They know who is doing what, where.
Recognizing that, one of our goals for the coming year will be utilizing the Region leadership as an ongoing source of information that is important for AAPG members and EXPLORER readers – helping us to report globally the developments in what promises to be a challenging but potentially rewarding era of exploration.
This month, the focus is on the [PFItemLinkShortcode|id:2738|type:standard|anchorText:Latin America|cssClass:|title:Latin America Region|PFItemLinkShortcode], [PFItemLinkShortcode|id:2739|type:standard|anchorText:European|cssClass:|title:European Region|PFItemLinkShortcode] and [PFItemLinkShortcode|id:2742|type:standard|anchorText:Africa|cssClass:|title:Africa Region|PFItemLinkShortcode] Regions, using as our sources:
- James K. Agbenorto, serving his second year as Africa Region president. He is with the Ghana National Petroleum Corp., Tema, Ghana.
- David R. Cook, serving the first of two years as European Region president. He recently retired from ExxonMobil, and resides in Haslemere, England. (Assisted in his response by Bert Clever, secretary of the AAPG European Council, and Istvan Berczi, the council’s past president.)
- Enrique Velasquez, serving the first of two years as Latin America Region president. He is with Ecopetrol, Bogota, Colombia.
Similar reports from AAPG’s Canada, Middle East and Asia Pacific Regions are set for the May EXPLORER.
This month, all presidents were asked the same questions regarding exploration activities, developments and potential in their respective Region.
The intent was to raise the profile of AAPG’s Region leadership while providing a valuable glimpse into the international arena.