Exploration and Production in the Black Sea Region and Super-Basin Thinking

Trabzon is a spectacular city on the Black Sea coast of north-eastern Turkey. Being situated on the historical Silk Road it became a melting pot of religions, languages and culture for centuries.

The theme we have chosen for this conference refers to the ongoing efforts to turn possibly the Black Sea basin into a super basin in the next decade or so. The term “super basin” was just recently introduced and refers to a sedimentary basin with more than 5 billion BOE (barrels oil equivalent) cumulative production and at least 5 billion BOE remaining recoverable resources. Super basins are characterized by two or more source rocks, stacked reservoirs, mature infrastructure, established service sectors, large amounts of data, and access to markets.

So, the question arises whether the Black Sea could become a super basin in the future as well. The high-profile recent gas discoveries made in the Turkish sector of the western Black Sea (Sakarya and North Sakarya) reportedly proved up to circa 20 TCF recoverable gas translating to about 3.4 billion BOE. The deepwater Romanian proven resources already count for about 3-4 TCF and undrilled Bulgarian deepwater gas prospects in the multi-TCF range may bring the proven resources close to the 5 billion BOE mark in the entire basin. Production of the large gas finds in the Turkish sector is planned to start in 2023, according to TPAO. It is not clear when the gas from deepwater Romania starts to flow, but it is quite likely that the next decade will see a cumulative gas production in the western Black Sea basin, which may get close to the threshold to qualify the Black Sea as a super basin. As to the remaining potential across the entire basin, the emerging biogenic gas play is being recognized in other parts of the Black Sea as well, for example in offshore Georgia. Given the current exploration momentum seen in the Black Sea, it is clearly on track to join the prestigious ranks of super basins.

We are planning to attract technical presentations relevant to the broader Black Sea region but also case studies from analog basins worldwide. The technical program will be organized into a single oral session and a concurrent poster exhibition during the two days. There will be two one-day field trips offered, the pre-conference one focusing on the stratigraphy of the Eastern Pontides and the post-conference one highlighting the structural geology in the same region. We are also putting an emphasis on having a healthy mix of professionals from both the industry and the academia.

We are confident that all the explorers and geoscientists working on projects in the broader Black Sea region will not only enjoy this conference but will also find some extra time to visit Trabzon and other parts of the stunning Turkish coastline. This is the first time for AAPG to have a conference in Trabzon and we are convinced that it will be a beautiful and unforgettable experience for all participants!

Topics for the planned technical program:

1. Exploration case studies from play definition to drilling
2. Appraisal, development, production and EOR case studies
3. Petroleum systems analysis: what is proven and what is speculative?
4. Stratigraphic overviews and intra/inter-basin correlation challenges
5. Basin modelling from regional to prospect scale
6. Folded belts: case studies from the Alps to the Caucasus
7. Marine connections and paleogeographic changes
8. Plate tectonic models and large-scale paleogeographic reconstructions
9. Energy transition: what can the oil and gas industry do?
10. Neotectonics and seismic hazards in the region