Under the Auspices of The Ministry of Industry, Energy and Mines
With high global oil and gas prices the option of developing shale gas reserves is once again particularly relevant and is leading all companies (including NOC’s) to explore for and develop new gas plays. In North Africa the Paleozoic Ghadames Basin, covering up to 250,000km2, holds enormous potential for unconventional gas and oil resources within the Late Silurian Tannezuft and the Frasnian Aouinet Aouinine Formations. These formations have an average organic-rich net thickness of between 30m to 80m, are at a depth of 2500m - 5000m, while TOC content varies between 3% - 25%.
According to the EIA (2013), Algeria alone has over 700 Tcf of OGIP while in Tunisia, the estimated OGIP hosted within the Silurian is about 120 Tcf, with up to 12 Tcf of additional potential in the Ordovician. The subsurface challenge is to understand the seven key parameters of a shale gas reservoir including: thermal maturity, total organic carbon content, reservoir thickness distribution, reservoir mineralogy (clay types, quartz content), reservoir homogeneity and the amount of adsorbed and free gas fractions within the pores and fractures. The above ground challenge is the availability of extensive, cost effective surface and processing facilities e.g. the South Tunisia pipeline with a capacity of 10MMm3/day.
Other source rocks with potential for an unconventional oil play include the Albian, Fahdene and Early Turonian, Bahloul Formations in the Tunisian Pelagian Basin. These units are in the oil generating window and characterized by average T.O.C content of 3% and 6% respectively. Also, there is potential within the Early Eocene Bou Dabbous Formation which has a TOC content range of 0.4% - 4% and generates 18˚ to 53˚ API oil.
Over the last decade North African NOC’s have started to amend the hydrocarbon code with the aim of encouraging the exploration and development of non-conventional resources. However, investment has been limited and companies have sought better commercial terms and require a more competitive cost environment in order to develop unconventional plays. Technically the commercial production rate is the primary uncertainty in a shale gas play therefore understanding well design and geometry, well performance (initial rates and recovery factor), stimulation technologies, commodity price environments and drilling cost is critical to the efficient exploration and development of these resources.
Developing unconventional tight oil and gas resources will be an important component of the energy future for North Africa. This panel session will discuss the key technical and commercial questions related to the exploration and development of these resources.
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