Play-Based Yet-to-Find Resource Assessment of the West Greenland Continental Shelf

Abstract

Summary A play-based Yet-to-Find resource assessment of conventional hydrocarbons has been carried out for the West Greenland continental shelf that constitutes one of the last huge frontier areas of the World. The basin fill is divided into six main tectono-stratigraphic phases and eight play intervals. Source rock intervals include Ordovician, Albian, Cenomanian-Turonian, Campanian and Paleocene-Eocene. Reservoir rocks are present at virtually all stratigraphic levels. High-quality regional seals are well documented from all play intervals. Volume estimates for more than 152 structural leads have been integrated into the play analysis and the identified prospectivity has been calculated. The Yet-to-Find analysis is based on a feature (lead) density calculation approach for each of the identified play intervals calibrated with data from the most extensively explored areas (analogue areas). Based on these analogue areas the unidentified prospectivity has been calculated for the underexplored areas. Having calculated both identified and unidentified prospectivity, the roll-up of all play intervals provide the Total Mean Case Risked Recoverable MMBOE. The total Mean risked recoverable for AU1 is 5500 MMBOE, for AU2 9100 MMBOE and for AU3 2800 MMBOE. A final portfolio analysis shows which areas of the West Greenland continental margin are the most prospective for future exploration.