Proven Technologies Will be Key to Israel's 'New Era of Onshore Oil'
Tried-and-tested oilfield technologies will be the key to delivering "a new era of onshore oil" in Israel after the failure of the sector to gain traction in previous decades, according to Harold Vinegar – former Shell Oil Company Chief Scientist and current Chief Scientist at Genie Oil & Gas.
Speaking Tuesday in the opening keynote session of the Universal Oil & Gas 2014 Conference and Exhibition at the Dead Sea Resort, Israel, Vinegar delivered a brief overview of the history of oil and gas exploration in the country before explaining how its onshore oil can be exploited.
While the discovery and development of Israel's onshore Heletz oilfield in the 1950s initially gave rise to optimism about the country's oil prospects, some 192 wildcat wells drilled by the Israelis without success from the late 1940s to 1991 caused the government to adopt a more-focused approach to hydrocarbon development in the 1990s. This reassessment eventually resulted in the discovery of the giant Tamar and Leviathan gas fields offshore Israel during the last decade. Today, these fields account for the bulk of some 35 trillion cubic feet of natural gas in the eastern Mediterranean.
But in his presentation, Vinegar highlighted a "conservative" estimate of more than 250 billion barrels of oil shale that exists onshore in Senonian Bituminous source rock that is prevalent throughout a large part of Israel.
To generate oil from some of this source rock Vinegar believes an in-situ method for heating it, which he developed at Shell, could be used. However, he also pointed out that "up in the southern Golan Heights the geothermal energy there has already converted it to oil".
Vinegar also provided a list of tried-and-tested oilfield techniques that will help Israel develop its oil shale resources.
"We now have the concept that's been proven in the United States of self-sourcing source rocks, where the source rock itself has generated with the oil still in it. We believe that's the case in the southern Golan Heights and, hopefully, within a month or so we will drill that. The company [involved] is called Afet Oil & Gas," Vinegar said.
12
View Full Article
WHAT DO YOU THINK?
Generated by readers, the comments included herein do not reflect the views and opinions of Rigzone. All comments are subject to editorial review. Off-topic, inappropriate or insulting comments will be removed.
- ITEM Club: More Jobs Losses Expected in NE Scotland due to Oil Slump
- Shell Q&A: What Makes an Ideal Employer in Oil, Gas?
- Shell Takes First Place in Rigzone's Inaugural Ideal Employer Survey
- UK Government 'Must Recommit' to Oil, Gas Sector in Autumn Statement
- UK Government Gives Go-Ahead for Fracking in NW England
- Gunvor CEO Sees Russian Refining Capacity Taking Hit from Drone Strikes
- Sinopec Engineering Posts Higher Annual Petrochemicals Revenue
- Subsea7 Secures Contract to Service Woodside's Trion
- These Factors Helped Brent Oil Price Break Above $85
- Imperial Pipeline in Winnipeg Goes Offline for Three Months
- Adnoc Inks Supply Deal for Ruwais LNG Project with Germany's SEFE
- Gaz System to Acquire Gas Storage Poland
- Norway Regulator Blasts Proposal to Halt New Oil and Gas Permits
- Chinese Mega Company Makes Major Oilfield Discovery
- EIA Drops 2024 Henry Hub Gas Price Forecast
- EIA and Standard Chartered Offer Up Latest Oil Price Predictions
- Red Sea Region Sees Another Watershed Incident
- Chevron Oil Project in Kazakhstan to Cost $48.5B
- OPEC Voices Encouragement after IEA Affirms Support for Oil Security
- Biden Govt Bares Strategy for Freight Charging, Hydrogen Fueling Infra
- Rystad Looks at the Buzz Around White Hydrogen
- Ukraine Hits Third Russian Refinery In Escalating Drone Strikes
- VIDEO: Missile Attack Kills Crew Transiting Gulf of Aden
- Norway Regulator Blasts Proposal to Halt New Oil and Gas Permits
- Chinese Mega Company Makes Major Oilfield Discovery
- What Is the Biggest Risk to Offshore Oil and Gas Personnel in 2024?
- Is Peak Oil Demand Close?
- Vessel Sinks in Red Sea After Missile Strike
- JP Morgan, Standard Chartered Reveal Latest Oil Price Forecasts
- Exxon Rights in Stabroek Do Not Apply to Hess Merger with Chevron: Hess
- Rystad Forecasts Net Production of Top Permian Producers in 2024
- Analysts Reveal Latest Oil Price Outlook Following OPEC+ Cut Extension