Petroleum Development Oman Aggressively Trying to Exploit Tight Gas

Petroleum Development Oman (PDO) is aggressively looking to exploit unconventional gas in its concession in Block 6 in Oman, however huge challenges remain, says company managing director Raoul Restucci.

According to Restucci, company’s ambition is visible in its attempt to appraise and develop the Khulud tight gas fields in the northern part of its concession.

Speaking at the opening of the International Unconventional Gas Conference & Exhibition taking place in Muscat, Restucci described the Khulud project as PDO’s first tight gas pilot that could likely shape the course of its strategy to develop its unconventional gas resources, reports Oman Daily Observer.

Unlocking the potential of such accumulations typically entail huge challenges posed by the extreme tightness of the reservoir rock, target reservoir depths of up to 5,000 metres, and prevailing temperatures of around 180 degrees centigrade.  Compounding these challenges is the sour nature of the gas, collectively making the project “complex and testing by most industry standards, Restucci was quoted as saying.

Furthermore, given the need for long-term testing to prove the commerciality of these tight gas accumulations, an early production system has also been recently commissioned to de-risk and right-size future cluster developments, Restucci said at the event, adds Oman Daily Observer. 

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