The Geosciences department of FOXTROT International has the task of evaluating the "reserves" of gases available in the subsoil (expressed in millions of m3 per field and/or geological layer) and ensure that they are sufficient to meet current and future electricity demand. The department’s activities thus cover the entire value chain called Exploration & Production (E&P).
The Geosciences department provides integrated or specialized studies covering a wide range of expertise that needs to be coordinated. Sometimes subcontractors are used when expertise is lacking, new tools need to be explored or an independent field review is required. In the latter case, our department pilots at certain key dates the "Certification of Reserves" made by an external auditor. Based on the findings of the integrated studies and/or Certification, new analyses, data acquisitions, or well installations may be proposed to the Management Board and shareholders of FOXTROT International by the Geosciences department.
If new well installations are decided, they fall either under exploration (aiming at a "discovery"), or the development of a virgin field already discovered (aiming at a production or "first hydrocarbon") or still the redevelopment of an existing field (aiming at "maximising" the recovery of gas). In the most favourable cases, maximum recovery should allow at the end of the field’s life to have been able to supply the electricity sector with up to 80% of the gas initially present in the subsoil.
On a daily basis, the Geosciences department works closely with the Production department to monitor each of the 16 gas producing wells operated from our two offshore platforms, occasionally involving interventions on these wells.
The term "Geosciences" is relatively recent, and in constant evolution, covering to date the Earth Sciences professions such as Geologist, Geophysicist and Reservoir Engineer, but also aggregates the technical database management skills, mapping or soil mechanics. In a world where the amount of data and new algorithms are disrupting our traditional scientific approaches, gradually challenging intuition with statistics, geosciences, but also production, are expected to evolve by now including new skills around the efficient management of large and complex data, while automating their processing and analysis (Artificial Intelligence).