Overview of some ultra-deep oil and gas projects that have not achieved their initial goals

Abstract

A number of articles were published in the journal "Bulletin of the Oil and Gas Industry of Kazakhstan" in 202022 with the participation of the authors, , in which the experience of prospecting and exploration and development of deposits at ultra-deep depths (more than 6000 m) was analyzed. Since the industry has accumulated a significant number of successfully implemented ultra-deep projects, it may seem that such projects, in principle, have an increased chance of success. This is not so: when they are implemented, geological, technological and, most importantly, organizational and commercial problems arise even more often than when developing more traditional reserves.
 The several non-commercial projects considered in this paper cover almost the entire spectrum of possible cases of various structural and tectonic conditions: foothill depressions and intracraton basins, coasts, offshore and deep-water offshore areas. Stratigraphically, the time interval covers deposits from the Miocene to the Lower Paleozoic (Silurian) and a wide variety of lithofacial complexes. Based on the generalization, a list of possible reasons for making unsuccessful decisions is derived.