Evolution of the Mental Picture of Tight Shales
At the end of March, researchers from all over the world are going to meet at a conference devoted to shale gas which is to be held at the Copernicus Science Centre. The conference is organized by ORLEN Upstream, Energy and Geoscience Institute – University of Utah and Schlumberger Innovation Center, SLC, USA. The participants will discuss the scientific and technical aspects of the issue, which are key to forecasting how Poland will diversify its energy sources in the future.
For many months, shale gas has been one of the main topics of discussions concerning the nation’s gas potential. Numerous hypotheses regarding the size of Poland’s unconventional deposits have been put forward and speculation has abounded as to when any production projects might be launched. However, little attention has been paid to the scientific and technical aspects of the issue, which are key to making any judgments about future prospects of such mining projects in Poland. On March 28th and 29th, the nature of shale rock will be the focus of a discussion between researchers from all over the world.
If the presence of shale gas in Poland is confirmed and its production proves economically viable, shale gas will be a major game changer on the European energy market. Proper identification of the structure of shale occurring in Poland will be decisive here. The aim of the conference Evolution of the Mental Picture about Tight Shales is to challenge the notions of the structure of unconventional deposits. Over two days, the world’s specialists in geology, geophysics and petroleum engineering are going to present the picture of shale rock formations based on state-of-the-art knowledge and scientific achievements, which is certainly a starting point for the processes of exploring, identifying, drilling, developing and producing of unconventional hydrocarbons. The conference is organized by ORLEN Upstream, a PKN Orlen Group company, Energy and Geoscience Institute – University of Utah and Schlumberger Innovation Center, SLC, USA.
- Our notions of shale are evolving in step with scientific progress. The evolution of our perceptions is connected, among other things, with a better understanding of the specificity and characteristics of shale and is heading towards a stronger conviction that the natural gas potential is enormous. We have managed to invite renowned specialists with a wealth of relevant experience - says Wiesław Prugar, President of the Management Board, ORLEN Upstream.
This year’s event will be the first in a series of discussions intended to cover a broad range of topics connected with exploration for and production of shale gas. The subsequent editions of the conference will focus on the environmental aspects, the latest techniques of gas production in Poland and Europe, as well as potential benefits of shale gas exploitation.
INFORMATION ABOUT THE CONFERENCE
- Evolution of the Mental Picture of Tight Shales
- 28-29 March 2011
- Copernicus Science Centre, Wybrzeże Kościuszkowskie 20, Warsaw
- Organizers: ORLEN Upstream; Energy and Geoscience Institute – University of Utah; Schlumberger Innovation Center, SLC, USA
- Official conference website: www.shalescience.com
