January 2025
The Mesozoic and Cenozoic petroleum systems of the Middle East are well renowned for producing large volumes of hydrocarbons to support and supply global demands for oil and gas. Over the next 30 years (2050 and beyond), society will still demand a significant amount of gas as part of the overall energy mix within the ongoing energy transition. Crucially, existing gas assets will be insufficient to meet predicted energy scenario estimates. To date, within the Middle East, there are only clusters of successful Paleozoic discoveries and a lack of subsurface penetrations into the Paleozoic stratigraphy resulting in uncertainty in the distribution of petroleum system elements.
In this edition of Subsurface Insights, we illuminate the exploration potential of the relatively underexplored Paleozoic intervals in the Middle East by examining six fairways spanning the Paleozoic to earliest Mesozoic across Arabia. We use the DecisionSpace® 365 Neftex solution to perform a play-based screening workflow and showcase a plate-wide approach to help identify ‘zones’ of exploration opportunity with the potential for multiple stacked plays.
Understanding deep gas systems within the Middle East requires a regional approach to fully appreciate and contextualize the distribution of petroleum system elements and processes. It is vital to not only assess the likely presence and effectiveness of each petroleum system element but also to understand what the key risks for each area will be and how this will influence the development of each system.
