DOE details technology available for deepwater gulf

Nov. 17, 2000
The US Department of Energy plans to issue a 'roadmap' of future technology advancements that could aid production of oil and gas in the ultra-deep waters of the Gulf of Mexico. DOE officials will release the document at three public meetings.


The US Department of Energy plans to issue a "roadmap" of future technology advancements that could aid production of oil and gas in the ultra-deep waters of the Gulf of Mexico.

DOE officials will present the "roadmap" to industry representatives and other interested organizations at public sessions. They will be at 3 p.m. Nov. 27 at the Ocean Star Offshore Drilling Rig and Museum, Galveston, Tex.; 3 p.m. Nov. 28 at the Bollinger Algiers Shipyard in New Orleans; and at 10 a.m. Dec. 6 at DOE headquarters in Washington, DC.

DOE said last July it began to identify ways to increase oil and gas production from the ultradeepwater Gulf of Mexico. In five workshops, the department gathered information from producers, investors, technology suppliers, service companies, and other federal and private organizations.

From the data, DOE drafted a document identifying the barriers to developing these offshore oil and gas resources, along with potential technologies and the investment requirements that could accelerate ultra-deepwater development.

The "roadmap" will outline both evolutionary and revolutionary technologies that could improve the success of exploring for and producing deepwater resources and for protecting the offshore environment. Innovative systems engineering and design processes will also be identified along with improvements in the infrastructure needed for offshore operations. The "roadmap" will also identify possible regulatory innovations and public education needs associated with deepwater oil and gas production.

The document will be available in print at the meetings, and on DOE's Office of Fossil Energy web site.