Sweden

The combined advent of  Horizontal Drilling ("HD") and Multi-Stage Fracturing completion technology ("MSF") has brought about an unprecedented breakthrough in  the commercial exploitation of classical hydrocarbon source rocks. This is the new world of "Hydrocarbon Resource Plays".

As the gas shale plays of North America commercialise rapidly, the search is on for major new "Resource Play Fairways" around the world.

Shell has been quick to capture one such fairway in Southern Sweden - the Skane Alum Shale. RSDD-H imaging suggests that this play should work and will be very material - as the dark tone anomaly illustrates. This RSDD-H observation not only indicates the extent of the fairway - somewhat more than Shell has licensed- but also corroborates existing published information about the Vitrinite Reflectance status of the Alum shale in this part of the Baltic Basin -in peak gas window condition - suitable for MSF exploitation. It will be extremely interesting to see how the Shell campaign progresses.

Scotforth has been just as quick to map quickly and uniquely the likely extent and sweetspots of this and other resource plays in Europe - a key advantage of RSDD-H mapping over geological trends of possible hydrocarbon interest. It has idenitfied several areas of "surveyed knowledge" and "RSDD-H prospectivity"  that appear highly suitable for petroleum licensing and collaboration with MSF venturers and continues to build this "prospect book".