APGCE 2026 Curtain Raiser

The 2nd EAGE Workshop on New Discoveries in Mature Basins sets the stage for the Asia Petroleum Geoscience Conference and Exhibition (APGCE) 2026, offering a platform where top selected abstracts will also be featured at the main conference. The primary objective is to facilitate the exchange of knowledge and insights regarding how advancements in technology and strategic thinking have led to significant exploration successes, thereby revitalizing well-established petroleum provinces.

Introduction

Recent years have seen a notable resurgence in petroleum exploration within mature basins globally, with particular success observed in regions such as Southeast Asia. These established provinces offer inherent advantages, including well-developed infrastructure and a wealth of accumulated geoscience and engineering data and expertise. However, realizing the significant untapped potential within these mature areas necessitates deploying innovative solutions. Yet, unlocking their untapped potential requires more than traditional methods.

It demands a fusion of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning (AI/ML) with deep learning enabled by HPC technology to uncover overlooked opportunities and optimize development strategies. As Dolson et al. (2018) aptly state, "Frontier and mature basin exploration requires different mindsets, skills, and tools. Petroleum systems analysis, depth to oil and gas windows, pressures, and basin evolution, including paleogeographic reconstructions, are essential in Frontier areas.

Mature basins have abundant test data, hydrocarbon shows, pressures, logs, andother information, which must be culled through and analyzed to find anomalous oil shows, compartmentalized reservoirs, or bypassed pay. The work is data and time-intensive but can yield substantial new reserves when coupled with new 3D seismic data, a re-look at cores, and better integration." This underscores the critical need for meticulous data analysis and integration of new technologies to identify overlooked opportunities.