Panel Session:

Advancing the Paleogene: Regional Play Evolution and Collaborative Exploration Strategies

Panel Scope

This panel centers on the strategic pivot from mature Miocene targets toward the high-potential Paleogene succession (Paleocene–Oligocene), examining how regional basin evolution, play analogues, and exploration strategies are reshaping opportunity across the Asia Pacific.The discussion brings together operators, national oil companies, and international explorers to share case studies, regional frameworks, and technology-enabled workflows that are redefining Paleogene prospectivity in both proven and frontier basins.

Key Focus Areas

• Unlocking Frontier Potential: Exploration beyond historical “shadow plays,” targeting underexplored syn-rift Paleogene sequences through tectono-stratigraphic frameworks, basin evolution models, and regional analogues, with examples from the Andaman Sea, North Sumatra, and East Java Basins.

• Regional Expansion and Play Analogues: Linking local success to regional opportunity by identifying play-level parallels and basin evolution trends across Deepwater Sarawak, Vietnam’s Nam Con Son Basin, Australia’s NW Shelf, and adjacent frontier margins.

• Technological and Interpretational Catalysts: How evolving geological models, regional seismic re-interpretation, and improved imaging technologies are reducing uncertainty and enabling confident exploration of deeper, more complex Paleogene architectures.

• Strategic Collaboration and Portfolio Thinking: A forward-looking discussion on how revitalising Paleogene exploration requires collaboration across borders and disciplines, aligning operators and explorers through shared regional learnings, analogue-driven insights, and integrated exploration strategies to unlock Asia Pacific’s next upstream chapter.

Panel Intent

The session aims to move beyond single-basin narratives, providing a holistic regional perspective on Paleogene exploration that combines operational experience with basin-scale understanding and strategic insight.