DEEP OIL
Friday, January 26, 2007
An NBR Series - PREMIERES Monday, January 29th
A 3 part series examining the quest for oil in deep water.
| America's
thirst for fuel is driving major oil companies to drill in some of
the deepest waters of the Gulf of Mexico. The payoff could be huge:
Experts say as much as 60 billion barrels of oil may lie in the deep
waters of the Gulf. In "Deep Oil," NBR Midwest Bureau Chief Diane
Eastabrook takes a look at this new oil frontier and the challenges
companies face as they try to tame it. |
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| Discuss
"Deep Oil" on XChange - The NBR Blog |
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| The
"Deep Oil" Reports: |
| Part
1: The Tahiti Field |
| Premieres
Monday, January 29, 2007 |
This
report takes us aboard the ship that's drilling the Tahiti Field,
which is Chevron's newest deep oil find. It includes interviews with
Paul Siegele of Chevron, Fadel Gheit of Oppenheimer & Co., Michael
Acuff of Transocean, and others.
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Watch
Part 1
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| Learn
More About This Topic:
- Chevron
The Chevron website offers information about the company's operations,
technology, and brands. This links to a press release the company
issued when it started construction on the Tahiti Field. VP of
Deepwater Exploration/Projects, Paul Siegele, is one of Chevron's
personnel interviewed in Part 1 of Diane Eastabrook's series.
- "Deep
Water: Where the Energy Is"
(PDF Document)
This is an article published by the Department of Interior's Minerals
Management Service. It explains the process of deep water drilling
and also contains some graphics to help readers visualize that
process.
- Oppenheimer
& Co.
Oppenheimer & Co. is an investment and financial services
firm. This links to information about the company's equity research
division, which is home to oil & gas analyst Fadel Gheit.
Gheit is interviewed in Part 1 of Diane Eastabrook's series.
- The
Politics of Oil
This December 2004 report was produced by the Center for Public
Integrity, a nonprofit and non-partisan organization "dedicated
to producing original, responsible investigative journalism on
issues of public concern." While some of the report focuses
on a specific bill making its way through Congress, is also offers
extensive background information on the business of offshore oil
drilling.
- Society
of Petroleum Engineers (SPE)
The SPE is a professional organization offering "technical
information related to oil and gas exploration and production.
- Subsea
7
Subsea 7 is a Scotland-based firm that contracts its ships and
remote operated vehicles to firms involved in deepwater construction
and drilling. Subsea 7 ROV Engineer Michael Stokes is interviewed
in Part 1 of Diane Eastabrook's series.
- Transocean
Transocean is an offshore drilling company. It operates the drill
ship that's working the Tahiti Field. Transocean Rig Manager Michael
Acuff is interviewed in Part 1 of Diane Eastabrook's series.
*Clicking
these external links will take you off the NBR web site on PBS.org.
NBR has no affiliation with these sites.

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| Part
2: Deep Water Drilling Technology |
| Premieres
Tuesday, January 30, 2007 |
This
report looks at the cutting edge technology needed to find and pump
oil from fields that exist under thousands of feet of water. It includes
interviews with Nicholas Purday of Halliburton, Gerry Authement of
Baker Hughes, and others.
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Watch
Part 2
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| Learn
More About This Topic:
- Baker
Hughes
Baker Hughes develops technology used in oil and natural gas drilling
and production. Baker Hughes Deepwater Operations Manager, Gerry
Authement, is interviewed in Part 2 of Diane Eastabrook's series.
- Center
for Petroleum & Geosystems Engineering (CPGE)
CPGE is based at the University of Texas at Austin. The center
is focused on research related to oil and gas drilling engineering.
A number of the center's technical research reports are available
online.
- Chevron
The Chevron website offers information about the energy company's
operations, technology, and brands. Chevron Geophysicist Barney
Issen is interviewed in Part 2 of Diane Eastabrook's series.
- Drilling
Engineering Association
The Drilling Engineering Association "was formed to advance
new technology related to drilling wells." The website includes
information about its projects, its members, and more.
- Halliburton
Halliburton is an energy services firm that, among other things,
manufactures products used in oil & gas drilling. Halliburton's
Manager of Geoscience, Nicholas Purday is interviewed in Part
2 of Diane Eastabrook's series.
- Mustang
Engineering
Mustang is a private company that provides engineering design
and project management services to various industrial industries,
including the oil & natural gas industry. One of the company's
upstream project managers, Gary Wilkes, is interviewed in Part
2 of Diane Eastabrook's series.
- Offshore
Technology Conference (OTC)
OTC is an annual conference and tradeshow dedicated to developing
"offshore resources in the fields of drilling, exploration,
production, and environmental protection." For a fee, subscribers
can read papers presented at conferences since 1969.
*Clicking
these external links will take you off the NBR web site on PBS.org.
NBR has no affiliation with these sites.

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| Part
3: Deeper Reserves |
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Premieres
Wednesday, January 31, 2007 |
This
report focuses on the future of deep water oil drilling in fields
that exist under more than seven thousand feet of water. It includes
interviews with Tom Probert of Halliburton, Robert Long of Transocean,
and others.
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Watch
Part 3
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| Learn
More About This Topic:
- Chevron
The Chevron website offers information about the energy company's
operations, technology, and brands. Chevron Government & Public
Affairs Advisor Mickey Driver is interviewed in Part 3 of Diane
Eastabrook's report.
- Department
of the Interior
This links to the U.S. Department of the Interior's Minerals Management
Service homepage for the Gulf of Mexico Outer Continental Shelf
Region. The website offers data about deepwater drilling as well
as information about issues impacting the industry.
- Halliburton
Halliburton is an energy services firm that, among other things,
manufactures products used in oil & gas drilling. Halliburton's
Senior VP Tim Probert is interviewed in Part 3of Diane Eastabrook's
series.
- Mustang
Engineering
Mustang is a private company that provides engineering design
and project management services to various industrial industries,
including the oil & natural gas industry. The company's VP
of Upstream Business A.J. Cortez is interviewed in Part 3 of Diane
Eastabrook's series.
- "Top
100 US Oil and Gas Fields"
(PDF Document)
This document
was produced by the U.S. Energy Information Agency. It offers
statistics about U.S. oil fields, including their location and
size. The statistics are based on 2005 data.
- Transocean
Transocean is an offshore drilling company that provides drill
ships, rigs, units, and submersibles for deep water operations.
Transocean CEO Robert Long is interviewed in Part 3 of Diane Eastabrook's
series.
- "USGS
World Energy Assesment"
(PDF Document - large size)
This links to the map navigation page for the U.S. Geological
Survey's "World Energy Assesment." Click on any of the
regions in the map to learn more about its geology and its energy
output.
*Clicking
these external links will take you off the NBR web site on PBS.org.
NBR has no affiliation with these sites.

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| Extras:
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| Behind-the-Scenes
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- NBR Field
Producer Hart Billings accompanied Diane Eastabrook and videographer
Dan Morris on their trip to the drill ship working Chevron's Tahiti
Field. Hart took along a digital camera and captured some behind-the-scenes
images. Click on the link below to explore a gallery of these
images.
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