DEVELOPMENT OF THE IAGIFU-HEDINIA FIELD, PNG FOLD BELT: A MULTI-DISCIPLINARY RESERVOIR MANAGEMENT SUCCESS STORY

Abstract

Iagifu-Hedinia oil field was discovered in 1986 in the remote Highlands of PNG following a multi-year exploration effort. Exploration and subsequent field development of PNG's first petroleum export project were carried out without the aid of seismic data due primarily to the intense karst development in the area. Because of historically low oil prices and the remote and difficult environment, the decision to develop the field did not occur until late 1990. First oil was produced in June 1992, with successful development dependent upon an intense focus on cost management, land owner and government relations, and most critically an early commitment to active reservoir management by an empowered and multi-disciplinary reservoir management team (MDRM team). This MDRM team added as much as an incremental 70 MMBBL oil and US$240 million of net present value to the project. This resulted from its being given responsibility for reservoir characterisation, reserve estimation, economic analysis, and active reservoir management. At its core the team consisted of both petroleum engineers and earth scientists, but incorporated numerous other disciplines as they were needed. Key to this success was the support and endorsement of management to a truly empowered team.