Seismic

A $1.3 billion expansion has been sanctioned by BP plc for its deepwater Atlantis field in the Gulf of Mexico (GOM), with “significant additional oil resources” identified by the supermajor that could expand development opportunities around all of its offshore U.S. production hubs.

North America onshore operations are set to surge this year for Schlumberger Ltd., as it readies more horsepower and expands capacity for sold-out rotary steerables and drillbit technologies, CEO Paal Kibsgaard said Friday.

North American onshore seismic data expert Seitel is partnering with Schlumberger Ltd. in a multiclient alliance to reimage and acquire geophysical data in key areas across onshore Mexico.

Five requests to seismically survey parts of the Atlantic Ocean off the East Coast, a precursor to allowing oil and natural gas drilling, are once again under review by federal officials.

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has concluded that hydraulic fracturing at a Hilcorp Energy Co. pad in western Pennsylvania triggered a series ofmicro-earthquakes last year, saying new permitting conditions for all operators will eventually be required in the area.

Citing the fact that no oil and gas lease sales are planned through at least 2022, the Obama administration on Friday denied six pending applications that sought to conduct airgun seismic surveys in the Mid- and South Atlantic Planning Areas of the Atlantic Ocean.

Russia’s largest publicly traded producer, OAO Rosneft, is becoming an equal partner in groundbreaking research between BP plc and Schlumberger Ltd. to develop “cableless” onshore seismic acquisition technology.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has told Texas regulators that “there is a significant possibility that North Texas earthquake activity is associated with [energy industry] disposal wells.” The assertion is part of a report on the state’s underground injection control (UIC) program sent to the Railroad Commission of Texas (RRC) last week.

A series of earthquakes recorded late last month in western Pennsylvania could be linked to a Hilcorp Energy Co. site where the company was stimulating two horizontal wells near the epicenter, state researchers said this week.