UNLOCKING BIRD’S HEAD PAPUA HYDROCARBON POTENTIAL BY USING G&G EVALUATION, A NEW INSIGHT

Bird’s Head of Papua is a hydrocarbon prolific area located in northern part of Papua Island, Indonesia, proved by several hydrocarbon discoveries (such as Asap) and production fields (such as Tangguh Field). The main exploration focus in this area is Pre-Tertiary rocks, especially in Mesozoic interval which came from passive margin of Australia that is known as hydrocarbon prolific.

Unlike the equivalent formations of Mesozoic sequence in NW Australia, this sequence is not so promising in several places in Bird’s Head region. In addition, exploration campaign in the offshore Bird’s Head of Papua in the last decade came out with a disappointing result. Generally, the major challenges of exploration in this area are the limitation in data availability and the comprehension of such complex geology. Thus, this area is in urgent needs to improve further understanding of existing play concept and to develop new exploration play by using recently added data.

This study conduct a geological and geophysical approach to unlocking the potential hydrocarbon in Bird’s Head of Papua, which is in Bintuni, Berau and Semai area, which is post mortem analysis, sequence stratigraphic correlation, a detailed interpretation based on seismic mapping of horizon markers at Mesozoic intervals, velocity modeling for use in converting time to depth and sensitivity analysis, create a contour map of depth and thickness, identify the structure and pattern of faults.

This paper is an effort to solve the existing problems and generally aims to determine the Mesozoic reservoir model and source rocks and their distribution in relation to identify the new petroleum play opportunity for exploration purpose in Bird’s Head area. Based on comprehensive analysis of this study, Triassic and Early Jurassic reservoir and Paleocene Daram Sandstone are identified as the new play system in Bird’s Head of Papua.