Chapter 567: Ultra-Deep Water

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Internationally, oil and gas resources in sea areas with a water depth of more than 300 meters are generally defined as deep-water oil and gas, and water depths above 1,500 meters are called ultra-deepwater.

The three blocks 13, 14 and 15 that Petrobras put up for auction this time are located in the ultra-deep sea area. In particular, the water depth of block 15 has reached 2,000 meters.

And that's just the depth of the water. According to the data drilled by Petrobras in the Santos Basin in the past few years, two sets of source rocks containing oil and gas have developed in the Santos Basin, namely 'lacustrine dark shale' and 'deep-water marine shale'.

The former is the main source rock of the Santos Basin, in the diving area with a water depth of less than 400 meters, its burial depth is 7~8 kilometers, and it is in the mature stage, so the probability of discovering oil is very high, and the offshore oil fields and natural gas fields that have been developed in Brazil are mostly located in this area. Therefore, in this bidding, the 7 blocks in the shallow sea area are the most fiercely contested.

In continental slopes and deep-water areas, the strata are relatively shallow, and the 'lacustrine dark shale' is between immature and mature, and the probability of oil production is very low.

Deep-water marine shale, on the other hand, is a calcareous mudstone and black shale rich in organic matter deposited in a global anoxic environment. It is located in the deep water area of the continental shelf in the southeast of the Santos Basin and the super deep water area of the sub-depression, and is still in the stage of the main oil production window or the oil production window has not yet arrived. In short, the probability of finding oil is not high.

In addition, different source rocks have different containing layers, which will not be introduced here.

According to the information already published by Petrobras, the three blocks in the ultra-deepwater area, in addition to the nearly 2,000 meters of seawater depth, will have to continue to drill down two to three kilometers to reach the area where the bearing layer is located.

That is to say, it is necessary to drill at least 5000~6000 meters from the return plane. What is the concept of 6,000 meters? It means that it costs at least a few hundred, if not tens of millions, to drill an exploratory well, which is commonly known in the industry as a 'wildcat well'.

What is a 'wild cat'? It is best to use the saying 'a blind cat touches a dead mouse'.

Often, if ten exploratory wells are drilled, one good well can be drilled, and nine dry wells are considered good. However, as the exploration of oil fields is getting deeper and deeper, and the area is becoming more and more remote, it is often difficult to have a good well. Therefore, oil exploration is really burning with money! The deeper it goes, the more it burns!

It is also because the oil yield of the oil-bearing layer is not high and too deep, so it is difficult to explore and develop. Therefore, the three blocks of 13, 14 and 15 seem to be chicken ribs in the eyes of most oil companies on the site, and it is a pity to abandon them.

"Next up is Block 13!"

"Let's get started!"

Rebecca Mark nodded, although she didn't want these three ultra-deep water blocks at all, but the big boss had a resolute attitude.

"Unocal, $5 million signing fee, $50 million general investment, 40% localized procurement ratio. ”

The general cost is ten times the signing fee, which is relatively much higher. This is also understandable. After all, ultra-deep-sea exploration is expensive, and if you only spend $10 million or two, you won't be able to survive 10 wells. What about you playing? Luck is not like that.

You must know that although Unocal and Guo Shouyun are major shareholders, with the participation of capital giants such as the Roosevelt family, the Bush family, and the Carlyle Group, the board of directors also has the right to supervise him. You can test the waters in the ultra-deep sea, but you also have to test the waters. Moreover, 50 million US dollars, which is neither too much nor too little, happens to allow Petrobras to see its sincerity.

"Unocal?"

"They're interested in ultra-deep water?" ......

Seeing the numbers on the display, the head of the oil company present glanced at the area where Unocal was located in surprise.

Of course, it was just surprise. In their opinion, Unocal is now bidding, and it is only after all 12 blocks in the shallow and deep water areas have failed, and they do not plan to return empty-handed.

The person in charge of Petrobras, as soon as he saw that there was someone to support him, so they simply did not make an offer. As a Brazilian state-owned company, they did not need to participate in the bidding to get the best exploration block in the Santos Basin.

Generally speaking, if one company makes an offer and no other company makes a bid within a minute, the former is declared the winner.

And Unocal's offer is neither high nor low. It happens to be higher than the psychological price of those oil companies who try their luck at a low price to take a block.

So, a minute later, there was still only one Unocal on the front display.

"Congratulations to Unocal for winning the bid for Exploration Block 13. ”

Led by Roberto Muric, the hall burst into loud applause. However, most of the eyes of the people who looked at Unocal contained a bit of mockery.

Guo Shouyun didn't care about this, and if he won No. 13, his goal was achieved by one-third.

"Next up is the bidding for Exploration Block 14. ”

"Unocal, $5 million signing fee, $50 million general investment, 40% localized procurement ratio. ”

Look at the content displayed again on the big screen, almost exactly the same. The chatter at the bottom was much louder than before.

"Why are they again?"

"The exploration cost of ultra-deepwater blocks is high, and the source rocks are underdeveloped, and the probability of containing large oil fields is too low. There is no way that the people of Unocal do not know. ”

"Maybe they want to try their luck!" ......

John Watson glanced at the monitor, then turned his gaze to the area where Unocal was next to him. From his position, only Guo Shouyun's side face could be seen. And the other party's calm side face, there is no way to see any emotion at all, and there is no way to judge the other party's thoughts.

After a moment of scrutiny, there was a thoughtful look on his face. After a long time, he shook his head and didn't say anything more.

"Congratulations to Unocal for winning the bid for Exploration Block 14. ”

Lacking enough competitors, Guo Shouyun quickly got what he wanted.

However, compared to the last time. This time, after the applause, everyone looked at him with less of that lively look and more of an inquiry.

Although two-thirds of the goal was achieved, Guo Shouyun's heart did not relax in the slightest.

"I'm afraid it won't be so easy next!"

"Finally, there is the bidding for Exploration Block 15. ”

"Unocal, $4 million in signing fees, $55 million in general inputs, and 40% localized procurement ratio. ”

After seeing Unocal's bidding information appear on the big screen again, the discussion in the audience was gone. There was an eerie atmosphere in the whole venue.

There is a saying: you can be one, you can be two, you can't be three. It's obviously a chicken rib of low value, and if you take two pieces, it can be understood as luck. But if you take all three, does that mean you know some secret that we don't know?

That's how the human psyche is. Any normal person who encounters the current situation will involuntarily come up with such speculation.

Moreover, sitting here today are not just normal people, but the elite among them. Sharp and thoughtful.

"Chevron-Texaco, $450 signing fee, $55.6 million one-time investment, 40% localized procurement. ”

Seeing this information, Guo Shouyun frowned and sighed in his heart. His worst fears had happened. But fortunately, he explained in advance.

"Chevron Texaco also shot?"

Both giants were interested in Block 15, which instantly made other oil companies, who were still a little skeptical, sure that there must be something in Block 15 that they didn't know. In order to avoid the sidelines, a third bidder soon appeared.

Japan JGC Co., Ltd., $480 signing fee, $55.9 million one-time investment, 40% localized procurement. ”

"Boss...?"

Facing Rebecca's inquiry, Guo Shouyun shook his head, "Don't worry about it yet, wait and talk." ”

Ten seconds after the Japanese made their bids, there were new bidders.

"Anadaco Petroleum, $500 signing fee, $56 million one-time investment, 40% localized procurement. ”

After another dozen seconds.

"Japan International Petroleum Development Corporation, $520 signing fee, $56.3 million one-time investment, 40% localized procurement. ”

Compared with the previous fierce bidding, although everyone has more doubts about the No. 15 oil block, because of the uncertainty, the price increase is not large, and it is slow and leisurely, and it seems not to be in a hurry.

Of course, there are reasons for this, one is to prevent the price increase from too much, and the 'pit' will fall into the 'pit' after winning the bid. The other is also actively contacting the headquarters, using their connections in Brazil to investigate whether Block 15 has been secretly explored, or if there are new discoveries around it.

The headquarters replied that only 15 exploratory wells have been drilled so far in Brazil's ultra-deep sea area, all of which are dry wells. ”

John Watson nodded.

"Bruce Guo, what the hell are you thinking? Is it really just luck?"

Looking at the young man with a calm expression, even if John Watson wanted to break his head, there was no other explanation than the possibility of trying his luck. This is because the relationship between the headquarters can go directly to the top of Petrobras, and there is no possibility of a mistake.

After he got a reply, ExxonMobil, Shell, ConocoPhillips, Total, BP and other companies also basically got a reply from headquarters. The content is much the same, and it is basically negative.

So, although they suspected Guo Shouyun and Unocal's motives for doing so, no one made any more bids. After all, tens of millions of dollars is not a small amount. No one wants this money to go down the drain.

"Yes, add $500,000 each for the signing fee and general investment, and add 0.1 percentage points for localized procurement. ”

After not seeing a new offer for half a minute, Guo Shouyun said decisively.

Rebecca nodded and did as she was told.

Unocal has a signing fee of $6.2 million, a one-time investment of $58.5 million, and 40.1% localized procurement. ”

Seeing their bidding information again, everyone was still a little hesitant. However, the people who had already received a reply from the headquarters did not increase the price.

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