KAZAKHSTAN UPSTREAM OIL AND GAS technology and R&d ...

Technology solutions
24
The future of the industry
During the course of the roadmapping
project, experts from all corners of the industry
thought deeply about the 15 prime challenges
facing upstream operators in Kazakhstan
and came up with a total over 230 possible
technology solutions to them.
The future for the upstream oil and gas
industry in Kazakhstan is actually all about
these solutions – it is the development and
implementation of the solutions that will
determine how fast and how far the industry
progresses in the years ahead.
To help get to grips with these solutions, they
were first assessed in terms of their value to
the industry and their “attractiveness” within
the broader Kazakhstan context, as explained
below.
Ranking the solutions by their
value and attractiveness
To make the ranking process more
manageable, the 230 solutions were
consolidated. This resulted in a group of
75 bundled solutions, which form the basis
for much of the analysis underpinning this
document.
The results of the ranking exercise –
undertaken using an industry questionnaire
and at a high-level workshop in early 2013
– are shown in the scatter plot opposite. (In
fact, some of the 75 solutions were so closely
linked they were ranked together and appear
as a single point.) A full list of the solutions, to
which the scatter plot can be referenced, is
provided on pages 27-31.
The value of each of the solutions was
computed from the value previously placed
on the challenge to which the solution refers,
combined with an expert assessment of the
impact of that solution on the challenge –
high, medium or low.
Establishing the broader attractiveness (to
Kazakhstan) of the solution involved an
assessment that was based on a series of
criteria, each worth a maximum of 5 points
and each given equal weighting:
n project costs to implement the solution – a
low cost being most attractive;
n time to implement the solution – a short time
being most attractive;
n opportunities for local industry – the greater
the opportunities, the more attractive the
solution;
n R&D effort needed to devise the solution
– the more R&D effort required, in
Kazakhstan, the more attractive the solution;
n the qualifications needed to devise the
solution – the more expertise that local
people will need to develop, the more
attractive the solution.
The last two criteria are perhaps counterintuitive.
The assessment was made on the
basis that the more R&D that is needed and
the greater the training requirements, the more
attractive is the solution. The point is that
such solutions serve to raise the intellectual
capacity of the nation, ie make Kazakhstan
more capable of shaping its own future, at
least as far as the oil and gas industry is
concerned.
It could be construed that the best solutions
for Kazakhstan are those towards the topright
of the chart. However, some solutions
are linked; for example, seismic acquisition
(1.1.1 & 1.1.2) will enable improved 4D
seismic (1.1.4). Hence, care is needed to
ensure complete capabilities are developed,
not simply point solutions to a challenge.
Some solutions appear very attractive; sulphur
utilisation (2.3.3), for example. But the market
for sulphur products in Kazakhstan will have
to be developed in parallel with work in the
area. Summarising, this ranking is merely a
guide to priorities, and should be followed
with care – in fact, all of the solutions here
are important to some degree.
it is the development and implementation of the solutions that will determine
how fast and how far the industry progresses in the years ahead.
Kazakhstan Upstream oil and gas technology and R&D roadmap