An industry task force of subsurface experts has relaunched with a new name to reflect an “evolution” in its activities and membership.
The Subsurface Task Force (STF) – formerly the Exploration Task Force – was launched ahead of a conference at the University of Aberdeen on Monday, with a revised mission to promote the responsible use of storage and energy resources.
Its three-part aims include ensuring UK energy security, reducing emissions and delivering societal and economic value.
STF co-chairman Nick Terrell says its new incarnation is “a natural broadening and evolution” of the exploration-focused XTF group first formed in 2015, which had the aim of maintaining exploration and appraisal (E&A) activity in the UK upstream sector.
Its membership includes leading North Sea producers including the likes of Shell, BP and Harbour Energy, as well as representation from the North Sea Transition Authority and Offshore Energies UK (OEUK).
In addition, the STF has bolstered its membership by attracting new CCS industry representatives and other users of the seabed, as well as leading academics including SCCS’ Stuart Hazseldine.
While it will continue to support “lower-emissions E&P” in oil and gas, its work increasingly involves carbon capture and storage (CCS) and gas storage projects.
Its three priority areas will comprise geological storage, domestic oil and gas, and subsurface skills, with a primary focus on early-stage activities.
These include screening, exploration and appraisal of storage and hydrocarbon resources, and spatial planning to ensure efficient use of offshore acreage.
The group hopes to also play a leading role in identifying future opportunities such as hydrogen storage and geothermal energy production.
Speaking to Energy Voice following the group’s meeting, Mr Terrell said STF would continue to advocate that oil and gas “will and should continue to play an important role in delivering the nation’s energy needs,” but noted that its broader focus would be vital in supporting the move towards net zero.
“We have a potentially a world-class carbon storage resource out there and it’s a huge asset for the nation, so let’s leverage it – and the subsurface aspects of that are absolutely critical.”
Aberdeen University’s Director for Energy Transition and STF member Professor John Underhill said it was a “privilege” to host the expert panel at the campus.
“The group is an independent advisory group, who are focused on tackling the challenges of energy security, equity, environmental sustainability and climate compatibility. The STF’s priorities include geological storage, decarbonizing the oil and gas industry and the skills and training needs to deliver the transition, all of which align well with the aims of the Centre for Energy Transition at Aberdeen University,” he added.
The launch comes as the regulator confirmed a tranche of licence relinquishments in the wake of a 15 May deadline.
More than 5,000 km2 of exploration acreage across five licences was handed back in a move labelled by one industry geoscientist as a “dark day for frontier exploration.”
