Evaluation of Gas Generation Potential Using Thermal Maturity Modelling—The Katakolo Case: A Probable Pathway to Energy Transition

Abstract

It is evident that the increased focus on energy transition, will increase the demand for gas as it is the transitional fuel to the net zero CO2 emission era. The West Katakolo field is the only oil and gas discovery in Western Greece, and it is operated by Energean. The three offshore West Katakolo wells have defined both the oil and the gas zones, while onshore exploration wells have penetrated biogenic gas-saturated Plio-Pleistocene sands. This study assesses the gas generation potential of the local Plio-Pleistocene and Triassic sources using thermal maturity modelling based on the available legacy data, with limitations being addressed by running several case-scenarios. In conclusion, this study supports the generation of thermogenic and biogenic gas from the Triassic and Plio-Pleistocene sources respectively, demonstrating the importance of maturity modelling in hydrocarbon exploration, applied on the Katakolo case; a potential gas source to facilitate the energy transition in Greece.

Organic Geochemical Signatures of the Upper Miocene (Tortonian—Messinian) Sedimentary Succession Onshore Crete Island, Greece: Implications for Hydrocarbon Prospectivity

“…The eastern Mediterranean is a region with proven hydrocarbon reserves and is the subject of extensive exploration and exploitation activity [4,[10][11][12]. Despite the promising exploration results in western Greece [14,[21][22][23][24][25][26]86] and the Thrace Basin [87], several regions in the Hellenic Domain are still underexplored. In Crete, this study enriches existing knowledge about the potential regional source rocks by including new organic geochemical results on the pre-evaporitic (Tortonian-Messinian) sedimentary succession.…”

“…The areas west of Crete Island exhibit comparable geotectonic histories to those of nearby regions, such as Cyprus, Egypt, and Israel, where major discoveries have been reported (e.g., Zohr, Calypso, Tamar, Leviathan, and Glafkos). This information is of paramount importance for Greece and has stimulated the petroleum industry to explore the potential for hydrocarbon resources located outside the already established petroleum province of western Greece [14,[21][22][23][24][25][26]. As a result, exclusive right licenses were granted for west and south Crete.…”

Contrasting Styles of Salt‐Tectonic Processes in the Ionian Zone (Greece and Albania): Integrating Surface Geology, Subsurface Data, and Experimental Models

“…Other sources of information used to prepare this column are as follows: for the general chronostratigraphy of the Upper Triassic-to-Eocene carbonate section(Bega & Soto, 2017;Bourli et al, 2019;BP, 1971; IFP, 1966;Kamberis et al, 2022;Karakitsios, 2013;Meço et al, 2000;Papanikolaou, 2021;Rigakis & Karakitsios, 1998;Robertson & Shallo, 2000;Zelilidis et al, 2003Zelilidis et al, , 2015Zoumpoulis et al, 2022); and for the lithostratigraphy of the Oligocene and Miocene "flysches" and the most recent sedimentary sequences(Avramidis et al, 2002;Bellas, 1997;Bellas et al, 1995;Botziolis et al, 2021;Gjika et al, 2001;Kostopoulou et al, 2022;Makrodimitras et al, 2010;Maravelis et al, 2014;Papanikolaou et al, 2010;Papanikolaou & Lekkas, 2008;Sotiropoulos et al, 2008;Triantaphyllou, 2013). The positions of the different elements of the petroleum system, like possible source rocks (with TOC contents in wt.%) and reservoir and seal lithologies (with average porosity values in %) are from this study, averaging also determinations from previous works(Alexandridis et al, 2022;Bourli, Iliopoulos, Makrodimitras, et al, 2022;David et al, 2014;Kamberis et al, 2022;Karakitsios & Agiadi-Katsiaouni, 2007;Karakitsios & Rigakis, 2007;Kontakiotis et al, 2020;Makri et al, 2021Makri et al, , 2023Maravelis et al, 2014;Mavromatidis, 2009;…”