Exploration in the Great South Basin of New Zealand - A Strategy for Frontier Basin Evaluation

OMV New Zealand, on behalf of Joint Venture partners PTTEP New Zealand Ltd and Mitsui E&P Australia Pty Ltd, has undertaken a comprehensive four year evaluation of the petroleum potential of New Zealand’s Great South Basin. The Great South Basin (GSB) lies offshore, adjacent to the southeast coast of the South Island of New Zealand (Figure 1). The basin is the largest in the southern New Zealand region, covering an area of approximately 120,000 km2. Water depths range from 100 to 1,500 m, however 80% of the permit area lies in water depths greater than 200 m. Logistics, the amount and quality of available technical data, and environmental considerations are all major factors in exploring large and remote frontier basins. Determining the scope, method and application of projects at the beginning of the evaluation via both sequential and parallel work programmes proved vital in completing a thorough assessment of the basin in the relatively short amount of time available.