Fractured Reservoirs of Oman: Learnings, Challenges & Opportunities in Reservoir Development and Management

The Sultanate of Oman hosts an abundance of hydrocarbon resources stored in fractured reservoirs. While Mesozoic and Late Paleozoic fractured carbonates are the most commonly reported, tight fractured siliciclastics and other more exotic reservoirs such as Neoproterozoic silicilites also represent attractive volumes. Among those, significant undeveloped resources remain to be unlocked, both in large and mature historic fields developed in Oman since the 1960’s and in recent discoveries. Dedicated enhanced recovery technologies supported by fully integrated fracture characterization and paired with the understanding of reservoir dynamics have been defined. This allowed the optimization of development or re-development strategies for the remaining hydrocarbon resources in Oman’s fractured reservoir portfolio. Static and dynamic aspects of fracture networks must also be considered as an essential part of the exploration, appraisal, and de-risking protocols for CO2 storage in fractured reservoirs. With these motivations in mind, our paper describes various fractured reservoirs of the Sultanate of Oman. It points out how natural fractures impact positively or negatively the development of resources in brown or green fields and of new CO2 sequestration opportunities. It also summarizes characterization and modelling workflows designed to support specifically the development strategies.