The Impact of Upstream Technology
Technology contribution to finding oil is huge. Technology cannot change geology
but, by revolutionizing the information available about the features of a
geologic structure, it has enhanced the likelihood of finding oil. A
primary benefit is the ability to eliminate poor prospects, thus considerably
reducing wasted expenditures on dry holes. In addition, drilling and
production technologies have made it possible to exploit reservoirs that would
formerly have been too costly to put into production and to increase the
recovery from existing reservoirs.
Technology also has contributed to making oil exploration and production safer
for the industry and for the environment. Offshore production can be
operated from onshore, with automatic shutoff systems to minimize the pollution
risk. Infrared photography can pinpoint a trajectory of spilled oil,
allowing equipment and personnel to be deployed quickly and effectively, thus
minimizing damage.
In addition, technology has been responsible for of offshore exploration that
has taken place beyond the Outer Continental Shelf.