Quality information on oil and gas resources

Energy and Resources Minister Phil Heatley has welcomed the launch of Petroleum Basin Explorer, a new petroleum exploration data portal developed by GNS Science.

“To realise the potential of our oil and gas resources, we must attract reputable operators who are willing to invest in exploration,” said Mr Heatley.

“Providing good quality information has been a key part of New Zealand’s strategy for attracting that investment. Launching the portal as the 2012 petroleum block offers are being finalised is perfect timing.

“The information available in the portal is not just for industry. It is freely available to everyone wanting a better understanding of New Zealand’s oil and gas resources,” the Minister said.

The new portal is the final deliverable in the $7.8 million Petroleum Exploration and Geosciences Initiative (PEGI) announced in May 2010. The initiative was funded by New Zealand Petroleum and Minerals ($4 million) and GNS Science ($3.8 million from various programme grants).

“It is the culmination of two years’ important work focused on improving access to information on New Zealand’s oil and gas resources,” said Mr Heatley.

“The portal was a key deliverable of the project. Petroleum Basin Explorer is an interactive web-based tool giving access to geoscience data from across the New Zealand sub-continent. It is a single interface for oil and gas explorers to freely access PEGI outputs and other GNS Science data.”

PEGI comprises a suite of 14 inter-related projects, and the provision of eight existing GNS Science data products. The work is largely focused on the Taranaki region, but includes data from other prospective basins. It is a complement to the Online Exploration Database managed by New Zealand Petroleum and Minerals.

PEGI projects outputs are available via the Petroleum Basin Explorer at http://data.gns.cri.nz/pbe