Exploring the world of Oil and Gas: Possible Careers

In today's society, news headlines are fixated on the price of oil and gas, as overseas negotiations and an ongoing battle in the Middle East continue to affect the perception of this vital commodity. However, behind the scenes - there are plenty of employees who make decisions, transport the oil, and facilitate business deals for the United States. When looking to learn more about the careers centered on oil and gas, consider the following employment possibilities:

Exploration Manager

Discovering vital oil and gas deposits is a valuable job in this day and age that will only continue to increase in importance as resources become scarcer. An exploration manager leads and operates the expeditions to discover more oil and gas. While evaluating the possibilities and value of a potential site, knowledge of federal, state, and local regulations is a must. A bachelor's degree (and preferably a master's degree) is required in this field. Those with eight to 10 years of experience are most likely chosen for this position. The average yearly salary for this career choice is between $157,665 and $208,954.

Oilwell Pumper

While you are quite familiar with the employee who may pump your gas at a service station, have you ever stopped to think how oil is manufactured? An oilwell pumper is responsible for the daily maintenance and care of oil wells. They operate the injection equipment and oversee oil production - making sure to keep in line with standard operating procedures. This kind of pumper will keep reports and make assessments of the volume and pressure of gas and oil contained inside of a well. A high school diploma or its equivalent is needed for consideration. Zero to two years of experience within the field is suggested, as you should display a familiarity regarding the concepts, practices, and procedures within this particular field. Usually, a supervisor or manager manages their progress and projects. The typical salary for this job is between $35,348 and $57,176.

Pipeline Engineer

A pipeline engineer may work with natural and/or liquid gases - heading projects; working with operations and marketing; selecting pipeline routes; reviewing construction sketches; conducting financial tracking and reporting; and provide technical training to other members of the staff. The ideal candidate for this type of position has five to 15 years of experience in transmission size pipeline engineering, and a bachelor's degree in engineering. Preference is usually given to those with a PE certification. The salary for this job varies. For instance, in Texas - you can expect to earn up to $105,000, which is usually contingent upon the amount of experience you possess.

Gas Supply Manager

As a gas supply manager, you are responsible for getting a hold of the required supplies of gas for various companies. Contract negotiation with acceptable sources become a major part of this job, as well as making sure that all conditions are fulfilled. You will oversee the appropriate transport and storage of these gas supplies. Over time, you will create a working relationship with suppliers. A bachelor's degree is required for this position - coupled with at least 10 years of experience in the field. Experience in a related area is also accepted. The average yearly salary for a gas supply manager is found between $89,001 and $136,754.

Rate Analyst

Energy operational costs are the focus of this particular job, which has employees analyzing the gathering and transporting rates for gas. Having knowledge of Federal Energy Regulatory Commission policies is a must with this career. Most often, an advanced degree within an area of specialty is expected. The majority of rate analysts have four to six years of experience in the field already under their belt. A variety of different tasks are expected of this job position, which typically earns between $61,482 and $78,854.

Electric and Gas Operations Superintendent

As an electric and gas operations superintendent, your responsibility is to oversee the work crews in charge of constructing, maintaining, and repairing systems associated with electricity and gas. A superintendent creates plans and watches over the process of their employees by managing crew supervisors. A bachelor's degree is sometimes required for this position, as well as at least eight years of experience within the field. The job also centers on a variety of various concepts, practices, and procedures. In this particular career path, extensive experience and judgment truly come in handy when planning and setting goals. Of course, a superintendent is expected to lead and guide the work of other employees. The earning potential for this job is between $71,607 and $106,982.

College Courses

To get an idea of the potential college courses associated with a career in oil and gas - you may face Oil & Gas Field Operations, Hydrocarbons, Oil Field Production, Oil Field Processing, intense labs, field experience, and testing on wastewater treatment, crude oil handling, artificial lift systems, and drilling techniques.

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Indonesia Petroleum and Gas Mining Industry Market Research

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Definition
Petroleum and Gas Mining in Indonesia consists of firms mainly engaged in producing crude oil and condensate, and in treating these products on site to produce liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and liquefied natural gas (LNG).

Activities
The primary activities of firms in this industry are :
- Crude oil mining.
- Condensate production.
- Natural gas mining.
- Natural gas purification.
- Liquid natural gas production
- Liquid petroleum gas production

Outlook

The bright economic growth in 2006 and a better forecast in 2007 seem to have little effect on the investment climate in the oil and gas industry, notably for foreign direct investment. The industry seems not conducive yet due to inconsistencies in government regulations and policies. This can be seen from oil and gas investment, which has been declining since 2000 until 2005 while the rest of the world, is enjoying windfall investments and profits. The regulation relating to this industry was not encouraging to new investors. For example, investors are subject to tax and retribution during exploration. They are also subjected to luxury goods tax and high import duty for heavy equipment. In addition, bureaucracy problems since the autonomy regulation has caused investors not only face the central government, but also local government 'fees'. These all bring increasing administration cost.

To anticipate an investment slowdown the government has applied new splits to attract new investors. Prior, the composition was divided into 85 percent for the government and 15 percent for investors. Currently, with the new regulation, it splits to 75 percent for the government and 25 percent for investors.

These splits in regulations are expected to attract investors and hopefully in the near future oil and gas exploration investment will increase. The other obstacle faced by this industry is lack of technology, which has resulted in less oil production.

Exports of crude oil are expected to continue declining due to lower production and increasing domestic demand. As a result, crude oil imports are expected to increase. At the same time gas exports are expected to remain strong but decline overall. Japan, Korea and China still dominate the market for crude oil and gas exports, while the imports are still dominated by Saudi Arabia, Nigeria and Malaysia. From 2005 to 2008, Pertamina (which operates Arun) must defer 6 cargoes to Japanese and Korean buyers due to the GOI requirement to provide low-cost natural gas to national fertilizer plants. The GOI has a policy to support fertilizer plants with subsidized gas.

The cost of the GOI policy to support the national fertilizer industry is high. Arun's six-cargo deferment last year cost Indonesia about $ 130 million in LNG revenues. The GOI wants Arun to supply gas instead to two Aceh fertilizer plants at a subsidized price of $ 2.30/mmbtu, about one-third its LNG value. The combined effect of declining production and support to the fertilizer industry could lead Indonesia to defer, or spot purchase, as many as 14 Arun cargoes in 2006 and 28 Arun cargoes in 2007.

At Bontang, the costs of GOI support to the fertilizer industry are even higher. Although there is no gas supply agreement between Pertamina and the petroleum companies (Unocal, Total and VICO), it diverts 400-450 mmcfd of gas from LNG production for sale to the fertilizer industry. That gas volume is the equivalent to 40-45 LNG cargoes, or the same number of Bontang cargoes that Indonesia will cancel to its Asian buyers this year. The value of the cancelled cargoes is estimated at $800-900 million, of which the GOI would have netted half. Instead, Pertamina will sell the gas domestically to the fertilizer industry for under than $2.50/mmbtu, less than half the average Bontang LNG contract price.

Producers from the manufacturing industry, of which the natural oil and gas industry is a part of, are expected to maximise their production capacity to satisfy an expectation of demand growth internationally. Additionally, this growth is encouraged by the fact that the world demand for natural oil and gas products will remain strong and exporters' accesses in financing and other essential infrastructures will remain open.

In Indonesia, oil-mining companies mainly consist of Pertamina and its subsidiaries. Private companies with production sharing contract projects (either domestic or foreign company) play a lesser role.

Most contracts signed are production-sharing contracts. At present, there are 72 PSCs covering 105 work areas on land and offshore in Indonesia. Of the 105 works areas, 60 are still in the exploration stage and 45 are already in the production stage, with the enhanced oil recovery (EOR) technique being applied in eight work areas.

Today, more than 100 companies have signed oil contracts with Pertamina, of which only 27 have been productive. This totals 22 companies operating under production sharing contracts, 4 companies under technical assistance contracts and one under a joint-operation contract.

More information of this report visit: http://www.disb2b.com/front/industryintelligencereport.php?klui=K2210

About the Author

PT. Dataindo Inti Swakarsa, Email: info@disb2b.com, Web: http://www.disb2b.com

KFG Resources Prepares for Seismic to Redevelop Salt Dome

In Mississippi, just a few kilometres from the town of Natchez, KFG Resources (TSX.V: KFG) is about to try something that CEO Bob Kadane believes will create significant value for his company's shareholders.

Buried beneath the Fayette field is the Fayette salt dome - the last hydrocarbon-bearing salt dome of its kind in the region that has not been redeveloped. In February 2008, KFG will carry out the first 3D seismic imaging survey on the Fayette salt dome in which it holds a 100% working interest. The data from the seismic survey will be analysed with existing data from more than 100 well logs to determine the best fifteen or more targets for a drill program to be started this summer. The goal will be to drill through multiple oil and gas formations in the shallow Wilcox Formation (from 3,500 to 3,900) and the Lower Tuscaloosa (9,600 feet).

Salt domes like the Fayette were deposited millions of years ago when the shores of the Gulf of Mexico were located far inland from their current position. As waters evaporated, they left thick pockets of salt in layers. Over the millennia, these were buried by sand, soil and sediment. Over time, the thick layers of salt bowed in the centre and penetrated upward through the existing strata of rock - hence the "dome" shape of the structures. The salt is hard and impenetrable; the upward bending of the salt formed traps or pockets where oil and gas collected, often in large quantities.

There are numerous salt features located in the area surrounding Natchez. While most have been thoroughly explored and exploited from the 1930s until the present, the Fayette Salt Dome has seen only limited exploration.

Of the 4,000 acres that comprise the Fayette field and salt dome, only a fraction has been explored. Historically, exploration companies have drilled 29 deep holes on the east side of the dome. The west side, however, has only seen eight deep drill holes - which makes the west side a priority target.

The problem with mapping on the west side of the dome, Kadane says, "has been that the drill holes are too far apart to make any logical conclusions from the surface mapping (well logs). Some of them had small quantities of oil and gas production, so they could be the edge of a larger untapped reservoir. These old wells are 1,000 to 2,000 feet apart and you could have a reservoir easily run right between them and not even know it. And that's what the seismic will tell us."

3-D seismic surveys, or "seismics" as they are commonly called, use sound waves to locate rock formations in the earth that are associated with oil and gas. Acoustic vibrations are created either by a controlled explosion, or more often, by use of a vibration truck, which thumps the ground creating waves that radiate into the earth. The sound waves are reflected off subterranean rock, sediment, salt and other layers. The length of time required for the waves to travel through layers of varying densities is used to create a profile of the structure. With the use of computers, 3-D seismics have becomes incredibly detailed and complex. Billions of data points are compiled to create a three dimensional image of the underground structures thus dramatically reducing the element of chance in drilling wells.

Then there are the well logs from more than fifty previously drilled wells in the Fayette field. These well logs are like electric cardiogram images depicting a foot by foot image of the types of hydrocarbons present down a well hole. With the log data, the presence of hydrocarbons is measured up and down the drill hole and outward about 20 feet in all directions.

In addition, Kadane says, 3D seismic survey signatures will show areas of undepleted shallow gas as well as the undepleted oil reserves. In all, this adds up to a potentially huge amount of hydrocarbons.

Although KFG's earlier plans to recomplete its existing three Lower Tuscaloosa gas condensate wells were successful, they represented only the initial phase of hydrocarbon recovery from the Fayette field. With those online, the Fayette Field is presently producing 20 barrels of oil and 250 MCF of gas per day. Kadane says these were just a fraction of what could be underground here.

"If I walk away from this with just five successful wells, I'm going to be disappointed, Kadane says."

He points out that every other similar salt feature in the Gulf Region that has seen 3D seismic survey data used in conjunction with down-hole well log data has been successful in finding new oil and gas reservoirs in just about every producing horizon.

The Fayette field is structurally similar to oil company Denbury's (NYSE: DNR) numerous projects in Louisiana and Mississippi, including other salt domes that Denbury has drilled for primary recovery or pumped CO2 into for secondary recovery. Denbury is one of the largest oil and natural gas operator in Mississippi and owns the largest reserves of CO2 used for secondary oil recovery east of the Mississippi River. In recent years, Denbury has systematically acquired many of the known salt formations throughout Mississippi and Louisiana.

"These old producing fields with salt features have been redeveloped by Denbury and others by doing exactly what we're doing - 3D seismics and well logs - and then redrilling the areas and finding new reservoir traps, new fault traps, deeper beds, shallower beds. The reason there are still untapped resources down there is that using well logs alone didn't give enough indication for the zones to be successfully tested for hydrocarbons."

Historically, more than two million barrels of oil and 8 billion cubic feet of gas were produced from the Lower Tuscaloosa formation at Fayette. Kadane emphasises that most of the historical production was from the east side of the Fayette salt dome, which has seen most of the drilling.

"There no reason I can think of why the same or similar won't be possible to find on the west side, where only eight holes have been drilled," he points out.

While KFG focuses on drilling the untapped side of the salt dome, there remains another value-opportunity to consider as well. The Denbury model of secondary recovery using CO2 requires substantial capital to initiate, but is a very profitable model for that company. Kadane says the secondary model is one he is considering - once the company has the seismic data.

"It has been every economic for companies like Denbury to revisit these older depleted reservoirs throughout Louisiana and Mississippi," Kadane says. "Another object of the 3D then is to figure out exactly where the old depleted reservoirs are so you'll know where to put your injection wells for a secondary recovery project.

"We've already been approached by Denbury to sell Fayette and we would have done a JV, but I wasn't about to sell it. They've done their homework - they know what's there."

KFG Resources has 42,147,311 net shares outstanding and presently trades at $0.09 per share.

This article is intended for information purposes only, and is not a recommendation to buy or sell the equities of any company mentioned herein. It is based on sources believed to be reliable, but no warranty as to accuracy is expressed or implied. The opinions expressed in the article are those of the author except where statements are attributed to individuals other than the author, in which case the opinions are those of the individual to whom they are attributed.

About the Author

Resourcex Investor is an internationally distributed newsletter about emerging junior resource companies. Sign up for a free 1-month trial to our newsletter and get instant access to news and investing tips that have helped many of our readers make more money. http://www.resourcex.com

Chukchi Sea Lease Sale 193 Announces Feb 6, 2008

The Alaskan wilderness and surrounding seas have long been coveted by oil and mining companies for their richness in natural resources, but strict regulations and controversial environmental issues have prevented widespread efforts from taking place.

Currently debated is the Chukchi Sea lease sale 193. The Chukchi Sea area in question lies 25 miles off the north-western coast of Alaska. Reservoirs below are thought to contain 15 million barrels of recoverable oil and 76 trillion cubic feet of natural gas. The sea bed, lying between 95ft and 262ft, could be easily accessed by off shore drilling rigs. This icy sea is also one of two environmentally sensitive habitats of arctic polar bears, a species whose endangerment is also currently in debate. Impending decisions on the protection of their habitat could significantly limit development by the oil industry in the Chukchi Sea.

The Department of the Interior Minerals Management Service has proposed the sale of 29.4 million acres for oil and gas exploration to be held on Feb 6, 2008. This would be the first sale in this region in fifteen years. Oil and gas exploration and extraction companies will bid for the rights of 5355 blocks of territory and the MMS would collect a 12.5% royalty on revenue from all parcels. Advocates for the sale believe this could help bolster the faltering U.S. economy by providing a security that comes from reduced reliance on foreign oil supply.

Politicians, including Senator John Kerry, are advocates for delaying the sale until a decision can be made about the Polar Bears endangermenet. Delaying the sale by as much as three years would allow scientists more time to conduct studies on how further commercial activity may cause imbalance in this region. Scientists also seek to develop an understanding of how global warming is impacting habitat. Polar bears are carnivores and scavengers that live and hunt for food off the ice floes of the Chukchi Sea. When the ice melts the bears either drown or are forced inland, which limits their access to their staple food sources: seal, walruses, and narwhal and beluga whale carcasses.

Some have questioned why the proposed sale is to take place before the decisions about the polar bear habitat, however it seems there is little that can be done to stop the sale now. The Alaska Wilderness League expects companies like Exxon, Shell, and Statoil to be bidding on the sale. Companies like Triple Diamond Energy Corp could also benefit from further oil developments in the region.

About the Author

About the Author: Robert Jent is President & CEO of Triple Diamond Energy Corp. Triple Diamond Energy is an independent producer of oil and natural gas. Located in the Dallas area, the company specializes in acquiring the highest quality prime oil and gas properties