Page 5 - AfrOil Week 02 2023

AfrOil COMMENTARY AfrOil

Companies large and small — including TGS, on scientific surveys were based on distortions
CGG, Fairfield Geotechnologies, Petroleum and misinformation. Nikki Martin, President of
Geo-Services (PGS), PXGEO, SAExploration, EnerGeo, said that in reality, SAGE was doing
Shearwater, GeoServices and Azimuth Geo- more harm than good.
Solutions — are valued, impactful members of “By opposing seismic surveys, SAGE has
Africa’s energy industry. The work they do helps now aligned itself against South Africa’s pathway
drive exploration. It improves Africa’s prospec- out of energy poverty [and] shutting out the one
tivity and helps us retain our role in the global oil industry that accelerates the energy transition
and gas market. and supports the country’s net-zero emissions
And that importance will continue in the goal,” she wrote.
years to come as companies strive to produce Well said. The African Energy Chamber is
the natural gas Africa needs to power electricity fortunate to be able to support the views and
generation, industrialise and create a pathway to encourage an organisation that recognises the
a just energy transition. importance of ongoing gas exploration and
production in Africa and is willing to stand up
Geoscience companies’ vital role against attempts to hinder it. EnerGeo
The tagline of EnerGeo Alliance, formerly the Likewise, when the Africa Oil Week (AOW)
International Association of Geophysical Con- conference moved to Dubai and pushed for Alliance
tractors (IAGC), is “Energy Starts Here.” Dubai to be the home of African energy dis-
And that’s a great way to describe the energy cussions and dealmaking, it was the geosci- recognises the
geoscience industry. Long before companies ence companies that contacted me and said we
drill for oil, they rely on geoscience firms to must oppose this move, which showed a lack importance of
provide seismic data acquisition, processing, of understanding of Africa and its oil and gas ongoing gas
and interpretation to help them pinpoint where industry. They urged us to create African Energy
hydrocarbons could lie thousands of feet below Week (AEW) , and it has been huge. exploration
the earth’s surface. These geoscience companies have not only
Geoscience firms allow oil and gas compa- been friends of the African Energy Chamber, in Africa and
nies to locate and measure the quantity of nat- but they have been our advisors, our teach-
ural resources, minimise risks and maximise ers and have worked hand in hand with us on is willing to
the return on their investments. They also help various business development opportunities. stand up to
oil and gas companies in Africa make decisions They have been steadfast in their defence of the
about things like well placement that minimise work we do to defend our right to drill and also attempts to
risks to people and the environment. They have explore for energy. I respect the difficult situa-
been the driver of discoveries in Namibia, Nige- tion they face in some Western countries where hinder it
ria, Congo, Cameroon, South Africa, Mozam- radicals will not listen to science but to politics.
bique, Equatorial Guinea, Senegal, Mauritania, They have supported our beloved AEW event,
Ghana, Gabon and many other countries. and we will never forget their work and advice
on workshops and data-sharing.
Courageous ally
Beyond the value geoscience companies provide Impactful projects
through their day-to-day operations in Africa, Meanwhile, it is heartening to know that the
many of them are also helping battle misinfor- oil and gas companies operating in Africa have
mation through their membership in the Ener- expert geosciences providers working with
Geo Alliance. In January 2022, for example, the them. These are companies that, as TGS’ Ashby
alliance and chamber issued a written response suggested, realise how important hydrocarbon
to an anti-seismic advisory issued by the Scien- exploration is to Africa’s energy future.
tific Advisories Group on Energies (SAGE). Meanwhile, as I said, geoscience compa-
SAGE had said that seismic surveys to be nies are making a positive difference in Africa.
conducted along the Wild Coast, a section of I respect them for their expertise and for their
coastline on South Africa’s Eastern Cape, would commitment to our continent. They’ve shown
harm the environment and negatively affect they believe in Africa when others don’t.
local, small-scale fishing communities.
As the African Energy Chamber and Ener- NJ Ayuk is the executive chairman of the Afri-
Geo Alliance wrote at the time, those claims can Energy Chamber (AEC). Article reprinted
simply weren’t true and the data SAGE released courtesy of AEC. ™

Week 02 12•January•2023 www. NEWSBASE .com P5