MOL and O&GD have discovered a new oil field near Galgahévíz, Hungary at a depth of around 2,400 meters. The Galgahévíz-4 well could produce about 1,000 barrels of crude oil per day, with production shared between the two companies. This marks the latest in a series of recent hydrocarbon finds in Hungary.

The Energy Transition Symposium in Houston, organized by the Society of Petroleum Engineers International, brought together leaders from various sectors to discuss accelerating a just and sustainable energy transition. The event featured panels on energy policy, geosciences and the implications for low-GDP countries. Notable discussions included Latin America's significant energy resources and the need for climate justice.

The International Energy Agency reports that the natural decline rate of oil and natural gas field output is increasing because of a reliance on shale and deepwater resources. The average annual post-peak decline rate is 5.6% for oil and 6.8% for natural gas, the IEA says, noting that 80% of oil production and 90% of natural gas production come from fields that have passed peak production.

Expro set a new offshore record by deploying the heaviest casing string ever using its Blackhawk Gen III Wireless Top Drive Cement Head with SKYHOOK technology on Transocean's Deepwater Titan drillship, reaching the record with a maximum hook load of 2.8 million pounds on "a significant project in the Gulf of America for a super major." The system, capable of handling nearly three million pounds, establishes a new industry benchmark for ultra-deep, high-pressure well construction.

Independent oil and natural gas producers have been the primary force behind the US upstream sector between 2022 and 2024, accounting for over 85% of crude output and more than 90% of gas production, according to a Rystad Energy study commissioned by the American Exploration Production Council. The study showed that independents operated 95% of producing onshore wells and drilled 90% of new wells, and it also found the sector will support 3.1 million jobs this year, pay $129 billion in taxes and contribute $488 billion to gross domestic product.

Employment in the US oil and gas extraction sector has slipped by about 4,000 jobs since January, dropping from 123,100 to 119,100 in August, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data. While preliminary, the figures reflect a steady decline in recent months and add to longer-term volatility in industry employment.

The Center for Biological Diversity has appealed to the US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit to restore Endangered Species Act protections for the lesser prairie chicken, arguing the Trump administration had no legal or scientific basis for reversing the 2022 listing, which covered populations in five states. The appeal contends that conservation groups should be allowed to participate in the proceedings, a request previously denied; arguments may be heard by fall.

MIT researchers have, for the first time, precisely measured how energy is divided during lab-simulated earthquakes. Their findings show that only about 10% of the energy released by these 'lab quakes' is responsible for ground shaking, less than 1% contributes to breaking up rocks, and the vast majority, roughly 80%, is converted into heat. The study also reveals that a fault's energy distribution can vary based on the region's prior deformation history, which has implications for understanding earthquake destructiveness and predicting seismic risks.

Advancing geothermal energy to commercial scale depends on how well industry players collaborate, share knowledge, apply lessons learned and adapt oil and gas technologies, panelists at the International Meeting for Applied Geoscience & Energy conference said. The industry still faces significant obstacles, including thermal stress on well casings, cement integrity and drilling in superhot rock, but proven oilfield technologies and standards could be repurposed to address them.

A Sept. 30 webinar hosted by SEG's Europe Regional Advisory Committee will explore how artificial intelligence is transforming image analysis in the geosciences. The presentation is geared toward a general audience. Learn more.

During his upcoming SEG continuing education course, Sherif Hanafy will guide participants through the the fundamentals and field techniques of improving the signal-to-noise ratio of refraction, reflection, and surface waves through interferometry. The course will be delivered over four half-day sessions, Sept. 22-25. Learn more.