(WO) — SLB is collaborating with Oman’s Ministry of Energy and Minerals and the Oman Investment Authority in building a national strategy to develop the potential of Oman’s geothermal resources.

This announcement follows the completion of an extensive project to evaluate data from more than 7,000 oil, gas and water wells. Their objective is to map sweet spots for geothermal prospects in the country. Commissioned by the Omani authorities, the SLB experts assessed surface, subsurface and well data from the national data repository over a three-month period.

In the initial phase of the collaboration, SLB’s GeothermEx multidisciplinary geothermal consulting team used a proprietary AI solution to expedite the assessment, sorting, and evaluation of the huge volume of data from the Oman Oil & Gas Data Repository (OGDR). They delivered a comprehensive assessment of Oman’s geothermal potential. The next phase will include an assessment of the economic feasibility of the development of potential geothermal resources.

“Geothermal is one of the world’s most promising clean energy resources, and it has a crucial role to play in reaching net-zero targets,” said Gavin Rennick, president of SLB’s New Energy business. “Using digital technology solutions to assess geothermal resource potential can accelerate prospectivity analysis and, ultimately, the delivery and performance of geothermal installations.”

“This collaboration between the Ministry of Energy and Minerals, Oman Investment Authority and SLB is in line with Oman’s efforts to decarbonize the energy sector, achieve its net zero goal, and implement Oman Vision 2040,” said HE Salim Al Aufi, the Omani Minister of Energy and Minerals.