An OFF-SOURCE Cost Action workshop centred on utilisation of offshore groundwater resources took place on 25 September at the Valletta Campus of the University of Malta. The pioneering meeting gathered 27 persons from 17 countries including experienced oil and gas industry professionals, groundwater researchers, hydrogeologists and water treatment engineers to discuss the feasibility of utilising freshwater in offshore aquifers as a potential resource.
The workshop consisted of four targeted sessions designed to address the main knowledge and technological gaps that currently exist and propose tangible actions to close these gaps. The headliner was a panel of experts with up to 30 years of professional experience in the oil industry and deep groundwater exploration. The panel featured Dr Lorenzo Lipparini (UM), Henning Moe (CDM Smith), (Ruden AS), (KAUST) and was moderated by Dr Ariel T. Thomas. Partnership with oil and gas companies in regions experiencing acute water stress, where unconventional water resources can play a vital role was identified as a key strategy for realising OFG potential. There was a consensus on the potential symbiotic relationship between the exploration technologies and methodologies employed in the Oil and Gas industry and those necessary for OFG development.
The group proposed concentrating resources to perform a comprehensive feasibility study on OFG utilisation at a site facing significant need for additional water resources and that has been proven to host fresh groundwater in offshore aquifers. Zanzibar and Tanzania were suggested as potential locations to conduct a scientific and reliable study on offshore freshwater aquifers as there are strong indications of OFG in the Zanzibar channel.
is a new intersectoral scientific network funded by for a period of four years with the aim of determining whether freshwater stored in offshore aquifers can be a viable resource for water-stressed coastal regions.
