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There is an old adage that says necessity is the mother of invention. That was proven this past summer when a new natural gas well being drilled in the North Sea proved to be a record setter in conditions which are often extremely harsh. GDF Suez E&P Nederland B.V., the company responsible for the record-setting well, reached a depth of 5,450m in an exploratory well in Dutch controlled waters. The pressure and temperature of the new well are believed to be the highest ever recorded in history of natural gas drilling.

 

This new well offers great promise, not only for GDF Suez, but also for the rest of the energy sector seeking to find untapped natural resources. More importantly however, it lends credence to those in the business world who believe the principle of necessity and invention to still be in full force. Such entrepreneurs know that if new energy resources are be found, new technology must also be developed to harvest those resources and put them to use. Just a few generations ago, the HPHT drilling engineering we see today was the fanciful imagination of enthusiastic but impractical engineers. Within such a short amount of time, such drilling has become widely used and continues to set new records.

 

Where alternative energy resources are concerned, it would seem as though we would do well to get out of the way of both companies and individuals trying to develop new and innovative ideas. Rather than hindering with rules and regulations, we ought to be encouraging with everything at our disposal. That may include increasing the use of things like clean coal and nuclear energy.

 

Likewise, it seems as though the world needs to stop pouring time and effort into renewable resources that are not adequate enough, and never will be, to meet our energy needs. Wind turbines for example, may be appealing nostalgically, but practically they do not produce enough power to make them worth our while. Natural gas on the other hand, is a resource proven to be more than useful.

 

The downside to the HPHT drilling record is the fact that it encourages continuation of a drilling practice which is inherently dangerous. While most industry experts are not in favour of shutting down the entire energy industry based on the danger, it's safe to say that if other energy resources mitigated the need the for deep sea drilling, rig workers and the environment would both be better off. Regardless, once GDF Suez has a permanent rig in place, they will move their drilling rig to a new location and start over. Who knows what their next well will produce; perhaps it could be a new world record that amazes us all.