Despite adverse weather conditions, the Essen based firm DMT GmbH & Co. KG completed its 3D seis-mic exploration of conventional natural gas in the Northern Spanish region of Rioja on schedule in March 2013. In the course of the three-month long investigation, the experts had to "manage" the challenging topography in particular in terms of the vineyards that dominate the area's cultivated landscape. It was not by chance that the project was christened Viura 2012/13, taking its name from one of the region's white grape varieties.

The project was contracted by UFGEP (Unión Fenosa Gas Exploración y Producción S.A.U.), one of the largest Spanish gas service providers, and its partners Sociedad de Hidrocarburos de Euskadi, S.A. and Oil & Gas Skills, S.A. Over an area of 232 km², containing the district capital Logroño and further 22 municipalities, countless measures needed to be coordinated even before exploration began. Authorisation had to be granted for around 60,000 plots of land, 90 % of which are privately owned, and dates had to be agreed for the 3D seismic work to be carried out.

Tags: DMT GmbH & Co. KG