News & Insights

Deep Dive: Studies & Projects at THREE60 Energy

THREE60 Energy Group | August 5th, 2022

THREE60 Energy has a special interest in sharing knowledge, both with our clients and within our own organisation. Over several years, we have observed a growing demand for executing studies in-house in addition to the traditional consultancy services that we provide. THREE60 Energy conducts studies and projects across our disciplines and regions to satisfy our customers’ needs.

To cover this increasing need and to have a structured and objective approach to it, a wells and subsurface-specific Studies & Projects department was established in Norway in 2020. Ksenia Abakumova stepped into the role of Studies & Projects Manager at the beginning of 2021 – we caught up with her and discussed the goals, challenges and future plans for the department within THREE60 Energy…

Q: What is your background and how is it relevant to your role as Studies & Projects Manager?

A. I completed my first Master of Accounting and Audit in Russia in 2004 but felt that I was missing out on a practical knowledge of industry. I have always liked mathematics: numbers, order, overview, clear answers, structure, etc. A student exchange programme brought me to Narvik University College (a part of the University in Tromsø in Norway) where I first studied the Norwegian language and two years later, I received my Master of Engineering degree. Since 2007, I have been working in the oil and gas industry in Norway as a Completion Engineer, in both service and operator companies. That was until this opportunity to lead the Studies & Projects department in THREE60 Energy Norway came up!

The Studies & Projects Manager role is a position where I have an opportunity to combine both my hard and soft skills, as well as gain knowledge from other disciplines and from my colleagues. It is a very dynamic role and despite several routine tasks (this is how we gain structure and control), no two days are alike, as new projects, clients, ideas and specialists keep arriving.

Q: What is the main purpose of the Studies & Projects department in Norway?

A. In addition to the in-house team of about 25 people located across the Stavanger, Bergen and Oslo offices, there are several wells and subsurface industry specialists contributing to our Studies & Projects activities from many other locations around the world. The workflow is very dynamic and self-adjusting to the clients’ needs. As a result, the number of contributors can vary and at any one time is between 40 and 80 people.

Our intentions can be summarised as the following:

1. To deliver high-quality studies, projects and courses as well as to provide technical specialists to execute ad-hoc support for our clients, by attracting and utilising the industries’ best-in-class experts across all disciplines, ages, genders and nationalities. This allows us to add value, share our expertise and close the knowledge gap in a way that is convenient for our clients.

2. To share our wells and subsurface knowledge within the THREE60 Energy organisation and develop our own people by learning and strengthening their skills and experience. We do this by arranging internal courses and workshops, Lunch & Learns, etc. By doing so, we aim to both increase productivity, along with inspiring and empowering our employees to do their jobs effectively and efficiently.

3. To build and grow our network of industry professionals by being “out there” at clients’ offices, participating in industry networks and events and being visible THREE60 Energy ambassadors. The idea is to search for more knowledge, meet new clients, get motivated and bring more value both to our clients and to THREE60 Energy itself.

Q: Those are very diversified and inclusive goals. What is the scale of the Studies & Projects you do? And when did it all start in Norway?

A. It all started with four studies delivered by the company back in 2011, when it was named Subsurface AS. In 2015, the company changed its name to Ridge AS, to reflect the broader range of disciplines the company was providing. Consequently, the number of delivered proposals had increased to 36 by the end of the year.

In 2018, Ridge became a part of the THREE60 Energy Group and by 2021 the number of submitted proposals had increased to 123, with success rate of 72%. The studies were conducted in geomechanics, drilling and completion, facilities, production and well integrity and well intervention, to mention just a few of the disciplines.

Interest in CCS related studies are rapidly increasing, and we have developed and grown with our clients to provide our knowledge and expertise in this exciting area of renewable energy. Durations of the studies and size of the teams executing them vary as well: ranging from one-day ad-hoc support by a single professional, to larger teams of 10 to 15 people, delivering complex projects over several months as part as operators’ field development plans.

Q: With such terrific growth, how do you and your colleagues in the Studies & Projects department manage to keep your heads above water?

A. Taking into consideration Norway’s footprint within the organisation (260 employees in THREE60 Energy Norway as of May 2022), we can combine the agility of a small company with the benefits of a middle-size company. To mention a few of these, we are able to utilise an ISO-certified Management System and we have an internal SharePoint-based system that allows us to keep an overview of the ongoing studies. This also enables the storage and deployment of our Lessons Learnt and Knowledge Portal, where we can continually ask our colleagues for their expertise and experience in specific areas. We use tools and systems like XAIT Porter and RecMan to frame and structure our work.

To ensure we cover all the angles, we have cooperation agreements with several specialists’ companies, so that they can contribute to our projects with their niche expertise and in-depth knowledge. We utilise state-of-the-art software suites to ensure we meet clients’ needs and requirements.

And maybe most importantly, I think that our people simply like their work, enjoy contributing to our common goal and sharing their knowledge.

Q: As you mentioned earlier that adding value to clients’ projects is one of your goals, do you have any concrete examples for this purpose?

A. Our in-house studies & project team are delivering substantial value to our clients. Recent examples include projects where we have saved clients from drilling several additional wells (saving more than 70 million Euro) and unlocking additional reserves greater than 100 MMBbls (million barrels of oil or natural gas liquids).

Q: THREE60 Energy has sustainability, ESG (environmental, social, governance) and energy transition on the agenda – what are you and your team doing to contribute to achieving sustainability goals?

A. THREE60 Energy as a company, including the wells and subsurface Studies & Projects department, aim to find the best solutions when assisting our clients in their pursuit of net zero targets, energy transition and sustainability performance – regardless of energy source and through our ESG operations. THREE60 Energy successfully supplies an ESG advisory service to our clients, but we also strive to implement it in every contribution we make to our work – both as consultants and within the projects and studies we provide.

We are currently executing several sustainability related projects for our clients, as well as working on an in-house ESG project where we are looking at better well designs through use of our Right Scoping Tool and developing a Green Toolbox. Even when ESG is not defined as a part of the scope of a project, we want to ensure awareness and drive the change through communicating any risks and opportunities that may be relevant.

Going forward, we will continue to educate our employees within the sustainability and energy transition spheres, regardless of their original field of expertise. This will ensure the best foundation to explore the options within each specific field, to take responsibility and to nurture a mindset that can make better choices for a better tomorrow and bringing value to the clients.

Q: To summarise, how do you think THREE60 Energy differentiates itself from other energy supply chain companies?

A. I think it is a combination of our knowledge sharing culture, our agile back-office set-up where we always find specialists available to execute studies across all our disciplines – not just wells and subsurface – and the combined knowledge and diversified experiences of our people. For me it is all about people – I am grateful and proud to be given this opportunity to work with, learn from and manage such a bright and cooperative team.

You can learn more about THREE60 Energy’s service lines here.

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