1 DR. COOPER: Given the discovery of significant reservoirs of oil 



2 and/or gas, what number of production platforms might be had in the off- 



3 shelf upper slope environment in the next 10 or 20 years? 



4 DR. NEFF: That would really depend on the geology of the 



5 reservoirs, because if they were large reservoirs, you could have very 



6 few platforms, but if they are spotted all over, you are going to have 



7 to have lots of them. 



8 DR. COOPER: What's your best guess? 



9 DR. AYERS: If you have anything at all worth developing, you are 



10 not going to have too many platforms. It's too expensive. You are 



11 going to be 100 miles off-shore or something, and you're talking about 



12 tremendous cost. I would really think people are going to have to be 



13 looking down the road before they'll do that. 



14 When we were drilling out there, we were thinking $100 a barrel by 



15 1990; that's when the action was; that's what people were looking at. 



16 It's expensive to bring it ashore. There are tough drilling conditions, 



17 you know. 



18 DR. RAY: If you ended up having multiple platforms out there, 



19 you'd probably have several miles between platforms. Because of the 



20 large number of wells you'd drill from a single platform, you'd be able 



21 to cover a couple of leases from one platform, so your spacing, if you 



22 had a number of platforms, would probably have several miles between 



23 then if you are in that situation. 



24 DR. COOPER: We are certainly not looking at a field anything like 



25 the Gulf of Mexico, more like 10, 15, 20 at the most? 



26 DR. NEFF: Probably, the best one would by Hibernia, which is just 



27 north. That's what, a couple platforms now? 



28 DR. AYERS: How many platforms are in the North Sea? 



29 DR. NEFF: Not all that many. 



30 DR. AYERS: Is it 30, 25? 



31 DR. BRODY: I would have said 20. 



32 A PARTICIPANT: At the site you referred to in the Gulf, Jerry, 



33 what is the background of that? 



266 



