Oil and gas
from Germany
GDF SUEZ E&P Deutschland
Seek out the new,
secure the old –
with tradition,
technology and
teamwork
GDF SUEZ
is now ENGIE
Dear Readers,
The energy sector is currently undergoing radical change. The energy transition
is becoming a global movement, through the development of renewable energy
sources on the one hand and improvements in energy efficiency on the other. We
are also seeing diversification and a digital revolution in the energy market. Now
more than ever, the energy transition is a reality – one to which our group is responding with ambitious plans and for which we bear a great responsibility. The
GDF SUEZ group wants to be a key actor in the energy revolution and meet the
challenges of the future head-on.
We as GDF SUEZ E&P Deutschland are also part of this transformation process.
This is because oil and gas from Germany remain important natural resources,
even as the country moves forward with the energy transition. The public and the
economy must be able to rely on a secure, affordable supply of energy despite
fluctuations in feed-in volumes and the ongoing shortage of storage options for
renewable energies.
Dominique Bayen
Managing Director of GDF
SUEZ E&P Deutschland GmbH
To accompany the changes in the energy sector, the GDF SUEZ Group has decided to change its name. From now on, GDF SUEZ is ENGIE. Our subsidiary has
only just embarked on the journey towards a new name and corporate design.
The design will change, but the legal name of our company will remain the same
for the time being.
This brochure will tell you more about the ENGIE Group and, in particular, the
subsidiary GDF SUEZ E&P Deutschland. We hope you enjoy reading about our
work, our history, our goals and our values.
With best wishes,
EDITORIAL
3
Germany has been
our home for
127 years, but our
expertise comes from
around the world.
4
KOLUMNENTITEL
KOLUMNENTITEL
5
Our company
at a glance
All figures are from 2014
ENGIE Group
From drilling engineers to economists and safety experts,
GDF SUEZ E&P Deutschland employs over 600 staff members
who are all committed to ensuring the company’s success.
The E&P in our name stands for the exploration and production of hydrocarbons.
Our headquarters are located in the town of Lingen in Emsland, a region that has
a long tradition in the oil and gas sector. Our employees are also active throughout
Germany, in regions such as the North German Basin, the Altmark and the Rhine
Valley. We produced 394,000 tonnes of oil and 6.1 terawatt-hours of gas in 2014.
That equates to 16 percent of Germany’s oil production and 7 percent of its gas
production. We therefore make an important contribution to domestic security of
supply. In collaboration with our partner companies, we produce hydrocarbons
from 62 fields. In 35 of those, we are the operator and so responsible for all work
carried out.
GDF SUEZ E&P
Deutschland
603
employees
13
Wide-ranging expertise: The ENGIE Group
Germany has been our home for 127 years, but our expertise comes from around
the world. This is because GDF SUEZ E&P Deutschland is part of the ENGIE
Group, which is headquartered in Paris. We are part of an internationally active
business unit specialised in exploration and production. Other affiliates are located
in countries such as Norway, the UK and the Netherlands.
As one of the world’s leading energy suppliers, ENGIE is active along the entire
energy value chain. It provides private customers, local authorities and businesses
with efficient and innovative solutions. Its corporate policy embraces diverse sources of gas supply, flexible and low-emission generation of electricity, and expertise
in four key areas: independent electricity production, liquefied natural gas, renewable energy and energy-efficiency services.
ENGIE is developing its business activities in line with a responsible growth model.
This will allow it to overcome the major challenges we face with regard to energy
supply and the environment: meeting energy demands, combating climate change
and making efficient use of available resources.
apprentices
471
million euros in revenue
6.1 terawatt-hours of gas
394,000
tonnes of oil
62 o il and gas fields
35 own operated
25 million euros royalties paid
to German states
6
ABOUT US
152,900
Employees worldwide
74.7
billion euros Revenue
6-7
billion euros of net investment
per year over 2014-2016.
Activities in nearly
70 countries
900 researchers and experts
in
11 R&D centres
ENGIE exploration & production
55.5 million barrel of oil equivalent (boe)
Oil & gas share
Production by country
50 % Norway
33 %
oil
67 %
gas
27 % Netherlands
13 % Germany
6 % UK
4 % Other
ABOUT US
7
Germany is our home
1990
We have a long tradition of energy
production here in Germany.
Privatisation of VEB
Erdöl-Erdgas Gommern,
name changed to Erdöl
Erdgas Gommern
1994
1957
1888
Foundation of
subsequent
C. Deilmann AG
1923
Erdöl Erdgas Gommern taken
over by Gaz de France
Foundation of
VEB Erdöl-Erdgas
Gommern
2007
Merger of Gaz de France
Produktion & Exploration
Deutschland and Erdöl
Erdgas Gommern
Foundation of subsequent
Deutsche Schachtbau- und
Tiefbohrgesellschaft
2015
GDF SUEZ Group
changed its brand
name to ENGIE
2008
2003
1923
Foundation of Preußische
Bergwerks- und HüttenAktiengesellschaft
Takeover and change of name
to Gaz de France Produktion &
Exploration Deutschland
1989
Foundation of
Preussag Erdöl
und Erdgas
Merger of Gaz de France and
SUEZ to form GDF SUEZ
Name changed to GDF SUEZ
E&P Deutschland
1995
Name changed to
Preussag Energie
1991
Merger of oil and gas
activities to form
Deilmann Erdöl Erdgas
8
HISTORIC MILESTONES
HISTORIC MILESTONES
9
We are active
in many regions
We combine our extensive experience with modern
technology to secure production in older fields, such as
those in the north-west of Germany. We are, however,
also developing new projects. These include natural gas
production in eastern Germany, and the Römerberg oil
field in the town of Speyer.
Märkisch Buchholz
The Märkisch Buchholz reservoir lies in Brandenburg, around 50 km
south-east of Berlin. GDF SUEZ E&P Deutschland developed the field
with three exploration wells in 1986. However, we were unable to use
the reservoir for production because the gas has a very high nitrogen
content. Now new processing technologies are making commercial
production possible. In autumn 2015 we will be carrying out production tests that should confirm our technical plans. The processing
plant will be constructed as part
of an intra-group collaboration,
and gas production is scheduled
to start in 2019. In a separate project (but still closely linked to gas
production), we and other ENGIE
subsidiaries are aiming to provide
the town of Märkisch Buchholz
and the surrounding communities
with a carbon-neutral energy supply in the medium term.
Rühlermoor
We have been producing oil from the largest oil field in mainland Germany
since the 1950s. As part of the project „Oil from Rühlermoor – Combining Tradition with the Future“, we are planning to continue production in
the Emsland district over the long term and see potential for developing
additional reserves using proven oil production technology. Among other
things, the project will further develop the Rühlermoor oil field by drilling new wells, making alterations to
the existing well site, and installing
an ultra-modern combined heat and
power plant for producing steam
and electrical energy. ExxonMobil
operates the Rühlermoor field, and
GDF SUEZ E&P Deutschland has a
50-percent share in the project.
10
OUR ACTIVITIES
Römerberg-Speyer
The Rhine Valley has favourable geological conditions for hydrocarbons.
Oil production in the Römerberg-Speyer field is the most important project
in the area and makes Rhineland-Palatinate the third largest oil-producing
state in Germany. Since 2007, we and our consortium partner Palatina GeoCon have successfully drilled seven wells from two existing sites here. The
continuing development of the field is
a flagship project that offers numerous opportunities. The aim now is to
expand production, which is currently
limited to 500 tonnes per day. Several
exploration projects have also been
set up to investigate the additional
potential of the Upper Rhine Valley.
OUR ACTIVITIES
11
Oil and gas made –
in Germany!
12
KOLUMNENTITEL
KOLUMNENTITEL
13
Our business area
Seek, and ye shall find:
Seismic surveys
Astrid Forster
geologist
“When I talk about my job to other people or colleagues from different fields,
I get the feeling most of them struggle to understand what I do. A lot of people think the work of a geologist is complex, technical and dry as dust. But
actually the opposite is true. It’s mainly the geologists who search for clues
and make the discoveries here.”
At the start of every exploration project, we need to gather information
about the geological structures below
the ground. We collect the data using
seismic surveys. These sophisticated
tests use energy waves. Survey teams
trigger the waves in a controlled manner above ground. They do this in
holes roughly 15 metres deep when
working out in the open, and use special vibroseismic trucks when working
in residential areas. The different rock
layers reflect the energy waves back
to the surface, where they are picked
up by geophones and converted into
electrical impulses.
We carried out a seismic survey in
Emsland and in Bentheim county
between late 2013 and early 2014.
The survey teams worked on an area
measuring 140 square kilometres, and
it takes over a year to evaluate and
interpret the data. The results should
mainly help to improve production in
existing fields.
The generated data are digitally recorded during the survey and then undergo
complex computer processing before
being evaluated by our geologists. The
result is a three-dimensional image of
the geological structures that allows
experts to gather information about
possible reservoirs. We use the findings
as a basis to decide whether conducting further exploration work – such as
drilling a well – would be worthwhile.
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KOLUMNENTITEL
OUR BUSINESS AREA
15
To produce or not to produce?
An exploration well has the answer
Thanks to innovative drilling technologies, we can now tap deposits that,
for technical and economic reasons,
were previously impossible to exploit.
Evaluated data from seismic surveys
provide the basis for exploration oil
and gas wells. Once our experts have
determined the location of the well
site and the type of drilling rig required,
we submit the operational plans to the
relevant mining authorities for approval.
The location of a well does not just
depend on geological structures, but
also on the local situation, such as the
proximity to residential areas, transport infrastructure and environmental
protection areas. The work begins with
the construction of the well site and
access routes. The site is designed
to prevent contamination of the surrounding area and subsurface environment. If necessary, noise barriers are
built around the site.
Experts then erect the drilling rig on
the well site and operate it around the
clock in shifts. It takes the team just a
few weeks to drill the well, which can
sometimes be several thousand metres deep. Following a series of short
production tests, the rig is dismantled
and our experts make a decision on
how to proceed. If we have found
enough gas or oil, we can prepare
production operations. If the well did
not indicate the presence of any oil or
gas deposits, we cement and seal it
securely and remove the well site and
access routes. We return the used
areas to their original state. In the past
few months, for instance, we drilled
two side tracks in the Rühlertwist field
in the Emsland district.
Malte Damm
drilling engineer
“Our drilling activities bring with them a great deal of responsibility towards
humans and nature. We never lose sight of this, which is why we investigate the
possible consequences of our activities before we begin and, for instance,
ensure that we work to the latest standards when building well sites and drilling.”
16
OUR BUSINESS AREA
17
Production using
state-of-the-art technology
Back to nature through
site restoration
If an exploration well proves successful, our experts dismantle the drilling rig and
build extraction and processing facilities. Once that has happened, production can
begin. Pipelines transfer the oil and gas for further processing. Our industry also
uses road and rail tankers for transporting oil.
We are responsible for site restoration
and for fully rehabilitating land that
we have used for mining. After we
permanently shut down an operation,
specialist companies fill in the wells
and dismantle the extraction and processing equipment. We take an equally
professional approach to clearing the
well sites and refilling them with topsoil.
This restores the environment to its
original state and means the land can
be used for agriculture or forestry again.
Once we have completed the extensive
work, the relevant mining authority gives
notice of the end of mining supervision. Several million euro are available
The timeframe for commercial production varies and depends on the situation at
each reservoir. We are working to improve recovery rates in older fields. One way
of doing this is to use a technique known as horizontal drilling. This involves crews
drilling parallel to the surface and allows us to exploit the oil and gas reservoirs
much more efficiently.
One of our most important production operations is in the Rhine Valley, which
has favourable geological conditions for oil deposits. Since the end of 2007, for
instance, we and our partner Palatina GeoCon have drilled seven wells close to
Speyer. The Römerberg-Speyer field produced roughly 168,000 tonnes of oil in 2014
and thus made a major contribution to overall production in Germany.
18
OUR BUSINESS AREA
for clearing decommissioned facilities
each year. Our site restoration division
implemented around 40 projects in
2014. Most were located in the state of
Saxony-Anhalt, but Lower Saxony and
other states also benefited. We have
removed around 450 items of property
over the past 10 years.
OUR BUSINESS AREA
19
Safety comes first
Health, safety and
the environment
(HSE) are central to
our corporate culture and a priority in
our company policy.
Health, safety and the environment
(HSE) are central to our corporate
culture and a priority in our company
policy. Preventive measures, quality
controls and ongoing improvements
are key factors to our success in this
area. Our experts assess risks and
ensure that multiple safeguards are
in place. All GDF SUEZ employees
and service providers are committed
to achieving HSE targets. Avoiding
accidents and damages is the primary
objective in everything we do. This
applies to the environment, employees, service providers and the public.
Our industry has a reputation for high
safety and environmental standards
in Germany, and is an international
leader in the field. Rather than merely
complying with rules and regulations,
our HSE policies mean that we very
often go above and beyond the legal
requirements. All our work is carried
out in close consultation with the relevant state offices for mining, energy
and geology.
Peter Hartmann
responsible for safety, health and
environmental protection
“We have two key safety rules that apply to all employees and service providers:
1. Safety always comes before production, costs and meeting deadlines.
2. If you see something, do something about it. In other words, take immediate action whenever you spot a hazard. That can include stopping all
work immediately.”
20
OUR RESPONSIBILITY
KOLUMNENTITEL
21
Associated gas:
A valuable natural resource
We take responsibility
365 days a year: Examples
in our daily work
Safety starts in
the mind
We believe that safety should be more
than just a collection of rules. It has to
be a conviction, too. This is why we
aim to improve our employees’ safety
awareness every day. Our activities
in this area include the internal safety
competition “Sehen, was Sache ist”
(which encourages staff to report
safety issues), regular brief safety talks
at the start of departmental meetings,
and visits to every well site by our
management team. By doing this, we
show that safety affects everyone in
the business equally. Training sessions
are an important part of our efforts.
They include our computer learning
programme, exercises with voluntary
firefighters, seminars on identifying
and assessing hazards, and first-aid
and safe driving courses.
22
OUR RESPONSIBILITY
Associated gas is a type of gas that occurs when producing oil. As far as possible, we aim to avoid burning off (flaring) this natural resource, because doing so
releases greenhouse gases and destroys valuable energy reserves. GDF SUEZ
E&P Deutschland uses associated gas as efficiently as it can and in ways that vary
according to local circumstances. One application involves using it in cogeneration plants to produce electricity and heat that then go back into our daily operations. We use the electricity for things such as lighting our well sites and driving our
pumpjacks, while the heat keeps our facilities warm and serves as process heat in
our processing operations. At other locations we use the gas thermally, to generate
steam. Our experts are continually working on innovative concepts for making our
process technology even better.
Energy management:
Save electricity, protect the climate
Our strengths do not only lie in producing energy, but also in saving it.
Our energy management system has
DIN EN ISO 50001 certification. We
are aiming to continually reduce our
energy consumption and greenhouse
gas emissions over the long term. One
of our goals is to reduce the amount of
electricity we purchase by 10 percent
by 2020. The only way to achieve this
is with a structured approach. We have
carried out energy assessments of
all our production operations and are
using energy management software to
review our key figures. This allows us
to see how much electricity goes into
producing a tonne of oil or gas, and
how much energy our individual locations and our most energy-hungry facilities (e.g. pumpjacks) consume. The
information means we can pinpoint
and remove weak spots. Accredited
certifiers review the energy efficiency
of our locations once a year.
Groundwater protection:
Above and below the surface
Companies that produce and process oil and gas in Germany have to comply with
very high standards regarding water and nature conservation. The design of well
sites is subject to strict guidelines. Our experts fully seal new well sites and install a
peripheral guttering and drainage system. All liquids that occur (even rainwater) are
captured and properly processed or disposed of.
To protect groundwater below the surface, we ram a casing pipe up to 60 metres into
the ground. The ramming action causes the subsurface to collect around the outer wall
of the pipe. This forms a seal between the soil and the pipe. Our experts then run a protective pipe several hundred metres into the ground. This well section is cemented up to
the surface to create a secure seal between the individual rock formations and the pipe.
Biodiversity: Protecting variety
When it comes to the environment, we believe that soil, groundwater, surface water,
air, flora, fauna, and the proper functioning of ecosystems are especially worthy of
protection. This is why we arrange for external experts to carry out comprehensive
biodiversity studies at all well sites located in nature conservation areas in Europe.
This also applies to the smallest on-site activities.
OUR RESPONSIBILITY
23
Our commitment
Good neighbourhood
and communication
As well as being committed to our staff, we are also dedicated to the regions,
cities, towns and communities in which GDF SUEZ E&P Deutschland operates.
We are an active sponsor in many different areas, such as town festivals, cultural
events, conservation projects and sports clubs. The World Festival of Children’s
Theatre in Lingen was a particular highlight for us in 2014. The event brought
together some 350 children from five continents to perform plays and dance shows
on the theme of “colour your world!”. In addition, we have very close ties with voluntary fire services and youth fire services in many regions throughout Germany.
We also believe that being a good neighbour involves communicating openly about
our activities and projects. We reach out to the public in many different ways, such
as by running information events for citizens, arranging meetings with the press,
giving presentations to local politicians and authorities, and holding discussions
with residents. Since the start of 2014, for instance, we have run some 40 guided
tours for the public at our well site in Speyer.
Günter Lügering
responsible for land-related matters
“I work with different people every day because I handle the company’s usage
agreements, among other things. We always go in person to talk to the people
who will be affected. The discussions invariably show me that we have had a
reputation as a reliable, transparent partner for many years.”
24
OUR RESPONSIBILITY
KOLUMNENTITEL
25
Our greatest potential
We focus on individuals
The road from oil and gas exploration
to production is a long one. As well as
needing time, the journey also requires
a great deal of specialist knowledge.
This is why our company employs people in a wide variety of professions. We
need the expertise of reservoir, drilling
and production engineers, geologists,
underground and surface technicians,
safety personnel and production supervisors – to name just a few.
To ensure that our staff can do their
different day-to-day tasks to the best
of their abilities, we are committed to
providing them with targeted training and seminars. We invested some
851,000 euros in further training in
2014. Our staff completed 15,000
hours’ worth of seminars that covered
specialist training, language learning,
and personal development. We use
external providers for some of our
further training sessions, but we also
draw on the special programme offered by our own further training academy, GDF SUEZ University. Our managers hold yearly appraisals with their
staff to find out what type of further
training they want and would be useful. The meetings also allow managers
to help their employees develop their
26
EMPLOYEES
career. Topics of discussion include
the employee’s goals and management potential, and whether he or she
would like to go on a secondment
abroad. All of our employees get an
appraisal, whether they are at the very
beginning of their career or have been
in the job for a long time.
Investing in the future
Further training plays a big role in our
HR management, but so does training
for students and those just starting
out on their career. We provide young
professionals and newcomers to the
industry with numerous options for
taking their first steps into the exciting
world of exploration and production.
We want to promote young people,
which is why we offer a trainee and
scholarship programme, a degree
with on-the-job training, a variety of
apprenticeships, and placements for
writing dissertations. We are especially committed to expanding our
international graduate development
programme, as this type of international exchange is particularly attractive to those just starting out on their
career. The programme is run in very
close collaboration with our affiliates
around the world.
Mum, Dad and kids
are welcome
Investing in the future is not just about
supporting people at the start of their
careers. For many of our experienced
employees, job satisfaction increasingly depends on being able to combine a
career and family life. We therefore attach a great deal of importance to this
issue. The Emsländische Stiftung Beruf
und Familie (a foundation dedicated to
helping people balance a career and
family) certified us as a family-friendly
company in 2011. We have opened two
specially designed parent-and-child
offices for use by staff experiencing
gaps in childcare. We also collaborate
with daycare centres and are involved
in opening an international school in
Lingen. Furthermore, our cooperation
agreement with the Diakonisches Werk
(part of the social welfare organisation
of the Protestant church in Germany)
gives our staff access to professional,
qualified counselling services.
A dedicated project team is continually developing new ideas for how we
can harmonise our business interests
with the personal and family needs of
our employees.
Nicole Graf
HR officer
“We want to invest in the future. For us, that means getting lots of different
people with diverse backgrounds and experience on board. We employ about
600 staff, which means we are a mid-sized company and so part of Germany’s
Mittelstand. Our connection with the group to Paris also gives our people
international opportunities. That makes us stand out from the crowd and helps
us attract applicants.”
KOLUMNENTITEL
27
Oil and gas:
Natural resources
for everyday life
Here in Germany, we take many things in life for granted: heating
energy, furniture, clothing, medicine, car tires, petrol… but we rarely
think about where they come from. Gas and oil are still crucial components in all of those things. They are a source of energy and a
natural resource for everyday life.
Germany needs gas for
the energy transition
Oil: More than just a
source of energy
Our industry produced 2.4 million
tonnes of oil and 9.2 billion cubic metres of gas in Germany in 2014. GDF
SUEZ E&P Deutschland is involved in
these domestic production activities,
which means we are strengthening
Germany as an industrial location
and doing our bit to ensure domestic
security of supply. Even in these days of
Germany’s energy transition (as its energy transition policies are known), the
country cannot do without oil and gas.
A 2014 Forsa survey found that around
79 percent of respondents feel the
same way. Natural gas in particular is an
integral part of the energy mix. In 2014,
gas made up 20 percent of primary
energy consumption (the total amount
of energy that a country uses in a year).
Around 50 percent of homeowners rely
on gas for their heating alone. Gas is
one of the most environmentally friendly
fossil fuels. Germany produces around
11 percent of the gas it consumes.
Oil is a real all-rounder: as well as
generating heat and getting our cars
from A to B, it continues to provide
us with a key raw material. Components of crude oil are used in the
manufacture of almost every chemical product. Cosmetics, polyvinyl
chloride (PVC) and medicines are just
some of the reasons why the chemical and pharmaceutical industry alone
accounts for 10 percent of global oil
consumption. Oil also remains one
of the largest sources of energy for
the primary energy market, providing
around 35 percent of the mix.
28
ABOUT OIL AND GAS
We are an employer,
tax-payer and customer
Northern Germany in particular has a
long tradition of oil and gas exploration and production. Many families
here have been earning a living from
firms like ours for some 150 years. The
companies that are members of the
Wirtschaftsverband Erdöl- und Erdgasgewinnung e.V. (a trade association for
oil and gas producers) employ roughly
10,000 staff, most of whom are highly
qualified and work in structurally weak
regions. In total, around 20,000 jobs
depend on the E&P industry. Our activities mean that we are more than just
a supplier of natural resources – we are
also a reliable employer, tax-payer and
customer for many sectors. Germany’s
national budget and the budgets of
the states and municipalities where we
are active also benefit financially from
our production operations. In 2014, for
instance, we and other companies paid
around 600 million euros in royalties,
generated a combined revenue of
3.3 billion euros and invested 450 million
euros in Germany.
If we had no
oil and gas …
… we would not be able
to take painkillers for
migraine, because many medicines
use oil as a raw material.
… we couldn’t get
together and watch
football on the sofa, because the
average sofa contains 60 litres of oil.
… we would have to do
without beauty products
such as shampoo and lipstick, because many of them are oil-based.
… we would’t have such a
big choice in our wardrobe,
because a lot of clothes are made of
polyamide which contains oil.
… there would be no
window frames, floor
coverings, medical devices and
much more, because the polyvinyl
chloride (PVC) needed to produce
them is made from oil.
… many families and their
gas heating system would
not be able to help Germany achieve
its climate change goals. Around
seven million German households
are heated by gas from Germany.
PVC
… we would have to
stop running our cars on petrol or
natural gas.
ABOUT OIL AND GAS
29
Heinz Kuper
works in the core
sample warehouse
“When we’re drilling an exploration well, we remove core samples from several
thousand metres below the surface. That means our warehouse contains an
ancient treasure that is over 80 kilometres long, comes from different regions
of the world and dates from different stages in the Earth’s history. Just imagine: some samples are so old that dinosaurs walked on them. Others come
from the Devonian period, which was about 350 million years ago and a long
time before dinosaurs showed up.”
30
Publishing information
Responsible for content:
GDF SUEZ E&P Deutschland GmbH, Waldstraße 39, 49808 Lingen (Ems), Germany, www.gdfsuezep.de
Gestaltung: GUCC grafik & film, Münster, Druck: Erdnuß Druck, Sendenhorst
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If you have any questions, feel free to call us on + 49 (0) 591 61 28 88
or e-mail us at presse@gdfsuezep.de.
Issue: 2015, financial year: 2014
PUBLISHING INFORMATION
31
GDF SUEZ E&P Deutschland GmbH
Waldstraße 39
D-49808 Lingen (Ems)
gdfsuezep.de