How geophysics support the energy transition: an interview with Lim Bo-sung

As the global energy transition accelerates, geophysics is playing an increasingly important role beyond traditional oil and gas exploration, supporting emerging technologies such as carbon capture and storage (CCS). In this interview, Lim Bo-sung, a senior geophysicist at TotalEnergies, discussed how geophysical techniques are used to identify and monitor CO2 storage sites and how new seismic survey methods are cutting the carbon footprint of exploration.

First, could you tell us a little about what you’re currently doing?

I work for Portal Energy, and my job involves exploration. To be precise, I’m a Senior Geophysical Systems Engineer—in Korean, that’s “geophysics.” I work in geophysics, and although I’m based in France, in Poitiers, the region I’m responsible for is in southern Africa.

How do you analyze data about the ground and various geophysical data, and what insights can you gain from this?

To put it simply, what I do is similar to taking an X-ray. In geophysics, we typically use what’s called seismic surveying—which involves using seismic waves—to examine the subsurface. We use these seismic waves to peer into the ground, then perform geological interpretations. Through these interpretations, we determine where there’s a high probability of oil or gas deposits. Recently, we’ve been taking a more quantitative approach to identify where oil and gas are likely to be found, in addition to this qualitative geological approach. approaches are also widely used.

As you mentioned, technologies like CCS are also gaining attention. In your work in geophysics, what role do you play in selecting storage sites for CCS?

First of all, with CCS, carbon dioxide must be stored underground, and it must not leak. I’ve heard that monitoring is extremely important for CCS, and geophysical techniques are used for that monitoring. Of course, it goes without saying that geophysics and geology are involved in selecting CCS storage sites, and monitoring is also carried out using geophysical techniques. In fact, the scientific theoretical background used for CCS and for oil and gas exploration is essentially the same.

Even though the theory is the same, it seems that CCS hasn’t yet fully matured, and practices vary somewhat from region to region where it’s widely commercialized. Do you think this technology will become more widely used in the future?

As far as I know, especially in Europe—which has been a major driver of these efforts—the issue isn’t so much about technological capability as it is about economic viability. Since the economic viability itself is low, companies are generally reluctant to pursue it, as far as I understand. So, I do think that expanding government support or similar measures could help cover some of these issues to a certain extent, but it seems there are still some challenges to commercialization. Although Europe pushed ahead with this early on, there’s been a recent trend toward revising plans and delaying implementation.

Still, do you think it’s sound from a physics or engineering perspective?

At this stage, I don’t think there are any insurmountable difficulties—nothing that would make it impossible unless resolved. When you look at the details, there are certainly various risk factors due to a lack of experience, but I don’t think there’s any technology where CCS cannot be commercialized unless a massive obstacle is overcome.

With AI and machine learning advancing so rapidly these days, do you think they’re being utilized in the interpretation of geophysical data, or have they brought about changes in your work processes?

Yes, quite a lot. We use them extensively. Personally, I’m interested in development, and both in my personal projects and officially at work, I see that software and other tools make heavy use of AI. Data acquisition isn’t my area of expertise, so I’m not sure about that, but AI is used extensively when processing the acquired data or interpreting it later on. When extracting specific geological features from the data—since there are certain patterns—AI is really good at identifying them.

Do you think there are technical efforts being made to minimize the environmental impact during the physical exploration process?

When it comes to seismic surveys, I think the biggest issue is carbon emissions, since large ships are in motion during the process. On the other hand, some say that the seismic waves themselves might have a slight impact on marine life, but I don’t really agree with that point. From an environmental perspective, specifically regarding animal protection, I don’t really agree, but if we look solely at carbon emissions, the reason large ships were previously needed was to tow these sensors behind them. Recently, however, these sensors are simply deployed as individual modules and scattered across the seafloor. This eliminates the need to tow large sensors, so I believe that carbon emissions from future seismic surveys will be drastically reduced compared to the past—perhaps by half, though I don’t know the exact figure.

Finally, even as we enter the era of energy transition, why do you think geophysics will continue to be important? What do you see as the key reasons for its continued significance?

I believe that, ultimately, energy companies hold the solutions. Of course, energy companies naturally play a role in providing energy, and I also believe they hold the solutions to issues like climate change. So, within that context, we can now contribute by identifying or monitoring storage sites for CCS. Even within our company, people move freely between the CCS division and the exploration division.