Alcatel-Lucent Submarine Networks signs agreement to acquire Optoplan, a leading innovator in seabed optical fiber sensing technology
Acquisition of Norway-based provider of 4D permanent reservoir monitoring solutions for offshore oil and gas production forms key building block in ASN’s expansion into the sector
Paris, France, October 22, 2014
Alcatel-Lucent (Euronext Paris and NYSE: ALU) has announced today that its subsidiary, Alcatel-Lucent Submarine Networks (ASN), has signed a binding agreement with Sercel, part of the CGG Group, for the acquisition of Optoplan, a leading provider of 4D permanent reservoir monitoring solutions used in offshore oil and gas production.
The closing of the transaction is expected to be completed shortly.
4D Permanent reservoir monitoring – 4D PRM – requires the permanent installation of seabed sensors to carry out frequent 4D seismic surveys of oil or gas reservoirs, collecting data that can be used by operators to monitor how oil, water and gas move in a reservoir over time. Once processed, the data helps produce detailed maps of underground geological structures, where wells should be drilled and how reservoirs can be drained to recover as much fuel as possible.
Optoplan, which is based in Trondheim, Norway, is the company behind Optowave, a leading, field-proven 4D PRM technology for such seismic surveys. In acquiring the company, ASN will combine this expertise with its own leadership in submarine cable systems, including its world class manufacturing capabilities and marine installation fleet.
ASN and Optoplan’s combined expertise will bring to the market a fully integrated 4D PRM solution, including design, manufacturing, assembly and marine installation, which will allow oil and gas companies to boost their oil recovery ratio, extend the life of their oil fields and improve the safety of their operations.
Commenting on the acquisition, Philippe Dumont, President of Alcatel-Lucent Submarine Networks, said: “While ASN is already a leading player in Oil and Gas platform connectivity, Optoplan will extend our capabilities in the Oil & Gas domain, fully supporting the industrial plan to diversify our presence and capture new segments in this highly promising market.”
Alcatel-Lucent Submarine Networks’ presence in the Oil and Gas market
Alcatel-Lucent Submarine Networks is already a leading player in oil and gas platform connectivity. Oil and gas companies increasingly rely on optical fiber to meet the communications needs of offshore installations – mission-critical high-speed data connectivity, voice communications and increasingly provide offshore personnel with ultra-broadband access. In this domain, it has already connected several major offshore platforms in various geographies and recently signed a large contract with the Nextgen Group to roll out a 2,000km undersea cable system in North West Australia that will provide the INPEX Ichthys Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) and Shell Prelude Floating Liquefied Natural Gas (FLNG) projects.
About Optoplan AS
Optoplan AS is a Norwegian company that has pioneered optical fiber sensing within oil and gas applications over the past 30 years. Optoplan was a subsidiary of Weatherford International Ltd and Wavefield Inseis, which was acquired by the CGG Group in 2009. Since then, Optoplan is fully owned by Sercel, a subsidiary of the CGG Group, a fully integrated geosciences company. Optoplan is a leader in 4D Permanent Reservoir Monitoring (PRM) with a leading and field-proven technology. Sercel is the world’s leading designer and manufacturer of innovative seismic equipment and reservoir monitoring instruments. Sercel provides oil field service companies and geophysical contractors with the widest range of leading-edge technologies for exploration in land, marine, ocean bottom, transition zone and reservoir environments. More information about Sercel is available at www.sercel.com
ABOUT ALCATEL-LUCENT (EURONEXT PARIS AND NYSE: ALU)
We are at the forefront of global communications, providing products and innovations in IP and cloud networking, as well as ultra-broadband fixed and wireless access to service providers and their customers, and to enterprises and institutions throughout the world. Underpinning us in driving the industrial transformation from voice telephony to high-speed digital delivery of data, video and information is Bell Labs, an integral part of the Group and one of the world’s foremost technology research institutes, responsible for countless breakthroughs that have shaped the networking and communications industry. Our innovations have resulted in our Group being recognized by Thomson Reuters as a Top 100 Global Innovator, as well as being named by MIT Technology Review as amongst 2012’s Top 50 “World’s Most Innovative Companies”. We have also been recognized for innovation in sustainability, being named Industry Group Leader in the Technology Hardware & Equipment sector in the 2014 Dow Jones Sustainability Indices review, for making global communications more sustainable, affordable and accessible, all in pursuit of the Group’s mission to realize the potential of a connected world.
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