The Smart-FDP project was launched in response to one of the most pressing challenges in the global energy sector: maximizing the value of existing hydrocarbon fields while reducing their environmental footprint and supporting both digital transformation and the transition to sustainable energy systems.
With ‘easy oil’ reserves dwindling and energy consumption increasing, the need to optimize field development planning (FDP) is paramount in meeting the world’s energy demands. This challenge intensifies with carbon-neutral economy ambitions and the integration of hydrogen storage into a decarbonized energy system. Traditional FDP relies on numerical reservoir simulations using approaches that are either based solely on engineering intuition or automated alternatives that require prohibitive computational effort. These approaches often fail to quickly identify truly optimal development scenarios under complex technical, economic, and environmental constraints in large, heterogeneous and mature reservoir systems.
The Smart-FDP project addresses these challenges by developing a next-generation digital solution for fast, reliable, and environmentally responsible field development planning. Its core vision is to combine AI and metaheuristic algorithms into automated simulations. This self-adaptive optimisation framework tackles complex optimization tasks in reservoir development/management, fostering efficient hydrocarbon recovery with reduced cost, risk, and environmental impact. The conception of the automated optimization tool begins with digital formulation, followed by smart optimizer development and culminates in a user-friendly decision-making tool enabling industrial and research exploitation for both fossil and renewable energy applications.
The approach adopted in this project directly aligns with EU strategic goals by supporting the European Green Deal, digital transformation of the energy sector, and sustainable subsurface use, including CO2 storage and geothermal energy production.
