Offshore sardinia (Italy): New perspectives in the marine zone open to hydrocarbons exploration and exploitation

The oil and gas sector is a topic of the utmost importance nowadays, as its business turnover moves several billion euro every year. Moreover this sector is strategic both globally and nationally. This study is realized by “Bicocca” University of Milan supporting the Directorate General for Mineral and Energy Resources of the Italian Ministry of Economic Development in application of the Legislative Decree April 3rd, 2006 n°152 as modified by the art. 35 of the Legislative Decree June 22nd, 2012 n°.83 about the offshore safety in accordance to the objective of improvement knowledge about the geology of offshore area. Within this aim this paper shows the new offshore exploration and production (E&P) perspectives for what is concerning Italian continental shelf (as defined by the UNCLOS,1982 [1]), based on the examination of national data. With the Ministerial Decree of August 19th 2013, all areas open to hydrocarbon E&P activities were rescheduled and a new area called “Zone E” was opened in the west side of the Sardinian offshore. With the new interest for the deep offshore and for reservoirs with complex geology there is need for the improvement in knowledge about the geological and tectono-stratigraphic settings as well as in definition of the potentiality of the area, through the assessment of the presence of petroleum system's characteristic elements. The goal of this study is to review existing literature, collect and preliminary process data about the area and give an overview of the potential presence of "undiscovered” resources of hydrocarbon in the west Sardinian offshore.