Dutch Exploration Day 2026

On Thursday 19 November 2026, EBN will welcome the Dutch exploration and subsurface community to the Munthuys in Utrecht for the latest edition of the Dutch Exploration Day .

The Dutch Exploration Day is the annual gathering of professionals working across the Dutch subsurface sector, including experts in exploration, geology, geophysics, CCS, geothermal energy, hydrogen, underground storage and related disciplines.

The event offers a unique opportunity to reconnect with fellow explorationists, exchange insights and discuss the latest technical and strategic developments shaping the future of the Dutch subsurface.

Preliminary programme

09:30 Registration & Coffee  

10:00 Welcome & EBN Gas Transition Update – Nicolien Vrisou van Eck, Director – BU Gas transition EBN 

10:10 Keynote: Global exploration trends: How digital and AI are (and aren’t) making an impact. – Oscar Abbink Director, Global Energy Technology Solutions S&P Global Energy 

10:30 Keynote: Sustaining Exploration on a Mature Shelf: Norway’s Strategy for the Years Ahead – Vaka Antonsdottir, Assistant Director for Exploration Norwegian Offshore Directorate 

10:50 Coffee Break  

11:10 Poster Pitches  

11:25 Exploring the Visean on the southern margin of the Mid North Sea High – Welmoed Lauwerier, Geoscientist ONE-Dyas 

11:50 From Geode to Prospect: Northern Rorliegend Equivalent – A08 Case Study – Daan den Hartog Jager, Senior Geologist EBN 

12:10 Lunch and Poster session  

13:10 Audience Poll  

13:30 The Selene Discovery – Subsurface Integration Delivering a Major Discovery in a Mature Basin – Tom Cafferkey, Technology Manager NEO Next + 

13:55 Provisional: Offshore wind-powered N05-A platform produces significant volumes from an overlooked play in mature basin – Willeke Smit (TBC), Exploration lead  One Dyas 

14:15 Coffee Break  

14:35 The ConSeil Project – Delivering a new set of seismic interpretations for the Dutch Exploration community – Maryke den Dulk & Sibren Dieters, Geoscientists TNO/ EBN 

14:55 Development of Q16-Maas Depleted-field UHS – Enabling the energy transition in the Port of Rotterdam – Silke van Klaveren, Geoscientist EBN New Energy 

15:15 Amstelland 3D Seismic Acquisition & Processing – The Next Dimension in the Dutch SCAN Geothermal Exploration Programme – Johannes van den Akker, Geoscientist EBN BUWt/ SCAN 

15:35 Coffee Break  

15:55 Enhancing recovery of the Rotliegend K17-FA tight gas field with new horizontal multi-frac wells 20 years after first gas – Joris Steenbrink & Hans Reichwein, Senior Geoscientists Tenaz Energy 

16:20 Impact of salt tectonics on deposition, erosion and re-working of Schieland and Chalk group sediments in the Northern DCG – Stefan Peeters, Geologist TNO 

16:40 Wrap-up & Summary – Edward Wiarda, Senior Geoscientists EBN 

16:50 Social Drinks  

18:00 End

We’ll update this programme in the next few weeks