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Basin modelling software has been widely developed in the 80's and is still the subject of active Research and Development in the oil companies, contractors and consultant agencies, and also in the universities. A complete range of software applicaCble to the basin level are now available to explorationists, including 1-D, 2-D and soon 3-D tools. Most of them are devoted to the validation of structural hypotheses, to the prediction of source rock maturities. or to a reconstruction of petroleum formation and migration in basins. Another class of software, mostly developed in the universities, attempts to describe the thermomechanical behaviour of the lithosphere during basin formation and subsequent inversion (DURAND et al., 1997). The question now is: how can these tools help explorationists in reducing the risks (and as a consequence the costs) of exploration? In order to discuss and answer this question, we will present a case study in which IFP software has been used to reassess the petroleum potential of the Southeast Basin and Gulf of Lyon in SE France. These two areas have been the focus of active exploration from the 60's to the early 80's, without commercial results. The analysis and appraisal of failures have already been done and the different potential petroleum systems recognized. Then 1-D and 2-D modelling was performed in order to select within this 50,000 km2 area the few places where further exploration can be conducted with a minimum of technical and economic hazards.

Basin modelling software has been widely developed in the 80's and is still the subject of active Research and Development in the oil companies, contractors and consultant agencies, and also in the universities. A complete range of software applicaCble to the basin level are now available to explorationists, including 1-D, 2-D and soon 3-D tools. Most of them are devoted to the validation of structural hypotheses, to the prediction of source rock maturities. or to a reconstruction of petroleum formation and migration in basins. Another class of software, mostly developed in the universities, attempts to describe the thermomechanical behaviour of the lithosphere during basin formation and subsequent inversion (DURAND et al., 1997). The question now is: how can these tools help explorationists in reducing the risks (and as a consequence the costs) of exploration? In order to discuss and answer this question, we will present a case study in which IFP software has been used to reassess the petroleum potential of the Southeast Basin and Gulf of Lyon in SE France. These two areas have been the focus of active exploration from the 60's to the early 80's, without commercial results. The analysis and appraisal of failures have already been done and the different potential petroleum systems recognized. Then 1-D and 2-D modelling was performed in order to select within this 50,000 km2 area the few places where further exploration can be conducted with a minimum of technical and economic hazards.

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