Industry call to overcome challenge of Arctic & Extreme E&P
The exploration and development of massive hydrocarbon resources estimated to lie within the Arctic region represents a colossal technical and technological challenge for the international oil and gas industry. An event later this year will be the focal point of the E&P sector’s never-ending work to find innovative solutions that are safe, efficient, environmentally sound and which ensure the key involvement of local people as stakeholders.
The SPE Arctic & Extreme Environments (AEE) conference and exhibition takes place in October under the overall theme of ‘Extreme Challenges for Exploration & Production’. A Call for Papers has been issued to industry leaders from around the world, including National Oil Companies, international operators, service companies, international Research & Development institutions and universities to share their experiences and discuss the key issues facing the upstream sector as it tackles extreme environments around the world at the 3-day event in Moscow, Russia.
The event’s steering committee is being co-chaired by Brezitsky Sergey Vladimirovich, Executive Vice- President, Upstream, TNK-BP and Zolotukhin Anatolii Borisovich, Deputy Chancellor, Gubkin Russian State University of Oil and Gas.
In a joint welcoming statement, the chairmen commented: “The decision by SPE (Society of Petroleum Engineers) to conduct such an event in Russia has solid foundations. Russia has enormous hydrocarbon resources associated with extreme environments and harsh climatic conditions, in coastal Arctic areas and the shelves of the northern seas. The Russian arctic shelf amounts to the equivalent of 100 billion tonnes of oil and its exploitation will continue as long as it is required by Russia and the international community.
Showcase for latest technology and technical debate
“However, the development of these enormous resources is associated with colossal technical and technological challenges that require solutions to a number of new problems including the development of new and efficient technologies, ways of minimising a negative impact on the environment and the ecosystem as a whole, maximising an industrial safety system and enhancing education systems and professional training and its quality. Finally, hard work from society as a whole, researchers and specialists of the oil and gas industry is required in order to enable participation of local people as active stakeholders to create solutions to all of these problems.”
The AEE 2011 conference and exhibition will be an opportunity to showcase the latest technology and debate technical issues across key elements of arctic and extreme environment operations around the world. Paper proposals are invited for field development case studies and specific technology applications for Arctic, offshore and extreme environments, with conference categories including: Exploration & Geology; Drilling & Well Construction; Offshore & Onshore Field Development; Production & Reservoir Management; Latest Technology & Technical Limits; Current Challenges of Arctic Offshore & Onshore Projects; Physical Environment; Safety, Environment and Social Responsibility; and Human Capabilities for Arctic Field Development. The conference will also feature plenary and panel sessions.
Oil and gas has been produced in extreme environments both on and offshore for many years. But a massive increase in interest – against a backdrop of continually increasing world demand for energy and declining proved reserves – has seen areas offshore Russia, the United States, Canada, Greenland and Norway emerge as promising and virtually untouched new frontiers for exploration and potential development. Activity in areas such as the Yamal Peninsula and pioneering projects in the development stage such as Shtokman in the Russian sector of the Barents Sea, as well as swelling numbers of deepwater and remote offshore projects around the world, have added to the momentum.
This has sparked major moves recently by some of the world’s leading energy players, including Rosneft and BP, who recently announced a strategic alliance focused on developing technologies and engineering practices to produce safely from the Arctic shelf, as well as joint technical studies to assess hydrocarbon prospectivity in the Russian Arctic, initially within the South Kara Sea but also further afield. Many of the world’s pioneering companies in extreme and Arctic environments will be exhibiting at AEE 2011 from 18-20th October at the All-Russia Exhibition Centre in Moscow, including Schlumberger, Baker Hughes, Russian oil company Bashneft, TMK and Polarcus, with others to be confirmed soon.