“Deepwater exploration and offshore developments” is our theme this month. And as you’ve read, this is an area of exploration that is showing higher levels of activity and success. That’s a good thing.
The relative underinvestment in long-cycle oil and gas projects, such as deepwater and offshore, during the boom of short-cycle shale oil and shale gas projects has been, and continues to be, a concern for oil market observers. While shale oil and shale gas deliver quick returns and product to markets, it’s the deepwater and other offshore discoveries that yield significant reserve additions and long-lasting production.
Both types of projects are important if you’re looking for reserve growth and supply security, and we do not want to neglect one for the other.
When it comes to the offshore, we’re already looking forward to next month when the Offshore Technology Conference returns to Houston, this year to celebrate its golden anniversary – 50 years – since the inaugural conference in 1969.
OTC is the world’s premier global offshore event, brought to you by the Society of Petroleum Engineers and 11 other sponsoring organizations, including AAPG. This year we anticipate attendance of at least 60,000, who will be able to network, attend a wide range of technical sessions and visit with more than 2,000 exhibitors from across the globe.
In recognition of this year’s anniversary we’re looking to our industry’s offshore successes as well as – under the theme, “Going the Distance” – looking ahead to the next 50 years of offshore exploration and production.
The OTC Board and organizers have developed a series of special events to highlight this special occasion, beginning on Sunday, May 5 for a special OTC Golden Anniversary Gala Dinner, featuring the presentation of the OTC Achievement Awards for individuals and organizations. There will also be a special donation made to the Spindletop Charities, focused on supporting youth and communities primarily in the Greater Houston Area.
Highlights of the Conference
On Monday, May 6, the conference will open with a Golden Anniversary Opening Session with the theme, “The Next 50 Years of Offshore Energy Developments.”
Looking ahead, the session will showcase visions for the future of offshore development with a particular emphasis on the effects of digitalization, automation and machine learning on our industry. The speakers represent a broad spectrum of experience and understanding, including:
- Arnaud Breuillac, president of exploration and production for Total
- Roger W. Jenkins, president and CEO of Murphy Oil Corporation
- Doug Pferdehirt, CEO of TechnipFMC
- Malcolm Frank, executive vice president of strategy and marketing for Cognizant and co-author of, “What to Do When Machines Do Everything”
- Scott Tinker, director of the Bureau of Economic Geology, The University of Texas and past-president of AAPG
- Maria Claudia Borras, president and CEO of oilfield services for Baker Hughes, a GE company
- Susan Dio, chairman and president of BP America
- Jannicke Nilsson, executive vice president and chief operating officer of Equinor
- Arno van den Haak, head of worldwide business development of oil and gas for Amazon Web Services
Another new feature this year is the “Around the World” series, running from Monday through Friday, where countries will discuss current business opportunities and licensing rounds, as well as new technologies being presented at OTC. The countries include Australia, Norway, Mexico, France, United Kingdom, Israel, Canada, Ghana and Guyana.
Staying abreast of the latest technological developments is a vital part of attending OTC and the special OTC Spotlight on Technology awards highlight new technologies being presented at the conference that can help you and your company improve performance and success in your offshore activities.
AAPG is well represented at OTC through Cindy Yeilding, vice-chair of the OTC board, Buford Pollett, vice-chair of the OTC program committee, and the members of AAPG’s program subcommittee.
The AAPG subcommittee, led by chair Kim Faulk and vice-chair Eric Cauquil, includes Huyen Bai, Brandi Carrier, Claudia Ludwig, Richard Mackenzie, Chris Madere, Daniel McConnell, Fabián Vera and Stephen Wardlaw.
Their work will be showcased through a series of ten technical sessions, including:
- Advancing the Energy Transition: Meeting Energy Demand While Reducing Emissions
- Advances in Technology for Identifying and Characterizing Submerged Archaeological Resources
- Shallow Site Characterization of Offshore Energy Projects
- Ethics in Engineering and Geology: How Professional Ethics are Central to our Work
- Offshore Reservoirs, Drilling, and Foundations: Solutions for Today and Tomorrow
- Reservoir Characterization and Monitoring
- State of the Seismic Industry: Preparing for the Upturn
- BOEM: An Update on the Offshore Regulatory Environment
- Offshore CO2 Storage: Technical Challenges for New Business Opportunities;
- Offshore Renewables: Site Investigation Challenges for Environmental and Engineering Assessment
OTC is always a special event, but this year even more so. As Patrick Pouyanné, Total’s chairman and CEO put it, “For 50 years, OTC has encouraged scientists and engineers to develop innovative technologies that have unleashed the potential of offshore energy resources needed for global growth and progress.”
“Going the Distance.” Come join us at NRG Park in Houston from May 6 to 9 and see what it means.