Pam Boschee, Special Correspondent
Global insights about innovations in the offshore energy business will be presented at ONS 2008, Aug. 26-29, in Stavanger, Norway. Held every two years and taking place for the 18th time, this leading European meeting offers high-level speakers’ experiences and their thoughts about the industry’s direction.
Mention of energy game plans piques interest globally, whether trumpeted by policymakers or discussed in professional forums such as the upcoming ONS 2008. With investment worldwide set to reach record levels over the next few years, the offshore sector deservedly draws its share of attention.
More than 35,000 people from 92 nations visited ONS 2006. Its global appeal was also reflected by the nearly 1,300 exhibitors, of which more than 50% came from outside Norway.
Global issues, global perspectives
Industry leaders will be addressing high-interest topics important in today’s geopolitical climate and sure to remain so in the future. Topics such as:
- Access to energy resources
- Protection of the environment and climate change
- The need for cleaner and more efficient energy technology
- Globalization of economy, trade, and social expectations.
ONS 2008 officially opens with a session on Tuesday, Aug. 26. The inauguration will be presented by Lars Takla, chair, ONS Foundation Board; Åslaug Haga, Norway’s minister of petroleum and energy; and Stavanger’s mayor, Leif Johan Sevland.
The conference program begins with Norway’s prime minister, Jens Stoltenberg, introducing the theme,Energy for One World.
Former BP CEO Lord Browne will be interviewed one-on-one by CNN International’s financial editor, Todd Benjamin. Lord Browne is now managing director and managing partner of the Riverstone Europe investment company.
ONS has provided the opportunity to submit questions for Benjamin’s consideration for inclusion in his interview of Lord Browne. Log ontowww.ons.no to post your questions.
Norway’s Crown Prince Haakon is scheduled to tour the ONS 2008 exhibition. (Photo credit: Fotograf Kallen)
Following Lord Browne’s interview, Norway’s Crown Prince Haakon will tour the ONS 2008 exhibition.
Challenges to access
InOffshore’s September 2007 issue, Leta K. Smith, PhD, IHS, highlighted the technical and commercial challenges associated with accessing arctic and ultra deepwater resources.
Since 2000, 149 exploration wells have been drilled in the arctic – 57 in the US, 51 in Russia, 23 in Canada, and 18 in Norway. She points out that commerciality is one of the biggest challenges for the arctic, with 80% of the discovered reserves being gas. Although two-thirds of the gas is developed or developing, 424 tcf of gas remains stranded, representing 25% of the world’s total undeveloped gas.
The ONS Wednesday, Aug. 27, morning session will be dedicated to the discussion of access to energy resources, including the growing competition for resources. For example, international oil companies are increasingly faced with restricted access when leases and permits are reserved for NOCs.
Speakers will include: Helge Lund, StatoilHydro’s president and CEO; Yuri Komarov, general director, Sevmorneftegaz, Russia; Andrew Gould, chair and CEO, Schlumberger Ltd., France; and Jean Francois Cirelli, chair and CEO, Gaz de France.
The session will conclude with a moderated panel discussion with these speakers.
Demand for energy, sustainability
The oil and gas industry is perhaps among those most aware of environmental issues. Governments and the public are tuned into this industry’s handling – and mishandling – of emissions, waste, etc.
As global demand for energy resources grows, oil and gas activity must also increase. The resulting increase in E&P brings with it the need for companies’ intensified efforts to control and to mitigate activity-related environmental effects.
As calls for climate stewardship increase, so too does the responsibility of policymakers and industry to develop innovative initiatives and technology.
During the Wednesday, Aug. 27, afternoon session, industrial development and global climate challenges will be discussed by Jeffrey Sachs, director, Earth Institute, and professor of health policy and management, Columbia University, US. He is recognized as a leading voice for combining economic development with environmental sustainability.
Liv Monica Bargem Stubholt, deputy minister, Norwegian Ministry of Petroleum and Energy, also will address this topic. She has a broad political and academic background covering energy and environmental issues, European Union and European Economic Area law, High North issues, as well as more than 15 years business experience.
Energy efficiency will be discussed by Frank Stieler, CEO of Siemen’s oil and gas division, and Alexandra Bech Gjørv, StatoilHydro’s senior VP of new energy, will follow with carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology.
StatoilHydro stores carbon dioxide beneath the seabed at its Sleipner gas field in the North Sea, and plans to set up a CCS pilot plant at its Mongstad refinery on Norway’s west coast in 2011.
In February, StatoilHydro announced its partnership with India’s state-owned Oil & Natural Gas Corp. (ONGC) to develop CCS and other environmentally friendly projects in India. ONGC accounts for the bulk of domestic energy supply in India, operating both onshore and offshore.
More than 1,300 exhibitors are expected at ONS 2008. (Photo credit: Fotograf Kallen)
StatoilHydro says the cooperation could result in carbon dioxide emissions reduction projects as well as the promotion of energy efficiency and growing use of renewable energy under the mechanisms of the Kyoto Protocol.
The Kyoto Protocol’s clean development mechanism offers credits to investors in greenhouse gas-reducing projects in developing countries that can be used to offset emissions elsewhere.
Bård Mikkelsen, president and CEO, Statkraft AS, rounds out the environmental session with a discussion of renewable energy. Statkraft generates hydropower, wind power, and district heating, and constructs gas power plants in Norway and Germany.
An example of Statkraft’s innovation is its plan to construct this year the world’s first prototype osmotic power plant at Tofte, southwest of Oslo, Norway. Osmotic power plants use the osmotic pressure difference between seawater and freshwater to drive a turbine which generates electricity.
Osmotic power plants can be constructed where freshwater flows into the sea, provided the salt concentration is sufficiently high. Unlike hydropower and wind power, osmotic power plants are not affected by fluctuations in the weather. The global potential is estimated to be 1,600 to 1,700 TWh – equivalent to China’s electricity consumption in 2002.
Energy company of the future
Corporate strategy drives a company’s success in acquiring and developing resources, ideally while maintaining strong appeal to the company’s shareholders. Roxanne Decyk, corporate affairs director of Royal Dutch Shell, kicks off the Thursday, Aug. 28, morning session with her view of the energy company of the future.
Decyk oversees regional business coordination, global government affairs, communications, sustainable development, security, and HSE for Royal Dutch Shell. She is an expert on international politics of climate change and energy policy.
Bernhard Reutersberg, chair, board of management, E.ON Ruhrgas AG, follows with “Natural Gas – A Bridge to which Future?”
Reutersberg brings experience in recognizing the opportunities and challenges of a global procurement market and asset valuation in the context of today’s escalating oil and gas prices.
Technology’s role in solving both supply and environmental challenges will be discussed by Peter Kinnear, president and CEO of FMC Technologies.
Global LNG contribution
LNG operations are expanding in both scope and interest, driven by the constant growth in world energy demand.
Asian nations such as Japan, China, South Korea, and India are major consumers, along with the US. However, the European market is growing as the EU seeks alternative sources of supply to mitigate uncertain pipeline deliveries from Russia.
NOCs are expanding their roles in the LNG sector because many countries want to control their own resources rather than involve private players.
Chaired by Brit K S Rugland, chair of Gassco, the LNG session is set for the afternoon of Thursday, Aug. 28.
The global LNG perspective will be presented by Jean-Marc Hosanski, senior VP LNG at Total, while David Glendinning, president of Teekay Gas Service, will speak on the next generation of FPSO units for LNG transport.
Francis Logan, minister for energy, resources, industry and enterprise in Western Australia, will be offering an Asian perspective on the LNG industry.
Views of markets in Europe and the US will come from Patrick Olinma, general manager commercial, Nigeria LNG Ltd., and Dr. Rahal Mohamed Chawki, VP for commercial activities at Sonatrach.
Future leaders take the stage
The Young People’s Energy Forum is on Friday morning, Aug. 29. Topics include world energy demand; energy, environment and global health; and responsibility of government toward the environment and energy.
The ONS 2008 conference program will end with the presentation from the winning team of the ONS Young Professional Company award. Teams from Aibel, ExxonMobil, Shell, and the Norwegian Ministry of Petroleum and Energy are finalists.
Emphasis on technology
The ONS 2008 Innovation Park, highlighting 21 companies, is presented through collaboration with Innovation Norway, the Research Council of Norway, and Ipark-Stavanger Innovation Park.
The Innovation Award and the SME Award recognizing small- and medium-sized enterprises will be presented by the Norwegian Ministry of Petroleum and Energy’s state secretary on Wednesday, Aug. 27. (Attendance at the awards luncheon requires separate registration.)
The LNG Park, introduced in 2006, will be repeated at ONS 2008, having nearly doubled in size. It has been organized with StatoilHydro, Teekay, and Total as founding companies and will present various players in the LNG chain.
Companies with innovative technologies for offshore wind power as well as wave, tidal, solar, and biological sources will present products and solutions in the Renewable Energy Park, new this year.
At press time, about 20 companies are signed up for this feature of the show: Lyse (founding company of the park), Proven Energy, the Italian Trade Commission, Energreen Process, Scanwind, Wave Energy, Mechanica, Langlee Wave Power, General Vortex, Scan-Ref, Angle Wind, ProNor, Smartkraft, Pelagic Power, Moonfish Power, Sintef, High Comp, Cense, and the Forum for Renewable Stavanger.
Festival and Oil Village
ONS also offers three nights of culinary experiences, music, and entertainment in the heart of Stavanger.
The Oil Village consists of invited cities/regions each presenting entertainment, food, and refreshments representing its area. This year’s invited cities/regions are: Houston, Aberdeen, Torshavn in the Faroes, Florø and Kristiansund in mid-Norway, and a large Sami lavo tent (similar to a Native American teepee) representing Norway’s three northernmost counties.
A reunion concert on Thursday, Aug. 28, by The September When, one of Norway’s most popular rock bands, will be followed by a fireworks display from a barge in the Vågen inner harbor.
