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Described by Professor Michael Ohadi, provost and interim president for The Petroleum Institute, as "A non-commercial corner in a commercial conference", this was the second Energy 2030 conference, and was organised by the Petroleum Institute in conjunction with ADNOC and its operating group of companies and ADIPEC. Against a backdrop of major change in the oil and gas industry, the programme was exceptional, bringing together some of the most influential speakers from industry and academia, including Dr Marianne Kah, Chief Economist, ConocoPhilips USA, Dr Donald R Erbschloe, Chief Scientist, US Air Mobility Command, and Professor Avram Bar-Cohen, Distinguished University Professor and Chair, University of Maryland, USA.
Opening the conference, H E Abdulla Nasser Al Suweidi, ADNOC Deputy CEO and E&P Director said:
"Although by the year 2030, and possibly well beyond that, the majority of energy for transportation and select other critical industries will come from fossil fuel sources, the oil/gas industry has already charged itself with the broader mission of providing energy from all possible sources, with a focus on sustainability and minimisation of adverse environmental effects."
He then spoke about the recently established Masdar Institute of Science and Technology in Abu Dhabi, and welcomed the close collaboration of academia and industry to encounter the challenges ahead. "Sustainability of the energy supply requires training of an innovative and skilled workforce that can transform selective use of oil and gas for critical areas of energy supply and for value added products such as petrochemical derivatives, which being sensitive and dedicated to environmentally sustainable technologies and practices."
He concluded his speech by saying, "Regrettably, the energy industry in the past three decades has fallen behind other industries in developing highly skilled workforce. A great portion of the skilled work force is expected to retire in the next decade and this may create a huge gap in the skill and knowledgebase with only limited overlap of the highly experienced and the novice work force. Accordingly, we are pleased to be supporting the Petroleum Institute in its charge to prepare future engineers with training at both undergraduate and graduate levels in areas of particular significance to the oil and gas industry.
Day two saw a panel session on the research and development challenges for the oil and gas industry over the next 25 years, with six eminent panelists from industry and academia taking part, including Abdul Munim Saif Al Kindy, General Manager of ADCO. In addition, invited speaker sessions were held on Alternative Fuels and Environmental strategy, with speakers including Professor Marwan Khraisheh, Acting Provost, Masdar, who gave an overview of Masdar's solar strategy. Professor Klaus Hein, University of Stuttgart, Germany, outlined the European approach for clean and sustainable energy, which could be used as a model for the UAE to follow.
Launched in 1984, ADIPEC has grown into one of the most important and influential events for the global oil and gas community and this, the 13th event, is the biggest yet. ADIPEC provides a platform for companies to make significant business deals and new contacts, and the 1,500 exhibitors will use the opportunity to showcase their technological excellence, latest equipment and services to the expected 40,000 visitors who are scheduled to attend over the four days.
Nadeen El Ajou
