Shell spotlights oil and gas technology innovation at MEOS

Held under the patronage of His Royal Highness Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Bahrain and organized by the global Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE), the event, in its 18th edition, brings together the region's oil and gas leaders, many of whom Shell has been working with for over 70 years across the Middle East.

Under the theme of "transforming the energy future", the conference will discuss the solutions, commitment and collaboration needed to meet the region's energy needs effectively. Shell has been invited to share its technology advancements to help realize a reliable and efficient energy supply for the region, key to its continued growth and development.

"In the Middle East as around the globe, continued innovation and investment will be required in all forms of energy to find viable and sustainable solutions to keep up with demand, recognizing that no single source will be able to carry the load. While oil will remain dominant in the global energy mix for many years to come, countries are also increasingly aware of the need for a diversified local energy mix for sustainability in the long term," said Mounir Bouaziz, Shell's Vice President for Commercial and New Business Development in the Middle East and North Africa.

"Energy sources such as gas, the cleanest burning fossil fuel, can play a central role in this mix, to complement oil, and is already emerging as a major source of growth in energy supply," added Bouaziz, who is one of the key speakers at the conference.

With 40% of the world's gas reserves found right here in this region, gas can be a natural solution, particularly for the many countries that are facing a pressing need to create new sources of power generation. However, with the region only accounting for 10% of current production, new technologies are needed to unlock this valuable resource.

During his panel, Mr. Bouaziz will share Shell's innovation and progress in this regard, with a special focus on unconventional gas, which constitutes around half of all global gas reserves.

Alongside its latest investments in cleaner technologies such as natural gas, Shell will be showcasing solutions focused on more efficient energy use and reduced environmental impact, as part of its high level participation in the "Greener Petroleum" panel with Dorine Bosman, Vice President Social Performance, Shell.

Programs centered on energy efficiency that the company has successfully rolled out include the global Shell Eco-marathon challenge. Designed to encourage and foster innovative ideas about fuel-efficiency and smarter mobility among university students, the program has now been implemented across the Middle East. Regional students who have successfully developed fuel-efficient cars and competed in the annual global race in Kuala Lumpur, will be sharing their experience during the event at the Shell stand.

As part of its commitment to the development of local youth internally as well as externally, two of Shell's Young Professionals Network members from its upstream and downstream businesses in Oman and Iraq will also be taking part in the MEOS event, participating in the SPE's talent and retention workshop. In recognition of their future potential, YPN provides emerging leaders, typically at the earlier stages of a Shell career, with resources to act individually and cross-nationally on issues of local, regional and global importance.