Beginning SpeechEAGE/IOR Norway 2017
Welcome to IOR Norway 2017 which this year we are hold in conjunction with the 19thEAGE European IOR Symposium! I am Merete Madland from the University of Stavanger and Director of the Norwegian IOR Centre
And I am Ann Muggeridge, Chair of the EAGE European IOR Symposium organizing committee
Improved Oil Recovery is about increasing the amount of oil we recover over that obtained by simple waterflooding.
Sustainability is the endurance of systems and processes.
The theme for this year’s conference is «Sustainable IOR in a Low Oil Price World». How can we achieve that? How can we put action behind the words in speeches? It’s not impossible – far from it. And you – our 350 attendees –believe in it too. You believe that we can improve oil recovery whilst reducing the costs and without damaging the environment. You believe IOR to be the key solution to one of the world’s greatest challenges; the global demand for oil continues to grow while the people are also calling for green answers.
More than 50 %of the petroleum resources are left in the ground around the world.These are resources we can’t afford to lose. At the same time we know that the oil industry has been weakened. The oil price is still relatively low. The industry is downsizing. Reducing the costs is therefore more important than ever. We need better science and engineering. We need sustainable solutions. We need to share our ideas and learn from each other. That’s why our two conferences have joined together this year and that’s why you’re here.
Looking around us in Tjodhallen today, makes us both proud. 350 attendees. 350 engaged delegates who will share their experiences and knowledge from this conference. We’re proud to see that so many of you chose this arena for the latest updates on IOR technology. In its 36 year history the participants at EAGE IOR Symposium have seen many ups and downs in the oil industry. IOR Norway was established in 2014 and continues to grow despite the low oil price. We’re proud to see that you still believe in the industry despite the turbulent times we’re facing.
OG21, oil and gas in the 21st century, is the Norwegian petroleum technology strategy. The vision is to developtechnologies and increase innovation for a competitive petroleum sector. The National IOR Centre of Norway shares this vision and it is a vision that is perhaps shared by most of the oil industry. So, how do we get there? OG21 points to five strategic objectives:
- Maximize resource utilization
- Minimize environmental impact
- Improve productivity and reduce costs
- Develop innovative technologies – and last, but not least
- Attract, develop and retain the best talents
These five strategies pretty much sums up the work at the IOR Centre. With our 12 partners from the industry and our three research partners, we’re joining forces to recover more. We’re working together to develop innovative technologies. To do that we’re also dependent on our many young talents – our 18 PhD students and ten postdocs. You will get the chance to meet them during the conference.
Let’s go back to where we started. Sustainability. In ecology, sustainability is the property of biological systems to remain diverse and productive indefinitely. Indefinitely.We can’t produce oil indefinitely, but we can make the resources last longer. We must produce more of the fossil fuels that the world needs. To do that we must also invent new environmental friendly technology.
There’s still oil worth 3650 billion Norwegian kroner in the sea. It would be a betrayal to the generations to come not to produce it. When the former oil director and politician Gunnar Berge recently summed up the Norwegian oil history, he came to this conclusion:
«Some say we must choose between environment and oil. That’s not what they said in Paris. On the contrary. The Paris Agreement asks for an energy mix that contains a considerable amount of oil and gas. That’s necessary if you want to provide the world with the energy it needs to secure decent lives for everyone».
Both: Share your ideas. Learn from each other. Enjoy the combined EAGE European IOR Symposium/IOR Norway 2017!
End Speech
Thank you to:
EAGE – not sure who will be attending but name names
Kjell
Lab tour organisers
Dave and Emma for polymer workshop
Organizing committee
Young people providing guidance
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Finally on behalf of the Norwegian IOR Centre and the EAGE we’d like to thank you all for not just attending this symposium but contributing your thoughts and ideas and participating in debates and discussion on the way to make sustainable IOR a reality in a low oil price world. We have enjoyed a wide range of high quality presentations and posters from both industry and academia, all around the world. It has been fantastic to see so many young people engaged in the research, after all they are the ones who will be ensuring we maximize the potential of our hydrocarbon resources in the future. Despite turbulent times we can be confident that the oil industry can continue to meet the world’s demand both for energy and for petrochemicals in the coming decades.
We hope you have enjoyed the conference as much as we have and wish you all a safe journey home and every success in your endeavors to improve oil recovery.[AM1]
[AM1]Meret - any thoughts on how to split this up? What have I forgotten to say?