Doha - The Deputy Premier and Minister of Energy and Industry H E Abdullah bin Hamad Al Attiyah yesterday formally opened Shell's state-of-the-art research and technology facility at the Qatar Science and Technology Park (QSTP). Shell's Executive Director for Exploration and Production, Malcolm Brinded was also present at the ceremony.
The Qatar Shell Research and Technology Centre (QSRTC) is part of Shell's global research and technology organisation and has been operating out of a start-up location within Education City since 2005.
The new facility accommodates Shell's team of 28 top engineers and scientists that are working on Gas to Liquids (GTL) and upstream technologies. Shell's GTL research and development (R&D) programme is based on the company's extensive experience and know-how in this field, with current focus on catalyst testing, product development and GTL by-product research, including water and sulphur management, the company officials said.
The activities currently concentrate on developing and utilizing technology for sophisticated modeling of carbonate reservoirs to enhance the utilization of oil and natural gas resources. In addition Shell is working on developing and implementing new technologies to enhance production from oil and gas fields.
Activities in the QSRTC are complemented with technical services and a training centre to enable sharing of technology and best practices.
Speaking on the occasion Al Attiyah said the opening of QSRTC is a milestone that goes towards fulfilling a vision of establishing and nurturing in Qatar a world-class technology center that will be essential to the knowledge-based economy Qatar strives to build and sustain.
"This is a long-term vision that sees Qatar growing into a regional science and technology hub, and that is beginning to take shape," he said.
Al Attiyah said Shell has committed to establishing here a learning centre that delivers a variety of technology courses, and to hiring local personnel.
The technology programme that Shell is implementing in the QSTP will help develop and transfer GTL technology to Qatar, he said.
He said the park provides Shell and other participants with the benefits of a high quality environment for conducting applied research and for commercializing technology.
"Our vision is that-with our international, regional and local partners-we are building a synergetic technology Park where technological breakthroughs can occur and can find a nurturing business environment that will bring their benefits to markets, both local and international," he said.
Al Attiyah also said Qatar Petroleum (QP) has embarked on establishing its own research and technology centre at the Park in order to take an active role in defining and conducting research projects that contribute to QP's operational performance and its role as a global leader in reliable energy supply.
Later Malcolm Brinded told reporters Shell has the largest R&D allocations among the international oil companies with over $ 1.25bn spent a year on R&D which includes pilot and demonstration projects and that has increased significantly over the last five years.
"A large proportion of that is in the upstream especially in exploration and production business," he said.
"The focus in that area is particularly in the sub-surface, on exploration technologies so as to improve reservoir characterization and improving recovery from difficult reservoirs. We think these technologies are going to be enormously important to enable the lower cost of recovery of additional energy."
He said the QSRTC will have three areas of focus, including those related to GTL catalysts and how to improve GTL process, GTL process by-products and reservoir modeling.
"In all three areas it is research linked to our global programmes with the application and relevance in Qatar," said Brinded.
He said Shell will be investing some $ 100m into research and technology at the QSRTC over the next ten years.
© The Peninsula 2008
