Kuwait City - Environmental impact of the oil and gas industry can be significantly reduced through the use of technology and information gathering, says international oil company Shell.
Shell's sponsorship of the Second Kuwait International Petroleum Conference & Exhibition (KIPCE) 2005 marks the most recent activity in the company's commitment to sharing its knowledge and technology on reducing the environmental impact of oil and gas operations on a regional and global level.
The conference, entitled "Meeting Future Demand through Wise Decisions", saw two international Shell experts share the latest developments in sustainable water management, a key area in reducing the oil industry's environmental impact.
"Excess water is the largest by-product in oil and gas production and the main criterion for abandoning oil and gas wells," said Dr. Zara Khatib, Manager for Technology Deployment in Shell International Exploration and Production (E&P).
"This presents an environmental challenge on two levels since produced water is at once a potential pollutant as well as a wasted resource," she added.
"Research into and the application of water technologies associated with oil and gas exploration is leading to important developments in increasing the amount of water available for the region while reducing the environmental impact of exploration," she said.
Mohammed Al-Habsi, Surveillance Reservoir Engineer in the Oman/Shell joint venture Petroleum Development Oman (PDO) said, "Following 35 years of oil production, our current research is resulting in a greater understanding and application of research tools in water flood behaviour that will ultimately lead to more sustainable water management."
The Oman/Shell joint venture, focusing on water flood behaviour in different reservoir layers of one of Oman's largest and oldest oil fields, has produced the country's largest data acquisition programme to-date.
"The gathered data will enable us to stay at the forefront of technological developments, giving enormous economical, technical, environmental and social benefits in the Gulf region and on a broader global level," said Mr. Al-Habsi.
Shell experts from a range of disciplines are applying cutting- edge technologies to locate water reservoirs, track water movements, control production and manage water treatment.
Shell's commitment to sharing its expertise is part of the international oil company's international knowledge and technology sharing programme.
Other recent activities include Pieter Kapteijn, Smart Fields Programme Manager at Shell International E&P, highlighting a growing need in Kuwait and the Gulf region for "Smart Oil fields". His presentation at the 3rd GCC/EU Advanced Technology Conference, stressed the importance of utilising "smart discovery" electronic hardware and software to improve the efficiency of pinpointing oil and gas reserves, thus minimizing the disturbance of drilling.
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About Shell
The Shell logo is one of the best recognised symbols in the world. With around 119,000 employees in145 countries, Shell aims to meet the energy and petrochemicals needs of society in ways that are economically, socially and environmentally sustainable. Shell produces more oil and gas than any other private energy company and serves more than 25 million retail customers every day.
Shell's history in the Middle East dates back over the whole of the last century, during which time the company has formed many successful and long-standing partnerships with host governments and national oil companies. Shell's growth in the region has led to a workforce that is made up almost 90 per cent of local people.
For further information please contact:
Jasmin Masri
Hill & Knowlton
Tel: 965 299 7807
E-mail: jmasri@hillandknowlton.com.bh
Buthaina Al-Khubaizi
External Affairs Coordinator
Kuwait Shell Limited
Tel: 965 243 8640/1
Website: www.shell.com./kuwait
© Press Release 2005
