Muscat, Oman, 25 June 2013--Oil production in Oman and its accompanying challenge of digging deep into its oil reserves, demand the increasing use of EOR (Enhanced Oil Recovery) methods and applications. As EOR applications present numerous challenges and require manpower, resources, and capital, there is a pressing need for innovative designs and solutions. This will be presented and discussed in the SPE EOR Conference at the 9th Oil & Gas West Asia (OGWA), which will happen from March 31 to April 2, 2014 at the Golden Tulip Hotel, Muscat.
Since 2008, Omanexpo has sought the cooperation of the reputable Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) to organize a high-level conference alongside the established OGWA to add further relevance to the exhibition.
In the 2014 edition, SPE turns the focus from the 2012 theme of "Building Sustainable Growth" to "Driving Integrated and Innovative EOR" with the aim of addressing the needs and ways of applying integration and innovation to EOR applications.
The Conference will open with an executive plenary session, followed by panel sessions tackling the topics "Driving Capital Intensive Innovation", "Driving Integrated and Innovative EOR", and "Demand on Resources and Capabilities". The first panel session will discuss the capital-intensive nature of EOR projects, focusing on the challenges these projects entail with regard to sanctioning and cost-efficient execution. Session two centers on the need for innovation in order to enable successful EOR applications. The greater requirement for resources and manpower in EOR projects against conventional recovery methods will be the key point of discussion in the third session.
Various technical sessions will also cover EOR in a comprehensive manner. The conference committees are currently calling for papers and encourage professionals to submit paper proposals before October 5 in order to contribute to the value of the event and enhance their career.
Waleed Refaay, Managing Director of SPE Middle East, North Africa and India says, "SPE events are renowned for the unmatched quality of their technical programmes and this is due to the criteria on which the submitted papers are rated. For a paper to be accepted by the programme committee it has to be technically sound; it has to discuss a new technology, knowledge, or experience, it should be a new paper that has not been published previously and be non-commercial in nature".
Increasing interest in OGWA remains driven by the sector and region's positive long-term economic outlook, increased private sector opportunities, and the Ministry of Oil & Gas' 10-year $60 to $70-billion oil exploration and production spend and $40-billion budget for exploiting gas resources.
Recent reports announced the procurement of Oman's largest-ever Independent Power Plant (IPP) and Petroleum Development Oman's (PDO) commissioning of the Middle East's first solar-enhanced EOR project. PDO reports EOR to account for an estimated 22% of oil output by 2020.
Ebrahim Taher, OGWA's exhibition manager notes "The SPE EOR Conference at OGWA has always been a tradition that strengthens our commitment to build on the positive sentiment of an ever-growing regional energy sector."
OGWA 2012 was inaugurated by His Highness Sayyid As'ad bin Tariq bin Taimur al Said, representative of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos, with the ceremony opening with keynote speeches from high-profile industry experts such as Dr. Zaid bin Khamis Al Siyabi, Director General of Oil and Gas, Exploration and Production, Ministry of Oil and Gas, Sultanate of Oman ( Executive Committee Chairman), Raoul Restucci, Managing Director of PDO, and Alain Labastie, Engineering Advisor of EOR Technologies and Total (2012 SPE President).
© Press Release 2013