Technology and partnerships essential to meeting new energy demand growth

Developing new energy sources to meet growing demand requires technological advancements and strong international partnerships, Mark Albers, Senior Vice President of said yesterday at the International Oil and Gas Conference and Exhibition in China.

Recoverable energy resources are often found in difficult, remote locations and can be challenging to exploit. Cutting edge technology based on operational experience and excellence is needed to bring these resources to the market place, safely and responsibly.

“Regardless of where resources are located around the world, technology will remain a key to unlocking them in the most efficient and effective manner,” Albers said in a speech during a plenary session at the conference.

He said the combination of leading-edge technology together with a systematic focus on safety, the environment, and operations risk management through ExxonMobil’s operations integrity management system were key enablers of the company’s ability to successfully produce the energy needed to meet growing demand.

Challenges

But it is not enough to discover new technologies; companies have to apply and manage them efficiently and effectively, Albers said. “As the technologies we employ become ever more advanced, the premium is not just on individual technical capabilities, but increasingly on the effective integration of those capabilities founded on the bedrock of operational excellence and integrity.”

Albers emphasised that developing the energy resources necessary to meet growing demand requires partnerships that make technological innovation and its effective application possible. Working together with host governments and national oil companies, international oil companies are able to form effective partnerships and apply their advanced technologies to help meet future challenges.

This focus on safety and environmental responsibility, whilst always a necessity, is gaining a new focus after the disastrous oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Although it is interesting to note the different attitudes that are taken to such spills globally. In the Niger delta, more oil is spilled every year through a combination of poor maintenance and militant activity than in the Deepwater Horizon disaster alone. Nevertheless, after the damage done to the Gulf of Mexico, big oil companies have a way to go to prove they can safely exploit offshore resources before the moratorium on offshore drilling in the area is likely to be lifted.

Read the article online at: https://www.lngindustry.com/liquid-natural-gas/08062010/technology_and_partnerships_essential_to_meeting_new_energy_demand_growth/