Experts to address future of energy sector

Muscat: Leading heavy oil professionals will gather on Monday in Muscat at the World Heavy Oil Congress & Exhibition (WHOC) to examine and deliberate how rapid innovation and technological advancements in the heavy oil sector are reshaping the future oil mix.
Held at the Oman Convention & Exhibition Centre, this year’s event will feature a two-day strategic conference and a three-day technical conference alongside a three-day international exhibition.
The strategic conference will kick off with a high-level ministerial panel featuring Dr Mohammed bin Hamad Al Rumhy, Minister of Oil & Gas of the Sultanate, and Shaikh Mohammed bin Khalifa Al Khalifa, Minister of Oil of the Kingdom of Bahrain. Moderated by CNBC’s Business Anchor Hadley Gamble, the session will discuss the means of accelerating progress through the diversification of resources and the heavy oil sector’s role as an engine for job creation, technological innovations and disruptions.
Other notable sessions on day one include “Rethinking the Energy Operation Model”, which will be led by Dr Bakheet Al Katheeri, CEO of Mubadala Petroleum; Luca Bertelli, Chief Exploration Officer of Eni; Steve Kelly, President & General Manager of Occidental of Oman; Steven Moss, CEO of GlassPoint Solar; and Amran Marhubi, Technical Director at Petroleum Development Oman (PDO).
“The low oil price environment of the last three years has provided both, a challenge and an opportunity, for the energy sector. With the market now approaching a possible stabilisation, the industry needs to begin planning for the near future, focusing on value creation, increased margins and short-cycle investments,” said Bertelli.
Giacomo Rispoli, Executive Vice President of Portfolio Management & Supply and Licencing Department of Eni Refining & Marketing, and Niaz Mustafa, Senior Vice President – Commercial of Heurtey Petrochem (Axens), will share their expertise in unlocking refining potential and value chain performance to meet the rising demand of high-value refined products.
Day two promises to be equally engaging and thought provoking. Business transformation strategies and sustainable results will be tackled by Adnan Al Lawati, Vice President Operations of Occidental of Oman; Marwan Char, Vice President Projects at GlassPoint Solar; Prakash Pardasani, Business Development Director Middle East at Mott MacDonald; and Dr. Ismail Mustafa, Reservoir Engineering Manager and Senior RE Advisor /Discipline Lead for Middle East – MENAT Region of Baker Hughes, a GE Company.
The critical role of research and development will be highlighted during a four-way expert panel featuring Dr S.K. Mazumdar, Executive Director (Refining Technology) at Indian Oil R&D; Dr. SM Farouq Ali, Professor of Petroleum Engineering at University of Houston; and KC Yeung, Chairman at Partners Energy Development Corp. A holistic field asset value and capital investment programme will be presented by John Harley, Hydrocarbons Regional Director EMEA at WorleyParsons Advisian.
Alongside the congress, WHOC will host an international exhibition where regional and international NOCs, IOCs, service and technology providers will showcase the best technologies, products, and services for the heavy oil sector. Some of the confirmed exhibitors include: PDO, Eni SPA, China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC), Bahrain Petroleum Company (BAPCO), Kitsnet, Badr EOR, Albpetrol, RGL Reservoir Management Ltd, SoluForce, HP Well Screen, and Salamander.
All oil and gas professionals are welcome to attend the event and can register online or onsite during the conference each day between 8.30am and 5.30pm from September 3 to 5.
The 2018 edition of the WHOC will be held under the auspices of the Ministry of Oil & Gas and co-hosted by PDO. The highly anticipated event is supported by the Ministry of Tourism, Eni as the Platinum Sponsor and Occidental of Oman as the Gold Sponsor. WHOC is also sponsored by GlassPoint Solar and WorleyParsons and is supported by Business Gateways as the In Country Value Partner. Oman Air and Oman Holidays have also joined the event as Official Travel Partners.