Press Release
CONTACT: Margaret Watson (+1.972.952.9304, email mwatson@spe.org)
Society of Petroleum Engineers Annual Conference Focuses on Technology to Meet Future Energy Demand
RICHARDSON, Texas, USA (27 September 2006) — The Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) 82nd Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition (ATCE) was held this week in San Antonio, Texas, to discuss topics ranging from the future of heavy oil to emerging technologies in reservoir monitoring.
With a theme of "Focus on the Future," the conference featured technical sessions with more than 500 papers on innovative technologies, case studies and best practices, and an extensive exhibition of more than 400 companies.
“ATCE 2006 was a great success. Nearly 9,300 industry professionals attended the event,” said Eve Sprunt, 2006 SPE president. “This conference presented the most current topics in the industry. Attendees had many excellent opportunities to learn from world-class experts about the newest technologies and innovative approaches for meeting current and future global industry challenges.”
The Opening General Session on Monday, “Heavy Oil: From Rock Face to Fuel Pumps," discussed the global opportunities and the unique challenges that heavy oil presents. The panel was moderated by Vikram Rao, vice president of Halliburton Energy Services, and included Don Paul, vice president and chief technology officer of Chevron; Sylvestre Calmon, manager of refining technology at Petrobras; Robert Skinner, former director of the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies; and Murray Smith, minister-counsellor of the Government of Alberta, Embassy of Canada.
“Heavy oil blurs the line between upstream, midstream and downstream,” said Don Paul of Chevron. “This is a very long-lived resource that creates a tremendous long-term R&D opportunity. We will be creating a molecular transformation of heavy oil to construct the products with the properties we want.” Panelists also addressed the environmental and manpower challenges associated with heavy oil.
ATCE 2006 General Chairperson Clarence P. Cazalot Jr., president and chief executive officer of Marathon Oil Corporation, shared his insights on how to keep growing the oil and gas industry in his keynote address at the Chairman's Luncheon, citing the need for breakthrough technologies and strategies to meet the industry’s manpower needs.
Other special panel sessions addressed the latest on reserves and resources classifications, a global oil and gas supply study, and career issues for young professionals and for women.
The 2007 SPE Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition is scheduled for 11-14 November 2007 in Anaheim, California. For more information, please visit www.spe.org/atce/2007.
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About SPE
The Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) is a not-for-profit professional association whose members are engaged in energy resources development and production. SPE serves 69,000-plus members in 112 countries worldwide. SPE is a key resource for technical knowledge related to the oil and gas exploration and production industry and provides services through its publications, conferences, workshops, forums and website at www.spe.org.
