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Conference Review - 2014 SPE Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition
More than 7,500 oil and gas professionals and 350 exhibitors gathered for the 2014 SPE Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition (ATCE) on 27–29 October in Amsterdam, the second time the conference has been held outside the United States.
“This year’s ATCE offered nearly 400 peer-selected technical papers representing all six SPE disciplines,” said Jeff Spath, 2014 SPE President. “Gathering here in Amsterdam provided a global perspective reflecting SPE’s success with its growing membership, increased technical content, and strong financial performance.”
Opening Session
At ATCE’s opening general session, panelists from ExxonMobil, the International Energy Agency (IEA), Pemex Exploration and Production, and Technip discussed the multidimensional challenge of providing and sustaining affordable energy for the world.
Asked about the single biggest challenge faced by the industry in the provision of affordable energy, panelist Neil Duffin, president of Exxon- Mobil Development Company, said the increasing capital intensity of projects is challenging the ability to bring in projects on time and on budget while using capital efficiently.
Chris Beeson, a senior energy analyst at IEA, discussed that challenge at different levels: for individuals, countries, the world economy, and the planet. “We should always remember that there are currently more than 1.3 billion people in the world without access to modern energy sources,” he said. It will take a continued international commitment to address this, he said.
Some countries are paying more than others for energy, which affects their competitiveness and need to become more efficient. For the world economy, the key question is “what level of potential costs or prices can (it) support without going into … a bigger downturn than currently?” Beeson said. “And finally, we should not forget the issue of climate change, which is a big question of whether the planet can afford (its) energy.”
Gustavo Hernandez, general director and chief executive officer (CEO) of Pemex Exploration and Production, said that the biggest challenge for providing affordable energy is “meeting demand growth in a sustainable way.” The Mexican government’s framework for stable, secure, and environmentally sustainable energy is “what people have called the triple dilemma,” he noted.
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