SPE Offshore Europe Program Revealed

Energy transition topics will take center stage at the SPE Offshore Europe 2021 virtual conference, event organizers have revealed.

The event, which is taking place from September 7-10, will include ten keynotes and 14 technical sessions incorporating more than 50 technical papers. Seven of the ten keynote sessions and 50 percent of the technical program will be related to energy transition subjects, according to the organizers.

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, SPE Offshore Europe’s conference and exhibition have been split for the first time in the history of the event. The conference is taking place virtually, while an in-person exhibition is currently scheduled to take place from February 1-4, 2022. Organizers highlighted that the two SPE Offshore Europe events will bookend COP26.

“The conference program at SPE Offshore Europe has always been a ‘must-attend’ event for those wanting to keep in touch with industry-leading thinking strategically and at a technical level,” Neil Saunders, the SPE Offshore Europe 2021 conference chair and executive vice president of oilfield equipment at Baker Hughes, said.

“The industry’s path to decarbonization and role in supporting net zero is top of the agenda this year, and with COP26 just seven weeks later, the program promises to be a real curtain-opener,” he added.

“The future of oil and gas in the energy mix is in our hands and SPE Offshore Europe gives us the chance to work together, before and after COP26, to secure our place in a net zero future,” he continued.

Kevin Gallagher, the SPE Offshore Europe 2021 technical committee chair and the digital transformation lead at CNOOC International, said, “the offshore industry has an important role to play in the transition to the low carbon economy”.

“The timing of the conference, prior to COP26, and content of the technical program are both opportune and highly relevant as we experience an acceleration of the energy transition and the industry response,” he added.

“Audience members will have the opportunity to join high quality sessions ranging from decarbonization, floating wind and hydrogen to drilling and decommissioning. We look forward to informative and inspiring technical sessions which prompt numerous important discussions at this pivotal time for our industry,” he went on to say.