Qatar Petroleum Conference Highlights New Technology

Doha hosts the 7th International Petroleum Technology Conference, focussing on new and current technology in the sector.

QATAR (JANUARY 20, 2013) (REUTERS) - The gas-rich Gulf state of Qatar is hosting the International Petroleum Technology Conference (IPTC) inDoha, with a focus on new and current technology in the sector.

In its seventh edition, the conference and accompanying exhibition hopes to highlight advancements in science and technology related to the exploration, production and transportation of oil and natural gas.The head of social responsibility at Total E&P Qatar, Yussif Mohamed Al Jaber, said that hosting the conference in Qatar is strategically important for the gas and energy industries.

"The conference is an important event for all gas and energy companies in the world. The fact that the conference is taking in place in Qatar has a strategic importance because new developments in the gas and energy fields are happening in Qatar and the surrounding Gulf region," he said.

Over the past three years, Total E&P Qatar has invested in solar energy and Al Jaber added that there had been interest from Qatari institutions in solar energy.

"Of course there are talks with more than one interested party in government and part-government institutions that are interested in solar energy, because solar energy is a growing field and has a future in Qatar and the region," he said.

As one of the world's biggest energy exporters, Qatar aims to play a role in developing new technology in the energy sector.

In his opening speech, Qatar's Prime Minister and Interior Minister, Abdulla bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani, said that, due to the country's wealth, Qatar had a responsibility in the sector.

He added that the country is keen to invest that wealth in promoting knowledge and technology in fields such as oil and gas exploration and production.

Maresk Oil was among the companies participating at the conference.

The company officially opened its 'Digital Core Laboratory' in Qatar, before the conference kicked off, to support ongoing research in the area of enhanced oil recovery (EOR), particularly in carbonate rock reservoirs, such asQatar's Al Shaheen oil field.

Maresk's CEO Jakob Thomasen, said the laboratory is part of a ten-year 100 million US dollar investment by Maersk Oil in research in Qatar.

"The Digital Core Laboratory we opened yesterday is really part of our hundred million dollars investment in research here in Qatar. And you have to remember that the Shaheen field that we are operating, Qatar's biggest oil field, is very very complex and there are no analogies around the world, there are no simple solutions, there are no, you know, off the shelf solutions to develop this field. So, we have to develop the solutions ourselves and the research centre and the Digital Core Laboratory here in Doha is really part of that, part of us driving unique solutions, unique research," he said.

The IPTC is an annual event rotating between Asia Pacific and the Middle East.

The four day conference, hosted by Qatar Petroleum (QP) and ExxonMobil, will end on January 22