2008 SPE Indian Oil and Gas Conference to focus on growing Next Gen Industry Professionals

New Delhi, At the penultimate Technical Session held in Mumbai today, the Committee decided to focus on the next generation of industry professionals, who will be needed to fill the huge need gap in the Oil & Gas sector. In this inaugural year of the Conference, the Committee decided to focus on 16 year old school children from local schools, who will spend part of a day at the event learning about the industry. The intention is to show them the range of possible careers open to them in this industry. To correct the highly skewed sex ratio in this industry, the aim is to get about 30 % girl students to participate. Young engineers from Shell India will spearhead this effort.

India meets a large part of its crude oil demand through imports. The consumption of natural gas grew at a CAGR of 2.7 % in the period 1999-2005, supported by rise in availability through domestic and imported sources of gas. Oil comprises 36 % of India's primary energy consumption and is expected to grow both in absolute and percentage terms driven by overall economic growth. Growth in demand is expected to catapult the overall demand to 196 Million Metric Tons in 2011-2012 and 250 Million Metric Tons in 2024-25. During the same period domestic production from existing developed reserves is expected to grow at approximately 2.5 %. Natural gas comprises 9 % of India's primary energy consumption at present and it will be 14% of energy mix by 2010. Demand for natural gas is also likely to increase at an annual growth rate of 7.3%. The sector therefore has huge growth and career potential.

The plenary session has been designed with a dual focus - The Changing Landscape: Emerging Opportunities in the Indian E&P industry and the more technical Development of Deepwater Fields. Environmental issues facing the industry will be one of the main discussion topics. An Important case study on Mangala oil field will be presented by Cairn energy. The Technical Committee cleared 13 sessions where Technical papers from across the world will be presented and discussed. The sessions will cover Drilling, Reservoir Management, IOR / EOR, Brown Field Development, Non Conventional Resources and HR practices followed in Oil and Gas industry

2008 SPE Indian Oil & Gas Technical Conference & Exhibition will be held in Mumbai on March 4 -6, 2008. The Conference is hosted by the Society of Petroleum Engineers, a non profit, global organization of Petroleum engineers. Among other international participants, China, Norway and Russia are interested in setting up National Pavilions. The Conference is receiving strong support from all of the major international E & P journals including Upstream? petromin? harts E&P?and JPT?all of which are carrying news and interviews to promote the Conference.

Exhibitors in this first-ever event to be held in India include ONGC, Reliance, Cairn Energy, Weatherford, Halliburton, Schlumberger, Baker, National Oilwell, Fugro and Smith International as well as a number of smaller service and supply companies.