Australian O&G Experts Tackle Deep Water Challenges at ITF Regional Technology Conference

ITF, the technology facilitator for the global oil and gas industry, will host a Regional Technology Conference in Perth, Australia on 25 June, where key industry players will take the next steps to unlock solutions for remote deepwater oil and gas assets.

More than 60 senior figures from specialist research and development organisations, leading industry experts as well as ITF’s membership of major oil and gas operator and international service companies, will gather for the invitation only event at Woodside Plaza in Western Australia.

The four challenges which will be the focus of the regional technology conference are; environment, MetOcean and cyclones, offshore facilities and subsea and pipelines.

Neil Kavanagh, Chief Science and Technology Manager at Woodside Energy Ltd and an ITF board member, said: “Woodside is very pleased to host this opportunity for oil and gas operators around our region to discuss the shared technology challenges that we face. Many of these challenges are best tackled collectively, so that we get the best bang for our buck and the quickest path to deployment.”

Representatives of industry will drill down into the key issues in each of these themes to outline a way forward. They will examine issues such as CO2 sequestration, cyclone forecasting and response, subsea tieback and remote power to offshore facilities.

Peter Brazier, Regional Manager for Australia at ITF said: “There are a number of challenges specific to Australia and ITF is bringing oil and gas companies together to work together on discovering new solutions. There is a definite appetite for collaboration in the field of deepwater and remote oil and gas assets, and ultimately funding joint industry projects which will fill those urgent technology gaps.”

ITF established an office in Perth in 2011 and also formed an Australian Regional Managers Group (ARMG) earlier this year to boost collaborative working. A number of operators and international service companies including Chevron, ConocoPhillips, Shell, Total, Woodside, GE Oil & Gas and Siemens have already joined the Perth based cluster group to fast-track investment into groundbreaking oil and gas technologies. ITF is seeking to secure AUD$9 million (£5.8 million) from the region to develop these groundbreaking technologies by 2015.

Three specific challenges in each theme will be prioritised and members will then determine which challenges ITF will bring forward by seeking innovative solutions from the global technology development community.

ITF hosted a Technology Challenge Workshop on subsea technologies in Perth last year before issuing a global call for proposals, which received 39 proposals from international technology developers.

A not-for-profit organisation, ITF has 29 global oil and gas operator and service company members. Members share funding and risk on bringing forward new solutions through joint industry projects. Technology companies and academia are offered up to 100% funding and innovators retain full intellectual property rights.

ITF is the only global funding programme operating across continents. The organisation has facilitated the launch of more than 180 joint industry projects (JIPs) from early stage projects through to field trials and commercialisation and aims to secure a further AUD$78 million (£50 million) for technologies by 2015.

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Subsea World News Staff , June 21, 2012