Offshore Energy Panel 2015: Potential disruption of the industry

October 11, 2015

A high caliber panel will kick off Offshore Energy conference in Amsterdam (October 13-14) with a discussion on potentially disruptive changes and their impact on the oil, gas and energy industry.

Panelists will look at disruption through three lenses: developments in energy technology, changes in investor strategies and changes in consumer behavior. Ruud Bos, CEO of GDF SUEZ E&P Nederland B.V. (ENGIE) will reflect on the discussion from an industry perspective.

Arij van Berkel, Research Director with Lux Research BV, will argue how new energy technologies can be disruptive for the energy system as we know it. “Solar power can become disruptive,” Van Berkel will argue, “as it has the potential of scale and has no drawbacks in comparison with capital intensive power generation.”

Claudia Kruse, Head of Sustainability & Governance at APG Asset Management will share insights into investment strategies that could impact the industry. Recently a big Norwegian pension fund divested over 8 billion USD of coal related investments. APG have not yet divested away from hydrocarbons. Kruse will explain APG’s strategy to balance its investments portfolio – which includes fossils and renewables – and APG’s position on climate change.

Also on the Panel will be Frits Spangenberg, founder of Motivaction, a research firm specializing in quantitative and qualitative market research. Spangenberg will voice changes in consumer behavior with respect to their energy consumption. “Consumers are increasingly producers”, Spangenberg will claim. “This is a general trend and energy is no exception.” Combined with new energy technologies that are becoming available or even a surfacing distaste for fossil fuels, consumer behavior could lead to a tipping point for the energy system.

Ruud Bos, CEO of GDF SUEZ E&P Nederland B.V. (ENGIE) will reflect on the positions of the three experts. Bos has a background in both oil & gas exploration & production and in gas & power which puts him in a unique position to reflect on the much discussed energy transition.

Consultancy firm Deloitte, a partner of the Industry Panel, participates on the panel with Director Offshore Peter Sanders and Director Innovation Wassili Bertoen. “All industries face new challenges and disruption,” says Bertoen who will discuss steps are required to respond successfully.

The Offshore Energy Industry Panel 2015: Preparing for disruption takes place Tuesday 13 October from 11:00-12:30 o’clock. Panels during Offshore Energy 2015 are free to attend.

Source: Navingo