This year’s SPE Offshore Europe to focus on new technology

The Oil & Gas Technology Centre’s Technology Zone at SPE Offshore Europe 2017 exhibition and conference will present a series of technologies used in alternative sectors which, in turn, could encourage the oil and gas industry to adopt new products.

The Centre said on Wednesday that technologies such as robots, composite materials, additive manufacturing, and augmented reality were all currently underutilized in offshore oil and gas, despite being part of a general industrial transformation in other industries.

The industry-led research and knowledge organization, backed by the UK and Scottish Governments, is focused on funding innovative technologies that will help unlock the potential of the UK North Sea.

The Technology Zone will bring together start-up companies and small and medium-sized enterprises, showcasing their ideas and solutions. Another new initiative at SPE Offshore Europe 2017, named Tech Trek, will highlight exciting new technologies, products, and solutions launched within the last 12 months.

Gareth Rapley, SPE Offshore Europe exhibition director, said: “The Technology Zone will ask questions about the way the industry does things and how new technology can be used to lower costs, increase efficiency and improve recovery in this new reality for the oil and gas sector.

“One of the recurring comments from visitors has been that they would like a way to easily find new technologies and innovations among all the exhibition stands. We are launching Tech Trek to highlight these features and enable visitors to find what’s new, more easily.”

Also new in 2017, a Decommissioning Zone will feature a themed exhibition and conference space. The zone will include decommissioning technology and service providers in the exhibition as well as a conference program organized in association with key industry associations including Decom North Sea, ITF, SUT, and IMechE.

SPE Offshore Europe

SPE Offshore Europe 2017 will offer more than 65 technical papers and 11 keynote panel sessions combined with business breakfasts and topical lunches.

SPE Offshore Europe 2017, with “Embracing New Realities: Reinventing our Industry” as its central theme, will be held at Aberdeen Exhibition and Conference Centre, Scotland, from 5-8 September 2017. The SPE Offshore Europe conference and exhibition is held biennially since 1973.