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EDITOR IN CHIEF- ABDULLAH BIN SALIM AL SHUEILI

WHOC 2018 to look at role of innovation and technology

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MUSCAT, SEPT 1 - Leading heavy oil professionals will gather in Muscat at the World Heavy Oil Congress & Exhibition (WHOC) here tomorrow, September 3, to examine and deliberate how rapid innovation and technological advancements in the heavy oil sector are reshaping the future oil mix. Held at the Oman Convention & Exhibition Center, this year’s event will feature a two-day strategic conference and a three-day technical conference alongside a three-day international exhibition.


The strategic conference will kick off with a high level ministerial panel featuring Dr Mohammed bin Hamad al Rumhy, Minister of Oil & Gas of the Sultanate of Oman, and Shaikh Mohammed bin Khalifa al Khalifa, Minister of Oil of the Kingdom of Bahrain. Moderated by CNBC’s Business Anchor Hadley Gamble, the session will discuss means of accelerating progress through the diversification of resources and the heavy oil sector’s role as an engine for job creation, technological innovations, and disruptions.


Other notable sessions on day one include “Rethinking the Energy Operation Model” which will be led by Dr Bakheet al Katheeri, CEO of Mubadala Petroleum, Luca Bertelli, Chief Exploration Officer of Eni, Steve Kelly, President & General Manager of Occidental of Oman, Steven Moss, CEO of GlassPoint Solar, and Amran Marhubi, Technical Director at Petroleum Development Oman.


“The low oil price environment of the last three years has provided both, a challenge and an opportunity, for the energy sector. With the market now approaching a possible stabilisation, the industry needs to begin planning for the near future focusing on value creation, increased margins and short-cycle investments,” said Luca Bertelli, Chief Exploration Officer of Eni.


Giacomo Rispoli, Executive Vice- President of Portfolio Management & Supply and Licensing Department of Eni Refining & Marketing and Niaz Mustafa, Senior Vice-President — Commercial of Heurtey Petrochem (Axens) will share their expertise in unlocking refining potential and value chain performance to meet the rising demand of high-value refined products.


Day two promises to be equally engaging and thought provoking. Business transformation strategies and sustainable results will be tackled by Adnan al Lawati, Vice-President Operations of Occidental of Oman, Marwan Char, Vice-President Projects at GlassPoint Solar, Prakash Pardasani, Business Development Director Middle East at Mott MacDonald and Dr Ismail Mustafa, Reservoir Engineering Manager and Senior RE Adviser /Discipline Lead for Middle East — MENAT Region, of Baker Hughes, a GE Company.


The critical role of research and development will be highlighted during a four-way expert panel featuring Dr S K Mazumdar, Executive Director (Refining Technology) at Indian Oil R&D, Dr SM Farouq Ali, Professor of Petroleum Engineering at University of Houston, and KC Yeung, Chairman at Partners Energy Development Corp. Holistic field asset value and capital investment programme will be presented by John Harley, Hydrocarbons Regional Director EMEA at WorleyParsons.


Alongside the congress, WHOC will host an international exhibition where regional and international NOCs, IOCs, service and technology providers will showcase the best technologies, products, and services for the heavy oil sector.


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