Chair's Address: September 2019
September 2019
Dear SPE Aberdeen members, colleagues and friends,
Wow, what a month it is has been. In the last few weeks we have enjoyed our session launch, the Young Professionals (YPs) summer BBQ and then the Offshore Europe 2019 juggernaut rolled into town.
Our session launch event attracted new volunteers into the section and some necessary changes in the committee chairs as some of our YPs gained promotions and new jobs outside the SPE Aberdeen catchment area. I am both delighted to see their progress and sad to see them go.
About 10% of the section’s professional membership gives back through volunteering such as serving on a symposium committee, performing outreach activities through the Schools and Career Guidance committee or other routes. I think that number is staggering given the pressures on those working the oil and gas industry alongside the competing calls on an individual’s time.
The Programme Committee launched its Evening Technical Session programme for the year. There is a tremendous mix of SPE Distinguished Lectures and local experts sharing their experiences. We have presentations ranging right through a development lifecycle. Dana Petroleum will take us from Section to Development, BP will tell us about the first year of the Clair Ridge production and we have several presentations on production challenges such as scale through to Shell sharing their lessons on the P&A of Brent Alpha. It is a programme so full we have added a 9th presentation this year.
Offshore Europe brought the industry’s leadership big hitters into Aberdeen for the first time at the new P&J Live. I loved the new venue. The central foyer gave easy access to the conference and all the exhibition halls. The protection from the weather was a boon to exhibitors who will be glad to see the back of the bad old days of the tents at the AECC.
We were fortunate to have SPE President Sami Al Nuaim participate in our Awards event during OE2019 celebrating the contributions of our SPE volunteers. The event included a presentation by SPE International WIN (Women in Energy) Chair Nihal Mounir to inspire our newly launched SPE Aberdeen WIN Committee. Sami and Nihal had participated in the inaugural WIN event at OE2019 earlier in the day. We also launched the 2020 Offshore Achievement Awards at this event.
Those who attended the opening plenary sessions of the conference will have heard about the industry being on the front foot of two issues key to the future of North Sea Basin – Energy Transition and Diversity.
Of course, SPE Aberdeen volunteers were out in force at OE2019; on the SPE stand, participating in the YPs Emerging Engineers Forum, conducting Schools tours for both teachers and pupils and at the launch of the WIN Committee.
The new Continuing Education session starts in earnest next month with our first seminar Inwell Monitoring & Surveillance on October 2nd and we address cyber security at the Transforming Controls Safety and Security – How Safe is your Asset? seminar on October 30th.
There’s plenty to engage in this month. See you there.
Kind regards – Kenny McAllister
SPE Aberdeen Chair
