As the inaugural 2008 SPE Indian Oil & Gas event is just round the corner, the organisers of the event are dreaming with high hope and expectations. The event scheduled from March 4 – 6, 2008, at the Bandra Kurla Complex, MMRDA Ground, Mumbai is being organised by the long-established partnership between the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) and Reed Exhibitions, who already work together on other established oil and gas events including Offshore Europe in Aberdeen, Intelligent Energy in Amsterdam, and Russian Oil & Gas in Moscow.

It is anticipated that the event will be attended by several oil and gas sector’s most prominent individuals, companies and associations from both within India and around the world. It also coincides with the ongoing NELP VII bidding round process, which is attracting global interest.

Mr. N. K. Mitra, Director (Offshore) of the state-owned major Oil & Natural Gas Corp. (ONGC), is Chairman of the event’s Technical Programme Committee, which has put together an outstanding line-up of presentations under the overall theme ‘The Changing Landscape: Emerging Opportunities in the Indian E&P Industry’.

According to Mr. Mitra, “The theme acknowledges India’s growth in the E&P industry with six rounds of successful bidding completed under NELP and the discovery of major gas fields off the east coast in deepwater. With only about 8 Bn metric tonnes of geological reserves being discovered out of an estimated resource base of 30+ Bn metric tonnes, ample opportunities exist for exploration by major oil companies in India.

“The first Plenary Session is based on the overall theme of the conference and will set the tone, including both technical and regulatory issues facing the global E&P Industry. We expect participation from Oil field Operators, Service Providers, Government officials and Academics to share their thoughts and visions on emerging Indian opportunities within the E&P sector. The second plenary session will focus on the exploration and development of deepwater fields wherein the pioneering efforts of ONGC and RIL will be showcased and the experience of major players operating in such water depths shall be shared to add value to the Indian deepwater program,” said Mr. Mitra.

‘Dream Come True’ for India to Stage such a Major Event

Mr. Mitra, who is much enthusiased about the event said, “As such a big event is being organised for the first time in India by SPE, it presents a unique opportunity for my colleagues in the oil industry to participate by presenting papers showcasing the technological innovations being carried out in the Asia Pacific region. It is a dream come true for India to be holding a conference of this magnitude for the first time.”

A number of key companies participating in the event include India’s state-owned major Oil & Natural Gas Corp. (ONGC), the country’s largest privately-owned oil operator Reliance Industries, and the Hindustan Petroleum Corp., as well as the government’s Directorate General of Hydrocarbons.

The other major companies and contractors that are taking part with technical presentations include BP, Shell, BG Group, Cairn Energy, Saudi Aramco, MOL, Abu Dhabi Co., Weatherford, Schlumberger, Halliburton, Baker Hughes, INTEQ, Japan Drilling Company, GlobalSantaFe, PT Medco E&P Indonesia and BJ Services. Many of the above will also be taking part in the accompanying exhibition, as well as other players including Deloitte, NOV, Welltec, Premier Oil Field Rentals, Newpoint Gas Services and Centerprise Tech.

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