Day 1 - Monday 5 June
Securing a sustainable future together
We have been witnessing a dramatic shift in the energy priorities of countries around the world with energy security and affordability rising to the top of the agenda over environmental sustainability concerns.
The geopolitical tensions arising from this reshaping of the global energy landscape make more apparent than ever the challenge of meeting energy supply consistent with climate change mitigation.
The Opening Session discussion will invite our expert panel to outline the major factors influencing energy policies around the world and where this may lead.
Two key questions will be:
- How can we progress urgent climate action while ensuring energy remains affordable and accessible for all?
- How will today’s energy crisis affect the pace of energy transition?
Day 2 - Tuesday 6 june
Bringing frontier exploration back into the spotlight
While capital discipline remains strong, frontier exploration is once again attracting interest with potentially giant developments in prospect, notably offshore Brazil, Guyana, Suriname, Namibia and South Africa.
Our panel will discuss the background to this shift in oil industry exploration strategy and its implications. These regions are said to promise ‘advantaged oil’, i.e., large discoveries characterised by lower production costs, quality reservoirs and lower carbon intensity per barrel.
The panel will consider how these emerging opportunities can fit into national development and energy transition ambitions with the focus on the likely role to be played by NOCs and governments in developing these resources?
Redefining exploration success in the energy transition era
The path ahead for exploration remains difficult as the drive towards net zero accelerates. However, exploration still has a key role to play in meeting future demands for lower cost and lower carbon intensive hydrocarbon resources.
During this panel we will look at the factors which will define success for future resources including lead time, proximity to market and emissions intensity. In addition, the increasing scrutiny from stakeholders in shaping exploration strategies will be discussed. along with the increasing emphasis on long term planning for the use of offshore fields in the context of CCS, hydrogen storage and offshore wind.
Near-field exploration strategies and successes
Infrastructure-led exploration (ILX) will continue to dominate the near future of exploration as companies seek to offset declines while managing risk and capital. This session will feature success stories of selected ILX campaigns followed by a panel discussion on ILX strategies, opportunities and limitations.
Day 3 - Wednesday 7 june
Innovating to a Net Zero future: A technological perspective
The oil and gas industry is facing increasing stakeholder scrutiny over greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with core oil and gas operations. If the E&P sector is to maintain its prominent role in the global energy mix and protect its licence to operate, the pressure is on to substantially lower its carbon profile.
Digitalization and broader forms of technical innovation are very much at the heart of these efforts. This panel will take a deep dive into the energy system of the future and the potential technological and innovation pathways that must be realised to meet the urgent challenges ahead.
Filling in the blanks - Conditions for sustainable net zero business models
The oil and gas industry has benefited from decades of highly profitable operations with enviable rates of return that investment in alternative energy has yet to match.
The panel will address the urgent issue of how companies and regulators can work together to create the conditions for a profitable economic environment to accelerate development of non-fossil fuel and climate change mitigation technologies. What are the legislative, regulatory and financial conditions necessary for success are questions to be answered and, more fundamentally, should oil companies in particular see investment in low carbon businesses as their obligation to operate in society?
Thinking big on hydrogen - Challenges and opportunities in scaling
Many believe that hydrogen will play a major role in the future energy mix. It has the potential to solve intermittency and storage issues associated with renewables such as solar and wind energy while also allowing the decarbonisation of heavy industries and large transport.
This panel session will be tasked to review the challenges and opportunities presented by scaling hydrogen production and storage to industrial levels. In doing so, the various forms of potential hydrogen energy, both produced and natural, will be considered and what part they may play in the global decarbonisation journey ahead.
Day 4 - Thursday 8 june
Road ahead for critical minerals supply - data, policy and strategies
The demand for critical minerals and metals is set to explode in the next decade due to the new materials required for energy transition technologies such as EVs, battery storage and electrical power grids.
At this critical moment, our panel will discuss the available and emerging technology possibilities within the evolving national and international regulations regarding exploitation of minerals both onshore and offshore. The role of geoscience and associated data will be one question.
But the big issue is the ability of the mining industry to adapt its approach and operations to win over communities and governments sceptical about the potential environmental hazards which the new opportunities present.
Repairing the social contract to deliver a sustainable energy transition
In this session our panel will be debating one of the crucial issues of our times, namely defining the role of the oil and gas industry in the era of ongoing energy transition. This is a question which goes beyond the scope and scale of technology and economic investment which the industry is making now and the potential for much more. Most energy supply scenarios already acknowledge the value of natural gas production as a bridge to a fossil-fuel free world, and CCS, geothermal and hydrogen are obvious sectors where the skills, concepts and experience of the oil and gas industry should be invaluable.
However, governments, regulators, and public opinion worldwide still have to be persuaded that the industry can be a vital part of the solution to achieving a sustainable energy transition and not the basic problem. How a more positive narrative can be created will be the main focus of the panel’s discussion.
Geoscience at a crossroads: Preparing the workforce and skills for the future
The session will investigate one of the key questions facing the geoscience and engineering community, namely how to provide a new generation with the skills to meet the needs of a world in rapid energy transition and where necessary retool the existing professional workforce.
Our panellists will approach this major topic through the lens of three interrelated perspectives – industry, academia and government – to provide a holistic view of the issues and challenges offering their conclusions with a focus on attracting young talent and adapting the capabilities of senior professionals.
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