The fifth edition of the SPE EOR Conference at OGWA opened on 20^th March at the Public Authority for Civil Aviation (PACA) attracting over 300 delegates and VIPs. The Ministry of Oil and Gas, Oman proudly supports the event.

The opening ceremony included welcome remarks by Saleh bin Ali Al Anboori, 2016 SPE EOR Conference Chairman, Director General of Petroleum Investment Management, Ministry of Oil and Gas, Sultanate of Oman and Fareed Abdulla, SPE Middle East Board Chairman, Senior Vice President—NEB, ADCO, who said, “It is envisioned that this conference will be an opportune platform for constructive debate and discussions highlighting the latest EOR technology and trends in our industry. With the conference theme for this year being ‘The EOR Paradigm Shift’, close attention will be paid to recognise the ever-growing demand for new technology and energy at a lower cost from our existing assets”.

A special keynote panel session saw His Excellency Mohammed bin Hamad Al Rumhy, Minister of Oil and Gas, Sultanate of Oman begin with sharing his poignant views on the current position of EOR in the local industry, he said, “These are very challenging times, however I believe it is very timely to discuss enhanced oil recovery because it is important to think of sustainability and to envision the long-term plan, particularly in a country like Oman”. Other renowned industry leaders in this session included, Raoul Restucci, Managing Director, Petroleum Development Oman; Jonathan Lewis Senior Vice President, Completion and Production Division, Halliburton and Michael Townshend, Regional President for Middle East, BP.

The successive conference at the Golden Tulip Hotel, Muscat will span all aspects of EOR from a local and international perspective with an executive plenary session on 21st March followed by daily panel sessions, 20 technical sessions and 33 ePoster presentations. The conference also aims to provide an effective platform for oil and gas professionals with a shared interest in EOR advancement to gather and encourage dialogue while strengthening their network. With the industry steadily moving toward EOR applications that are highly variable, capital intensive, challenging to operate, and in most cases field specific, the shift to EOR methodology has become slower, challenging, and difficult, though there are noticeably persistent efforts and a strong drive toward making the shift to EOR, these steps being taken towards EOR promise resonate throughout the conference.

In conjunction with the conference, the Oil and Gas West Asia (OGWA) exhibition, organised by Omanexpo, takes place from 21–23 March at the Oman International Exhibition Centre with exhibitors showcasing solutions and technology for effective advancements in EOR fields.