Norwegians bring wide range of technology to OTC
Norwegian companies will be seeking to make their presence felt at OTC again this year. In fact, enthused by the optimism that is gripping theoffshore sector back home, Norwegians will be Houston-bound in unprecedented numbers.
A record 40 smaller companies will be exhibiting in the Norwegian pavilion this year, according to Hans Peter Christophersen, councilor technology at Innovation Norway’s London office. Innovation Norway is the government agency responsible for assisting national companies market themselves abroad. A record Norwegian participation is also expected at Offshore Europe this year, he says.
The importance of Houston as a major portal to the US offshore sector and provinces such as West Africa and Latin America is well appreciated in Norway. The city has one of the largest Norwegian populations outside Norway, Christophersen points out - some 4,000-5,000, most of them working in oil and gas.
Often it is leading international companies active in the Norwegian sector that give local suppliers they know and trust a helping hand onto the world stage.
Despite talk of the maturity of the North Sea, there is still a lot of life left in the area, not least in the Norwegian sector where investments this year are forecast to shoot up to a record NKr90 billion. This province also remains the cradle of much leading-edge technology development. This year government R&D funding has been increased by 62% to NKr222.3 million, Christophersen points out.
Arctic focus
Artic technology was the theme chosen by Intsok - the Norwegian Oil and Gas Partners - for its annual Houston seminar in the run-up to OTC. The challenges of operating in extremely cold seas, often ice prone, and with vulnerable ecological systems, are being tackled in Norway’s sector of the Barents Sea, where Statoil is implementing the Snøhvit development, and Statoil and Norsk Hydro are involved in a three-well exploration campaign.
Both companies are keen to contribute to the development of Gazprom/Rosneft’s giant Shtokman gas field in the Russian sector of the Barents. Statoil is offering the LNG technology it has developed for Snøhvit, and Hydro the subsea expertise it is deploying at the Ormen Lange gas development.
The exploration and production frontiers continue to be pushed back, often with the aid of Norwegian deepwater and floating technology. Potential for its application is now arising in the Mexican sector of the Gulf of Mexico, Christophersen says. Here, Pemex is preparing to investigate the country’s untouched deepwater potential and also has plans to install its first FPSO.