The Nigeria Association of Petroleum Explorationists (NAPE) announces its 39th Annual International Conference and Exhibition (AICE), which is the largest gathering of Geoscientists and other stakeholders in the oil and gas space in Sub Saharan Africa.
The theme is: Petroleum Exploration and Production in a New World: What Next After the Global Crises
This year’s AICE is slated to hold physically and virtually at the Eko Hotel & Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos from 14-18 November, 2021.
Speaking to journalists about the Conference, President of NAPE, Mrs. Patricia Ochogbu, said it will host speakers who are high level industry practitioners, key personnel in government and the academia, delivering technical papers on eight (8) sub-themes namely:
Managing the E & P Business and the Strategies for Reducing Costs in the New PIA Era, Novel Concepts and Approaches in Geophysics in the Onshore, Offshore and Inland Basins, Petroleum System Studies and Integrated Reservoir Modeling and Drilling Operations and Petroleum Potentials and Successes in Nigerian Frontier Basins.
Ochogbu stated further that the NAPE conference will also feature Exploration and Refining- Aligning the Value Chain and Domestic Gas development and Utilization, Current Technological Advancements and Applications in Petroleum Exploration and Production with Energy Mix and Transition for the Next Generation.
Health, Safety, Security and Environment: Operational Challenges in Oil and Gas Exploration and Production will also be part of issues to be addressed in the conference.
The NAPE President was of the view that rising demand for energy across the globe due to increase in population, economic development and prosperity, has continued to alter the complexion and complexity of the global energy space. The unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic and its impact is redefining the economic, social, and political aspects of the global energy matrix.
She said the recently passed Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) represents the most comprehensive review of the legal framework for the oil and gas sector in Nigeria since the industry began commercial operations in the 1960s. E & P companies must brace up for the opportunities and challenges aspects of the PIA present in the new era.
Technology is at the heart of all the significant achievements in the oil and gas industry. The way hydrocarbon is discovered, developed and produced, has been impacted by evolutionary technologies that have emerged since the Drake well of 1859. But the challenge is the readiness of the exploration arm of the oil and gas business to meet the expected challenges of the next decade.
Ochogbu added that oil and gas will continue to be fuels of choice for the foreseeable future and conventional and unconventional hydrocarbons are likely to remain the main component of the energy mix needed to meet the growing global energy demand in the next five decades. In the coming period, technological innovations will be critical not only in ensuring the supply of affordable hydrocarbons, but in mitigating the environmental impact of hydrocarbon exploration, production and utilization.
It is against the backdrop of the foregoing that NAPE will at its 39th Annual International Conference & Exhibition be deliberating on the petroleum business and the regulatory environment in the new PIA regime as well as addressing the challenges of exploration and production in the new post COVID 19 pandemic era.
The Conference has the following Calendar:
Pre- Conference Workshop – Theme: The Next Decade of Oil & Gas in Nigeria: Impact of Energy Transition- Monday 15 November 2021. The opening ceremony and Key Note Paper is titled; Petroleum Exploration and Production in a New World: What Next After the Global Crises? This will be held on Tuesday 16 November 2021.
The all Convention Luncheon with the theme: The Pandemic, Digital Economy and The Naira is Tuesday 16 November 2021.
While the Management Session with the topic: Petroleum Industry Law: Implication for Oil and Gas Industry and Energy Transition in Nigeria is on Monday 15 November, 2021.
The Conference will feature an exhibition which will showcase the latest technologies, products, services and competencies from major IOCs and Indigenous operators in the upstream sector of Nigeria’s oil and gas industry. There will be a dedicated pavilion for banks, financial institutions, universities and other professional associations.
NAPE is the umbrella association for persons involved in the professional application of geosciences and related disciplines to the exploration and production of oil and gas in the country. It has over 12,000 strong membership which cuts across the oil & gas industry. Founded in 1975, the Association’s flagship Annual International Conference and Exhibition holds every year.
Responding to questions at the press conference, Ochogbu said the industry is adapting to change and energy transition will still take some time.
Giving his views, NAPE Vice President, John Bosco Uche, said although there are challenges in the industry with a lot of opportunities. He gave an insight of the FID of Train 7 which was signed and advocated for domestic gas supply for cleaner energy across the country. John Bosco added that energy transition may take till 2050 before it takes effect with regards to zero emission target. Investors are still interested in oil and gas to fill the gap. Gas is a transition energy that is viable and attracts investors. Nigeria has gas in abundance which puts the country in favourable advantage should there be a transition. Renewables has its own downside in terms of hydro, wind, solar and any other aspects while gas remains an alternative.
President elect of NAPE, Dr. James Edet, emphasized on the enablers and an improved security for investment to thrive. Stakeholders should work together so that challenges could be surmounted.
Energy transition is a change that will happen and the industry will survive and adapt to it.
NAPE Publicity Secretary, Tobosun Afolayan, opined that energy transition revolves around advancement of technology which Nigeria is yet to attain, therefore, it cannot compete with countries that have the wherewithal to advance their course. Renewables are not being funded in terms of investment and it is still a tepid process.
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