Statoil’s executive vice president for development production international, Lars Christian Bacher, discusses the Norwegian company’s plans for the coming year
T here will be increasing scrutiny and interest from industry regulators and the general public alike on how the industry is meeting demand in a safe, efficient and increasingly ecologically sound manner, as the global demand for energy resources booms.
The argument for greener, clean energy needs to be considered alongside the practical challenges associated with the huge increase in global demand for energy.
“We want to explain, not only the challenges that relate to the business opportunities but also to put them into the context of energy reality. To keep on lifting millions of people out of poverty, for example, will require more energy and we need to do that in a sustainable way,” said Lars Christian Bacher, executive vice president for development production international at Statoil.
The emergence of new technologies will play a key role in the future of the oil & gas industry. However, Bacher believes that there will be an increasing emphasis on utilising that technology in new and increasingly innovative ways.
“Technology will play a huge role going forward. If you look at technological advancements over the last decade, it’s been huge. Why would we stop now? I really can’t see any reason for us to do that now,” he said.
“I think that what is important is not only the technology per se but the way in which that technology is applied. That is what distinguishes one company from another. A lot of the technology that the industry has in its toolbox is available to everybody to choose from. It becomes more about your ability to apply it in such a way that you add more value than your competitors,” he said.
Statoil’s stand features a model of an offshore drilling facility at its Morvin site. The model demonstrates how Statoil are using technology to monitor the subaquatic environment in minute detail, even keeping an ear out for passing pods of whales. If whales are detected in the area, drilling can be stopped while they pass through.
Thanks to this environmentally minded technology, Statoil have been able to drill for oil in a number of environmentally sensitive areas and have been awarded contracts in locations that originally looked to be off limits. Bacher believes that 2014 will be a good year for Statoil.
“We have been in transition for a couple of years but we have the capacity to deliver with success,” he said. “Technological development and collaboration is part of our DNA,” he said. “We’re here to learn, share and contribute. I think that will prevail for us in the long term.”
