This year, the major industry event is being held under the motto “A Forum for People!”
For the first time, it has an expanded programme that will attract not only oil and gas industry professionals, but also the region's residents and guests.
The Forum, which is a key event for the energy sector, was opened in the Sakhalin-2 pavilion dedicated to advanced technology in the oil and gas industry.
Valery Limarenko, Governor of Sakhalin Oblast, welcomed the Forum participants. “This is a special year for the oil and gas industry as we celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Sakhalin-2 offshore project. The start of offshore oil and gas production has fundamentally changed Sakhalin's economy and people's lives. Today, the energy sector remains the backbone of the region's development. We are opening a new chapter in localising Russian services and reducing foreign technology dependency. This year, the city centre is hosting leaders in hydrocarbon production and service providers for our offshore projects. It shows that we are moving forward,” Valery Limarenko pointed out.
Roman Dashkov, CEO of Sakhalin Energy, stressed the importance of maintaining the open format of the Forum, as it allows participants to expand their opportunities, demonstrate the complexity of their innovative project and attract young people, including talented graduates and students, to become future industry experts.
“Today, young people have the opportunity to gain an insight not only into the current situation, but also into the challenges facing the oil and gas industry and the history of the development of the Sakhalin offshore fields, which dates back to 1878. The people of Sakhalin have lived, worked and contributed to the overall development of Russia. I am sure that the Forum will not only convey a business agenda, but it will also become a festive event for our region,” said Roman Dashkov in his welcome speech to the participants.
Sakhalin Energy’s CEO invited the guests and participants of the Forum to visit the Company's exposition, which presents the milestones of the Sakhalin-2 operator's development, reflects the prospects of professional self-fulfilment for young Sakhalin residents, and demonstrates the expertise of the Company's main domestic contractors.
“Today, with an eye on the development of promising projects, we should focus primarily on the potential of Russian manufacturers, the capabilities of the domestic machine-building and metal industries, which are the areas where oil and gas services will be localised,” Roman Dashkov added.
Technological priorities, a key theme of this year's Forum, were further discussed at the plenary session 'Eastern Outpost of the Energy Industry: Technological Priorities and New Goals'. The discussion involved the Governor and federal industry experts.
The Sakhalin Oblast Governor noted that the external constraints did not seem to affect the Sakhalin Oblast in a significant way. At the same time, Sakhalin companies, including the operator of the Sakhalin-2 project, maintained stable oil and gas operations and hydrocarbon production. “I would like to thank the key companies. You and your contractors have demonstrated a high level of professionalism and the ability to tackle the most difficult challenges. Now our strategic task is to ensure maximum localisation of oilfield services for offshore projects,” Valery Limarenko stressed to the business community.
In conclusion, the Governor noted that Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk should become the third capital of Russia, given the island’s proximity to the actively growing markets of the Asia-Pacific region.
Presentations by oil and gas experts on business development strategies in the face of external constraints attracted great interest from the audience.
CEO of Sakhalin Energy LLC spoke about the prospects for offshore field development in the Russian Federation. In his opinion, it is impossible to achieve the key goals set by the President of the Russian Federation without a reliable resource base. Therefore, the priority task for the energy sector today is to ensure the necessary level of resource extraction. As a solution for the Sakhalin shelf, the Company’s CEO mentioned a cluster approach that should be implemented in cooperation with the state authorities.
“Efficient exploration of new fields is possible only through the application of a cluster approach, which requires the use of satellite fields located in close proximity to the developed infrastructure of existing projects, such as Sakhalin-2. This will make it possible to make new facilities ready for development in a timely manner through the synergy, centralisation of competencies and integration of all forces and resources in a single infrastructure project, thus increasing the economic viability of field development by reducing production costs and ensuring high production performance through advanced technical and technological solutions,” Roman Dashkov stressed. “We are ready to be the first, but today we need to think industry-wide and allocate regional resources taking into account the geopolitical and economic situation as a whole.”
The proposal for an integrated approach to the development of the Sea of Okhotsk shelf was supported by Sergey Chuzhmarev, Deputy Head of the Department at Gazprom PJSC. “For us, the Sakhalin Energy team is one big family. Taking into account the Company's vast experience and capabilities, I see our cooperation as a way to continue the large-scale and efficient development of the Sakhalin Shelf and to further develop personnel sovereignty in the Russian oil and gas industry,” added Sergey Chuzhmarev.
This year's forum will feature around 100 events in seven thematic areas: Offshore Services and Technologies; Hydrocarbon Processing; Clean Future; Logistics and International Cooperation; Integrating Science and Education into Business; Creating and Promoting the Regional Geo-Brand; and Human Resources Potential for Industry Development.
For the first time, the Forum will include a youth track for graduates of specialised universities and colleges, undergraduates and high school students. Activities have been organised for visitors of different ages. Schoolchildren will have the opportunity to decide on their future careers after visiting an exhibition of drilling and oil and gas production equipment from the Sakhalin-2 project and a mobile geology museum, and learning about production processes in drilling and gas liquefaction. And graduates will receive career plans from Sakhalin's leading oil and gas companies, which will offer internships and training. There will also be an open-air exhibition of special-purpose oil and gas production equipment.
2 October 2024