workshop commences today at Marriot Hotel

THE Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) is taking centre stage in the burgeoning oil and gas landscape of Guyana as it hosts a pivotal workshop aimed at addressing the unique challenges posed by the evolving energy sector.

The event, titled “The Guyana Suriname Basin: Strategic Development of Resources During the Energy Transition,” kicked off today at the Marriot Hotel and is set to bring together a diverse array of stakeholders, including government representatives, industry leaders, academics, and community voices.

The conference will feature three main themes — technology critical for the challenging deepwater development, subsurface evaluation in an age of ever more data and software power (including artificial intelligence), and an exploration of how to develop sustainably.

Key conference sessions related to the main themes are — Reservoir Evaluation and Engineering; Drilling & Completion Technology, co-chaired by TOTALTEC CEO Lars Mangal; Navigating the Energy Transition, with panelist Bobby Gossal, Jr., Senior Petroleum Coordinator/Petroleum Management Programme, Guyana Ministry of Natural Resources; Education and Training Strategies, moderated by Marissa Foster of the Guyana Ministry of Natural Resources, with panelist Elena Trim of the University of Guyana .
There are a number of other panels and keynotes on topics critical to development.

The interactive panel session on navigating the energy transition promises to be a critical part of the event. The session is chaired by David Noble of Hess, and Cassandra Dewan of SLB, and the abstract includes — “…Each country has an established reputation for sustainable development in other industries, such as mining and forestry. But the nascent oil and gas industries in these countries will require careful planning to adhere to lower carbon development aspirations… Topics may include Carbon Capture and Storage, Carbon Credits as offsets and Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reduction.”

One of the most noteworthy aspects of this workshop, according to TOTALTEC Inc. is the active involvement of key Guyanese figures who are deeply committed to shaping the nation’s oil and gas future. Among these individuals are: Vickram Bharrat, Minister of Natural Resources; Lars Mangal, CEO, TOTALTEC Inc; Rabin Chandarpal, Deputy General Manager at Guyana Shore Base, Inc. (GYSBI); Bobby Gossal, Jr., Senior Petroleum Coordinator with the Ministry of Natural Resources; Marissa Foster from the Guyana Geology & Mines Commission; Kemraj Parsram, Executive Director of the Guyana EPA; and Elena Trim, Lecturer, the University of Guyana.

TOTALTEC Inc noted that their participation highlights the nation’s current resources able to step into leading roles, and their dedication to nurturing local talent and fostering homegrown expertise in an industry previously dominated by expatriates.

TOTALTEC CEO Lars Mangal, who will co-chair the Drilling & Completion Technology session, observed – “This context is markedly different from previous SPE Workshops. Traditionally, these events concentrate on enhancing technological prowess and subsurface understanding, which remain essential topics in Guyana. However, the workshop provides an exceptional platform to address other pressing concerns.”

Mangal emphasised, “Our small populations cannot fulfill the workforce demands and supporting work. What role does local content legislation play, and how to prioritise? In the long term, what knowledge domains should Guyana prioritise? Is there a role in this for SPE?”

The Guyana Suriname Basin SPE Workshop offers an opportunity for innovation and collaboration that extends beyond traditional industry areas of technology and geoscience, addressing the unique challenges faced by a country new to the world of oil and gas, one with a small population and rich, natural environment.

Mangal commented — “There is a unique opportunity for SPE to engage issues in a new context. For example, there’s the critical issue of sustainable development by the numerous, undeveloped countries with oil and gas in a world where there’s growing pressure to reduce hydrocarbon development, while, at the same time, investing in renewable energy sources. How can SPE engage in helping to address what is becoming a widespread issue?”

With the active involvement of Guyanese and Surinamese future leaders and experts, the event has the potential to set a positive trajectory for the host countries’ oil and gas industry, and create a blueprint for sustainable development in the face of global energy transitions.