Last week the Norwegian Oil and Gas Association gathered business, politics and academia to a dialogue and management forum in Trondheim. The theme of the forum was oil, gas and petroleum related growth in Mid-Norway. Among the companies located in the region Det norske was put out as an example of positive regional growth and development.
The company’s CEO Erik Haugane was one of the speakers at the forum. He highlighted the benefits Det norske is enjoying by running its business from Trondeim and from its office in Harstad. He stressed that the Norwegian Shelf represents endless opportunity and resources, which can be operated from anywhere in Norway. “There is nothing that indicates that it should not be possible to operate the Norwegian shelf from Trondheim, Harstad and Tromsø” , was Haugane’s message to the politicians, contractors and oil companies.
Torger Reve , professor at BI School of Management, talked about the significant role of research and development in the region, and how the Norwegian University of Science and Technology and the research organization SINTEF, is in a world class in several technological areas. However, the industry in the region is missing out on making business out of this technology. Reve challenged both the research community and the oil industry to explore the market potential of the technology created in the region, and pinpointed the gap between the technologies being developed and how it is reflected in the region’s business community as a great paradox.
Multiphase flow technology developed at SINTEF laboratory at Tiller (Trondheim) was the same day awarded the prize as the best invention product in Norway since 1980. Multiphase flow technology has made it possible to transport oil, gas and water in the same pipes over long distances, and has led to hundreds of billions of increased revenues from the Norwegian continental shelf.
Politicians in the region now hope to draw the longest straw in the battle for locating the new center for increased production, thereby building on the technological developments in Trondheim. “We have the expertise and the technology required, so we strongly believe that this center is to be established here”, said the mayor of Trondheim Rita Ottervik.
[mappress]
November 6, 2012