The realisation and realities of sustainability and climate goals are hitting the Middle East’s hydrocarbon sector. The region, with its abundance of natural resources is uniquely positioned to be instrumental in fulfilling the goals. As the region’s refiners and petrochemical producers position themselves for a low carbon transition, ESF MENA – Middle East Energy & Sustainability Forum, taking place virtually on 25-27 October, will support the collaborations, discussions, and development of a sustainable energy future in which the Middle East’s downstream industry continues to play a leading role.
The organisers, Euro Petroleum Consultants (EPC), hosted the inaugural European/Global Energy & Sustainability Forum in May with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the industry’s pivot to sustainability focusing heavily in the keynote discussions. After many initially considering the pandemic as a problem for the transition, it was soon recognised as an accelerator due to the significant changes witnessed to the model of life. 2020 proved the importance of flexibility and adaptably of assets, and of operational excellence.
Stefan Chapman, Vice President of EPC explains the reasons behind ESF’s launch “our industry is transitioning. Talking to our customers and partners, complexity is growing, and we need a coherent industry approach between all stakeholders in the value chain, be it regulators, producers, or technology providers. A forum like ESF provides an opportunity for sharing knowledge and forming partnerships. There is no silver bullet so we must take advantage of all opportunities in parallel, and together.”
Collaboration and partnerships are key, and the Middle East is home to many existing and new joint ventures. NEOM, one of the most exciting projects in the region, is planning the world’s largest renewable hydrogen project. A joint venture between Air Products, ACWA Power and NEOM, the project includes a $5 billion world-scale green hydrogen-based ammonia production facility powered by renewable energy. ESF MENA will welcome Roland Kaeppner, Executive Director Hydrogen & Green Fuels at NEOM to share the latest project updates.
The region has the opportunity to leverage its geographical position and natural resources to become global hydrogen champions. A dedicated hydrogen panel discussion joined by Saudi Aramco and Dii Desert Energy will see another world scale project be discussed with Alicia Eastman, President, InterContinental Energy and Dr. Salim Al Huthaili, CEO, OQ Alternative Energy sharing insights into Oman’s plans to build one of the largest green hydrogen plants in the world in a move to make the oil-producing nation a leader in renewable energy technology.
With Europe paving the way to net zero, ESF MENA will hear keynote presentations from some of the IOC’s leading the journey; TotalEnergies will share their roadmap to net-zero and Eni will share their ‘Energy Evolution’ and how the organisation has fully integrated sustainability into its business model.
Further keynote panel discussions at the forum include:
- Dr. Bob Maughon, EVP, Sustainability, Technology & Innovation, SABIC joins Tae-Yoon Kim, Senior Energy Analyst, INTERNATIONAL ENERGY AGENCY (IEA), Robin Mills, CEO, QAMAR ENERGY and Dr. Dawood Nassif, CEO, Bapco to discuss how the Middle East can accelerate decarbonisation efforts and position itself as sustainability leaders
- Technology experts, including Bryan Glover, President & CEO, Honeywell UOP, Leon de Bruyn, President & CEO, Lummus Technology, Andy Gosse, President, Shell Catalysts & Technologies and Doug Kelly, President Technology, KBR, join our keynote panel to discuss the role of transformational technologies and enabling engineering on the path to net zero
Finally, ESF MENA will cover in detail the transition to a Circular Economy through waste plastics recycling and conversion technologies. Partnerships between all stakeholders are vital when it comes to closing the loop. Product end-users, waste management companies, municipalities, government, regulators, producers, and technology providers all have a part to play. The conference will hear an overview from IHS Markit on the commercialization of large-scale pyrolysis units and Dr. Fahad Al-Sherehy, VP for Energy Efficiency and Carbon Management, Sabic will give a keynote presentation on how Sabic are supporting the circular carbon economy (CCE) through their key projects - the world’s largest carbon recapture plant in Jubail, and the production of blue ammonia.
Without doubt technology providers play a central role in the transition, with an abundance of expertise, skills, R&D and process knowledge to not only support, but also speed up the journey. The conference will hear from the key players such as Axens, Honeywell UOP, Lummus Technology, Sulzer GTC Technology and Wood.
ESF MENA – Middle East Energy & Sustainability Forum will take place virtually on 25-27 October. To register your place at the event, kindly visit esfmena.europetro.com or contact the organisers at info@europetro.com
