Every little bit helps
I was interested to read your article on the efforts of the North Sea Oil and Gas Industry Technology Facilitator to secure funding for the development of breakthrough technologies (OGJ, Feb. 18, 2002, p. 28).
There is evidence a-plenty to dem onstrate the impact of technology on exploration and development costs and, hence, both new field discovery plus existing field life extension in the North Sea and elsewhere. However, what is never explicitly stated in all the words written about technology is the fundamental importance of THE critical success factor-competent and motivated people to both develop the technology and subsequently implement it.
The industry is facing a looming critical shortage of this commodity in the next 5-10 years, yet the topic appears to struggle to attract focussed attention as a matter of urgency. I attended an industry-university meeting at Aberdeen University 6 weeks ago which was attended by a representative from the ITF. He made the point that a small diversion of funding from technology development to support skills and capability development would almost certainly yield a payout to equal or exceed that of investment in technology alone.
In fact, the two should be developed in concert. I was disappointed at the luke warm respopnse to my proposal. The fact remains that the university departments in the UK, such as at Aberdeen Univer sity, charged with developing the core competencies and thinking capability required for sustained success in our industry, do struggle every year to attract the funding required to support specialist post-graduate courses.
Fifteen-thousand pounds will support one postgraduate masters degree student at Aberdeen for 1 year-a paltry sum compared to the investments made annually by oil and service companies in "technology." We in the industry and the government must wake up to the need for serious investment to assure ourselves of the intellectual horesepower and capability required to realize our shared aspirations for the health of the North Sea industry and the role to be played by "UK PLC" in the global oil and gas business.
Iain D.R. Percival
Vice-Pres. Global Basin and Field Development Studies
Shell International Exploration & Research
Rijswijk, The Netherlands
