The Mayor of Arendal concludes after having spent two days and visited a number of Agder companies at the Offshore Technology Conference (OTC), the world’s largest oil expo in Houston this week.
Nordli was part of a group of Agder politicians, which included Harald Furre (Mayor of Kristiansand), Alf Erik Andersen (Mayor of Mandal), Tellef Inge Mørland (County Mayor Aust-Agder) and Tore Askildsen (Deputy County Mayor Vest-Agder).
The delegation met with National Oilwell Varco, MHWirth, MacGregor, Air Products, Umoe Mandal and several other companies within the GCE NODE cluster.
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“I am impressed by the fact that approximately 100 people representing 35 companies in Agder are present here in Houston. The companies serve the global market and need to be visible on this largest of global stages,”says Furre.
He was also impressed by the development of technology that has taken place during the challenging times the industry has been put through lately.
“We see technological innovations that are obviously smarter, which will reduce costs and make companies more competitive. This is especially visible in the field of digitization,” says Furre.
Anne-Grete Ellingsen, CEO of GCE NODE, was glad to see top regional level politicians at OTC.
“It is a strong signal of support for what is the largest industry in both Agder and Norway. As the pendulum swings, the oil and gas industry will continue to boost value creation and growth in Agder, as is has done for a number of years already,” says Ellingsen.
