The talk was part of the conference program during oil and gas expo Adipec.
“Diversification and increased female participation in the industry, is a hot topic in the Middle East. The seminar focused on how the industry can engage and attract younger generations and increase the proportion of women in the industry,” says Ellingsen.
Along with Hege Kverneland, Ellingsen was invited to Adipec, a leading oil and gas expo and conference in Abu Dhabi. Adipec is one of the biggest oil and gas expos worldwide, which attracts major national oil and gas companies along with the biggest IOCs.
Many Norwegian small and medium-sized enterprises have a presence in the Middle East and use the United Arab Emirates as a hub.
EXPERT PANEL
As part of an expert panel, Kverneland and Ellingsen also discussed how to create a cost-effective forward-looking petroleum industry, by using digital tools to work smarter and to develop systems and technology which are safer and more environmentally friendly.
Technology has transformed radically in the past few decades. Artificial intelligence, advanced robotics, blockchain, and big data are a few of the digital technologies that are at the center of the energy technology conversation.
“GCE NODE has focused on digitalization, automation and robotics since 2014. Our companies are among the frontrunners in the digital transformation. At Adipec, I talked about how we have addressed the transformation process and how we have seized the opportunities it has presented,” says Ellingsen.
“The perception that the industry is ‘dirty’ and requires a lot of heavy lifting and difficult operations, is no longer true. Today, the focus is on how we can move more operations onshore or subsea and operate in real-time from central onshore control rooms,” says Ellingsen.
MEETING AT AKER SOLUTIONS
During her stay in Abu Dhabi, Ellingsen also attended a meeting at Aker Solutions, facilitated by Norwegian Energy Partners’ local representative Nasrollah Gharesifard, who has a very good oversight of the Middle East marked after many years in the region. Several major companies, such as Equinor, Interwell and ABBattended the meeting, to share experience and also to discuss opportunities and challenges for the industry in this region of the world.
Ellingsen and GCE NODE also participated in a panel discussion in connection with the opening of Innovation Norway’s office in Abu Dhabi. The discussion focused on how to operate in the Middle East. This was a cooperation between Innovation Norway, NORWEP and the Norwegian Embassy in UAE.
“We had some useful days in Abu Dhabi, connecting with old and new friends and business partners. Several GCE NODE companies were also present,” says Ellingsen.
