Doha, Qatar • 14 May 2012 – His Excellency Dr. Mohammed bin Saleh Al-Sada, Minister of Energy and Industry and Chairman & Managing Director of Qatar Petroleum (QP), inaugurated today the International Production and Operations Conference and Exhibition (POCE), a major industry event that is being held for the first time in the Middle East.

“We are very proud to host this prestigious event, as it signifies Qatar’s growing role in the technical and economic sectors and stands as a testimony of the wise and visionary leadership of His Highness, the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani,” said H.E. Dr. Al-Sada in his keynote address.

H.E. the Minister also highlighted how technological innovation has contributed greatly in Qatar’s economic growth and in the continued development of the country’s oil and gas industry.

“Advances in the oil and gas engineering technology over the past several years have played a significant role in the successful transformation of Qatar’s economy. It has left an indelible footprint on the path of Qatar’s development as the world’s leading producer and transporter of LNG. It has played a monumental role in the development of the North Field, the largest single natural gas reservoir in the world, and helped in establishing pioneer world-class facilities along the entire LNG production and export value chain,” said H.E. Dr. Al-Sada.

“Besides these examples, field development plans for three QP-operated oil fields are currently underway.  The redevelopment of these fields are being carried out using  the latest ‘smart’ oilfield technology that will help improve recovery from these mature fields,” he added.

QP is the host organization and titanium sponsor of the POCE 2012, which is under the patronage of H.E. Dr. Al-Sada and organized by the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE). The opening ceremony was attended by senior QP officials, the top management of oil & gas companies, industry professionals and conference delegates from all over the world.

Mr. Said Mubarak Al Mohannadi, QP Director of Operations, is the Conference Chairman of POCE 2012, while Mr. Misfer Saleh Hamad Al-Bidaiwi, Manager of Gas Recycling at QP, serves as the Programme Co-Chair.

Following the official opening of the conference and exhibition, an executive plenary session was held, during which Mr. Saad Sherida Al-Kaabi, QP Director for Oil and Gas Ventures and a member of the QP Board of Directors, shared his insights on the conference theme: “Production Optimisation Challenges: Meeting Global Energy Demand.”

Over the course of the three-day event, QP staff will be presenting a total of seven technical papers, and other QP personnel will also be taking an active part in the poster sessions. The technical papers from QP will focus, among others, on the shift towards intelligent oil fields, gas flaring reduction strategies, well integrity evaluation, and other case studies related to the corporation’s production operations.

In addition to its strong presence in the conference, QP is also a major exhibitor at the POCE 2012 exhibition, which has attracted the participation of international oil and gas companies. The QP stand, which occupies a total of 72 square meters in area, showcases the corporation’s prominent role in the global energy industry, with particular emphasis on its oil and gas production operations.