Petroleum Conference starts tomorrow in Wellington

The 2018 New Zealand Petroleum Conference opens tomorrow in Wellington, bringing together 500 delegates from across the oil and gas industry.

Petroleum Exploration and Production Association of New Zealand (PEPANZ) CEO Cameron Madgwick says the event will be a forum for discussing some of the big issues facing the sector, including the challenge of how to provide enough energy for a growing world while reducing net emissions.

“The energy provided by oil and gas is a fundamental part of our daily life. It provides half of New Zealand’s energy, used to move people and goods, heat our homes, cook our food and create a range of essential goods from fertilisers to medical supplies.

“At the same time, we recognise the challenges of climate change and want to be involved in tackling this. The role of natural gas as a transition fuel will be crucial by displacing higher emission fuels, delivering a win-win for New Zealand’s economy and environment.”

Guest speakers at the conference include:

• Hon Dr Megan Woods, Minister of Energy and Resources
• Kylie Cochrane, Global Lead, Communication and Stakeholder Engagement at Aurecon
• Brian Sullivan, Executive Director, IPIECA (the global oil and gas industry association for environmental and social issues).

“There will undoubtedly be protest action and while we absolutely respect the right to protest, we just ask the activists to obey the law and respect other people’s rights as well. People have the right to go about their daily business and attend events like this.”

Among the delegates attending are senior government officials, regulators, industry leaders, international experts and service providers.