Ashley Roberts, portfolio director, Omanexpo, says, "We are pleased to welcome Qatar Petroleum to OPES at a propitious time in Oman due to the increasingly lucrative gas market and growing LNG demand worldwide. Along with this, Qatar Petroleum plays a valuable role in bringing its technical experience and expertise and helping to strengthen regional technical capability and capacity."

Qatar Petroleum has signed an agreement in 2017 to acquire a 30 per cent share in the contractor’s interest under the exploration and production sharing agreement (EPSA) for Oman’s offshore Block 52, which covers a total area of over 90,000 square kilometres. This will be operated by Italian energy company Eni. Oman Oil Company Exploration and Production (OOCEP), the upstream investment arm of recently merged Oman Oil Company and Orpic Group, owns 15 per cent participating interest.

The Oman-Qatar Joint Committee session in June of this year, which centered on aspects of cooperation, particularly on investment projects, underlines the strong economic relations between the two countries. According to statistics, there was a 56 per cent increase in trade exchange during the first quarter of 2019 to QR2.1 billion compared to QR1.3 billion in 2018.

OPES anticipates higher numbers in the 2020 edition, with more than 500 exhibitors occupying the entire venue, the Oman Convention & Exhibition Centre. Top names from the industry who have already signed up for the exhibition and are part of the sponsor roster are Petroleum Development Oman (PDO), Schlumberger, BP, Oman LNG, Seven Seas Petroleum, Shell, ARA Petroleum and TMK, who will showcase the best of their products, services and technology to over 12,000 trade visitors.

OPES is happening from March 9 to 11, 2020 at the Oman Convention & Exhibition Centre and is organized under the auspices of the Ministry of Oil and Gas.

The broader event, Oman Petroleum and Energy Show (OPES), integrates OGWA (now on its 12th edition), the SPE Conference at OPES, and the newly launched Gas & LNG Show, Offshore & Marine Show and Stainless Steel World Middle East.

Ashley Roberts, portfolio director, Omanexpo, says, “We are excited about the growth prospects in Oman’s oil and gas sector. Seeing the government’s long-term development strategy allows us as organizers to continue to play a crucial role in helping advance the industry, as events such as OPES play a pivotal role in supporting the development.”

“We are equally grateful for the Ministry of Oil and Gas’ support to our timely rebranding initiative and our decision to make OPES an annual show. This milestone enables us to evolve our product and service offerings and stay relevant to our customers and stakeholders,” he adds.

OPES will be the largest B2B event in the Sultanate of Oman, with more than 500 exhibitors occupying the entire venue, the Oman Convention & Exhibition Centre. Country pavilions which include India, Iran, Italy, Korea, Qatar, Russia, China, Turkey and United Kingdom pavilions are testimony to the increased international interest that the Oman oil and gas sector commands.

Top names from the industry who have already signed up for the exhibition and are part of the sponsor roster are Petroleum Development Oman (PDO), Schlumberger, BP, Oman LNG, Seven Seas Petroleum, ARA Petroleum and TMK, who will showcase the best of their products, services and technology to over 12,000 trade visitors.

Adding sustained value to the event is the SPE EOR Conference, organized by Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE), which will highlight the advances in enhanced oil recovery (EOR), LNG and gas developments, and offshore and marine operations, technologies and activities.

According to MEED, about $51.1 billion of oil and gas projects are in the pipeline and underway in Oman, of which contracts worth about $20.8 billion are scheduled to be awarded from now until 2021. Despite the government’s plans to diversify from oil, Oman remains bullish over the industry’s continued growth.

OPES is happening from March 9 to 11, 2020 at the Oman Convention & Exhibition Centre and is organized under the auspices of the Ministry of Oil and Gas.