30. March 2022
UTC2022 - Navigating the energy transition in uncertain times
The complexity of the energy system and how quickly it can change has been manifested by recent geopolitical events.
This is why the 2022 Underwater Technology Conference (June 15-16) – our first ‘in person’ UTC since 2019 – will be a even more relevant and crucial subsea event for you to attend!
The UTC2022 conference programme, built around the theme, ‘Subsea leading the way in the energy transition’, will help subsea leaders and professionals navigate the role subsea technology has in the energy system. “There’s a lot to discuss”, says programme committee chair Rune Vesterkjær, from helping to decarbonise oil and gas production, supporting the energy transition away from coal, through to the role subsea electrification will play in offshore renewables.
“The role of oil and gas in the energy transition and where subsea fits within that raises a lot of questions,” says Vesterkjær, who is also Vice President – Production, Compression, Power & Pumps, at Aker Solutions. “It’s easy to say ´let’s get away from oil and gas´ but it’s more complex than that and we have seen how fragile the energy system is recently.”
Stig Instanes, chair of the Underwater Technology Foundation (UTF), co-organiser of UTC, says, “The whole supply chain is focusing on the energy transition to find their part in the new world where fossil fuel is replaced by renewable energy. But over the last few weeks, we have seen that we are not there yet. We still need access to safe, sustained energy in Europe until the transition is completed. Our industry is now a vital part of the ongoing geopolitical debate where subsea tie-backs could be an important factor filling the current energy gap.”
“In subsea, we are part of the solution,” says Vesterkjær. “We still need oil and gas for some years to come, and we have the best solutions to deliver this. Our solutions are unmanned, we are efficient, and we are low carbon, especially when you compare with the alternatives. Subsea is also very focused on making robust, reliable, redundant and maintenance free solutions. There’s why we have a lot of knowledge and competence that can be used in new areas supporting renewables.”
These themes will be tackled in our keynotes sessions, including global perspectives from leading figures from Norwegian and international organizations that have agreed to join us at Grieghallen in Bergen. Senior industry professionals will also share concrete examples of how they plan to lead the way, while we’ll have a dedicated keynote session on subsea compression. As always, our technical sessions will take a deep dive into the technology that will help us move forward, both with the developments that are on the table today, but also future technologies that can drive the transition.
Of course, UTC would not be complete without its ice-breaker event, which will once again be at USF Verftet, as well as our conference dinner and regular networking breaks. This year, in light of the lack of networking opportunities over the past three years, the programme committee has decided to replace the last technical session and conference wrap-up with a more informal networking session on the exhibition floor.
What’s more, we will also have our now well-established Day 0 event, focusing on finance and markets, as well as our student papers. We’ll share details of these with you soon.
Join us at UTC2022 on June (14 ) 15 -16 in order to be part of the discussion on ‘Subsea leading the way in the energy transition’
The UTC is co-organised by the Underwater Technology Foundation (UTF) and GCE Ocean Technology.
