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Under the patronage of Prime Minister His Royal Highness Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa, the 19th Middle East Oil & Gas Show (MEOS 2015) was launched on March 8, which was held up to March 11 at the Bahrain International Exhibition Centre. The event was organized by Petroleum Engineers Association and Arabian Exhibition Management Company, Allworld Exhibitions, in cooperation with the National Oil and Gas Authority (NOGA). A number of Gulf and international researchers and professionals, officials, managers, executives, engineers and specialists in the field of oil and gas gathered at the MEOS Conference to discuss and formulate the future of the industry in the region.

H.R.H. the Prime Minister had delegated Deputy Prime Minister His Highness Shaikh Ali bin Khalifa Al Khalifa to open the accompanying MEOS 2015 Exhibition on March 9. H.H. Shaikh Ali expressed his gratitude and appreciation to the Premier while inaugurating the MEOS show, praising his   esteemed support, great interest and keenness to support international events hosted by Bahrain, which undoubtedly contributed to strengthening the position of the Kingdom and turning it into an important strategic location in the region for the establishment of global specialist events.

H.H. Shaikh Ali toured the exhibition booths, where he was briefed on technological advances and innovations in the field of exploration and production of oil, gas and refining industries. He praised the heights touched by the show and the good reputation it had earned internationally over the years, attracting prominent global companies in the field of oil and gas.

Minister of Energy His Excellency Dr. Abdul Hussain bin Ali Mirza expressed his sincere thanks and appreciation to the Prime Minister H.R.H. Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa, for his keenness to continue to encourage the key oil and gas event in the Middle East and host it under his patronage since its inception in 1979. He said MEOS was one of the most important oil conferences and exhibitions in the region with a global agenda. He praised the Prime Minister’s wise direction and unfailing follow-ups to make sure the event was most effective.

The Minister also expressed gratitude to His Highness Shaikh Ali for inaugurating the 19^th MEOS 2015 exhibition.

H.E. Dr. Mirza, in his speech during the opening of the MEOS Conference, drew attention to the recent volatility in oil prices and increased oil production from non-conventional sources such as shale oil. He stressed the need to cooperate and unite all stakeholders in fuel production and price fluctuations, both national and international oil companies, oil services companies and technology manufacturers, academics and environmentalists, who he urged to work together to stabilize oil markets.

The Minister pointed out that the National Oil and Gas Authority (NOGA) had recently undertaken several initiatives to increase oil revenues in Bahrain, through the development of the oil industry, promotion of energy conservation and partnerships in renewable energy projects as well as through enhanced oil recovery techniques (EOR) in Bahrain oil field. In addition, NOGA has also signed production sharing agreements with international oil giants and encouraged Bahraini companies to adhere to global standards for health and environment.

H.E. Dr. Mirza said that 2014 had seen many energy projects, including the aviation fuel depots relocation project, from their current location in Arad to Bahrain International Airport following the Prime Minister’s order. The nogaholding company had earlier put forward a relocation proposal and drew up a preliminary engineering design along with British Petroleum company. The year 2014 also saw the opening of a new Central Control Room and a $ 42 million CS9 compressor station at the NOGA subsidiary, Bahrain National Gas Company (Banagas), a qualitative addition to the plant’s production capacity. In the field of renewable energy, a Solar Energy Pilot Project was launched in June, 2014 as part of Bahrain’s ongoing efforts to support and implement a national initiative of clean energy. In collaboration with NOGA, Bahrain Petroleum Company (Bapco) supported the 27 million dollar solar energy project, undertaken by US company Petra Solar in 2012 on a trial basis for the diversification of energy sources.

MEOS 2015 Conference was marked by the high number of participants, 2,000, as against the 1800 participants in 2013. The exhibition showcased products and services of more than 300 companies from 30 countries, the higher number than 2013. The number of participants in the conference and exhibition, including visitor numbers reached more than 8,000, an increase of 700 from 2013.

Sidelines of MEOS 2015

Ministerial Session 

A ministerial session was held during the opening session of the MEOS 2015 Conference, which was attended by Minister of Energy His Excellency Dr. Abdul Hussain bin Ali Mirza and His Excellency Kuwaiti Minister of Oil and Minister of State for National Assembly Affairs Dr. Ali bin Saleh Al Omair, UAE Energy Minister His Excellency Eng. Suhail Mohamed Al Mazrouei and Secretary-General of the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) His Excellency Mr. Abdalla Salem El-Badri. It was the first time in MEOS that a ministerial meeting was held.

Minister of Energy visits Egyptian pavilion

Minister of Energy His Excellency Dr. Abdul Hussain bin Ali Mirza visited the pavilion of the Arab Republic of Egypt at the MEOS Exhibition 2015. During the tour the Minister looked at the programs and activities of oil and gas companies who had showcased their products and services and also discussed with oil professionals several topics related to oil and gas and bilateral cooperation in the field of petroleum and energy between the two countries, Bahrain and Egypt.

The Minister said the participation of the Egyptian petroleum companies was an important event, since it was the first Egyptian companies were participating in MEOS since its inception in 1979.  A total of 12 Egyptian petroleum companies participated in MEOS 2015.