Upon an invitation from the President of Beirut Arab University Prof. Amr Galal El – Adawi, the Society of Petroleum Engineers and the SPE BAU Student Chapter in collaboration with the Faculty of Engineering at Beirut Arab University organized a lecture entitled “The Current Petroleum Activities and Sustainability in the Arab world”. The seminar was attended by President of the Society of Petroleum Engineers Dr. Sami Al Nuaim, HE Saad El Hariri represented by Engineer Refaat Saad, Ambassador of the United Arab Emirates in Lebanon Dr. Hamad Saeed Al Shamusi, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in Lebanon Mr. Walid Bin Abdullah Bukhari and a crowd of experts and interested audience.
After the Lebanese Anthem and BAU Anthem, Head of SPE-BAU Student Chapter Youssef Abdul Hadi opened the seminar with a speech in which he highlighted the importance of the students' presence in SPE in Lebanon, for they must join this industry as professionals. Chairman of BAU Chemical and Petroleum Engineering Departments and the Faculty Advisor for BAU Chapter Dr. Rami Harkouss spoke about "the role of oil and its contribution to social development, as well as the need for common interests among the Arab countries and their cooperation at all levels such as the establishment of unified Arab funds and the establishment of a Lebanese academic community in order to activate joint academic research.”
Dean of Faculty of Engineering Professor Adel Al Kordi considered that “the production of oil is one of the greatest challenges facing the world at present and its importance is highlighted as the foundation of the industrial renaissance and an important strategic commodity in international trade. Undoubtedly, oil has a major influence on all sectors. Therefore, our Arab world has become the focus of attention of the countries with an oil-based economy, resulting in some of the problems and unrest that have become a part of our daily life.”
Chairman of the Board of Directors, Lebanese Petroleum Administration and Head of Strategic Planning Department Mr. Walid Nasr stressed “the importance of establishing an integrated legislative system and strengthening the laws of transparency to restore confidence between the government and the Lebanese, which can be achieved through monitoring and accountability.” He also tackled several issues, including sustainability, environment preservation and value creation through the promotion of investment.
Nasr also emphasized that “the second licensing cycle will begin upon the approval of the Council of Ministers” and stressed “the need to complete the studies on how to take advantage of gas in the local market and benefit from the Lebanese cadres among universities and students to secure employment opportunities for individuals and Lebanese partnerships.”
The President of Society of Petroleum Engineers , Beirut Section and Board Member of the Lebanese Petroleum Administration Dr. Nasser Hoteit highlighted “the importance of Arab cooperation for oil investment in Lebanon and the role of each of the leading companies in this sector in the Arab world, especially Aramco, ADNOC and others."
He believed that “it is time Lebanon joined the Arab element in the field of oil,” and hoped for “future cooperation in all fields relevant to exploration, production, and export.”
President of the Society of Petroleum Engineers and Manager of Saudi Aramco’s Petroleum Engineers Services Department Dr. Sami Al Nuaim pointed out that “the oil and gas sector will absorb the increasing demand on energy resulting from population growth and new technological progress.”
“It is necessary to reform the term sustainability as improving human life is our main objective and this reform will be based on three main factors: economic growth, social development and environmental monitoring,” he continued, "oil and gas will continue to be a key part of the future global energy mix with the growing environmental challenge that calls for greater cooperation, stronger participation and the urgent need to develop cleaner and more efficient use of oil and gas.”
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