*The event, to be attended by global experts, will focus on changing trends in petrochemicals industry
The Abdullah Bin Hamad Al-Attiyah International Foundation for Energy & Sustainable Development will host global experts at its CEO Roundtable Series in Doha on June 27, which will focus on the changing trends in the petrochemicals industry.
The meeting forms part of the Foundation’s CEO Roundtable Series, which is a crucial quarterly event in the calendar of industry leaders in Qatar.
The speakers and attendees will explore how the petrochemicals industry is changing; refineries are getting bigger; margins in refineries have typically been tight, so refinery size has been driven by ‘economies of scale’ being achieved.
This, Al-Attiyah Foundation said has shifted the refining economics to building large but flexible refineries that can handle multiple crudes and produce a variable product slate. The ‘rule of thumb’ of refinery size being limited to about 250,000 barrels a day, has been well breached.
Another discernable trend is the integration of petrochemical production into the refining process. Here, the possibilities seem endless for a range of petrochemicals, particularly if cheap ethane extracted from natural gas is also available at the same site.
So how will these trends affect the industry? What strategic considerations are involved in making a business case for integration? What are the key challenges and opportunities associated with integration into larger composite plants?
To answer such questions, the roundtable’s guest speakers will share their views with CEOs from Qatar’s energy industry.
Dr Andrew Spiers, senior vice president, Nexant Energy and Chemicals Advisory International comes with extensive experience of the chemicals industry fundamentals and economics; Alan Gelder, vice-president (Refining, Chemicals and Oil Markets) at Wood Mackenzie, is responsible for formulating the company’s research outlook and integrated cross-sector perspectives; Professor Paul Stevens, Distinguished Fellow from Chatham House, has conducted outstanding research in the fields of oil and energy; and Eric Duchesne, senior VP (Manufacturing and Projects) Total, will bring the industry perspective.
The discussion will be moderated by Nawied Jabarkyl, TV Presenter, Thomson Reuters.
HE Abdullah bin Hamad al-Attiyah founded the ‘CEO Roundtable Series’ as a platform for knowledge exchange and support for the global community in the quest towards a sustainable energy future. All guests have the opportunity to share their opinions and understanding in what is always a thought-provoking and lively discussion.
In addition to the ‘CEO Roundtable Series’, the Al-Attiyah Foundation publishes energy and sustainable development research and insights through a variety of daily, weekly and monthly reports and papers.
