The young professional (YP) group of the SPE Netherlands Section is having a busy and exciting year. One of the biggest achievements of the section was the startup of two new student chapters at Utrecht University and VU University, Amsterdam. The increased input of students and the increasing numbers of YPs have boosted lectures and created a great atmosphere with excellent networking opportunities.
The section organizes monthly lectures from companies active in the Netherlands for YPs and students. The topics covered this year, and their presenters, included the latest logging-while-drilling technologies, by Eric Shearer, Halliburton; the art of workovers, by Lex de Groot, GDF Suez; the upstream strategy of NUON, by Arnoud Kamerbeek, NUON; and the Bergermeer field, by Jan-Thijs de Keijser. Kamerbeek discussed how NUON, a Dutch-based electrical and gas utility company with more than 2.7 million European customers, has pursued a successful acquisition strategy that has reduced company dependence on third-party gas suppliers and improved margins. De Keijser discussed the exciting Bergemeer field project, in which a depleted gas field in a pristine area of northern Holland will become a gas-storage field for 30 or more years. It will be Europe’s largest gas-storage facility and is expected to be fully operational in 2013.
The section recently went on an excursion to Heerema construction in Zwijndrecht to visit the main deck of the new platform for the BP Valhall field. This is the largest offshore deck ever built in the Netherlands. And as the perfect followup, Sander Arens from Heerema hosted the next monthly lecture, in which he spoke about platform decommissioning.
The SPE Netherlands Section is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year and is planning several festivities to conclude the year. For more information on section YP activities, contact Matthijs Verhoef (Matthijs.Verhoef@shell.com).
SPE Netherlands YPs. From left, Guido van Yperen, Mark Pijnappels, Joris Pardoel, Andries Wever, Alejandra Reynaldos Rojas, Robert Aalpol, Jasper Schmidt, Liesbeth Zwart, Nabil Chaouch, Matthijs Verhoef. (The photo was taken at the wedding of the Netherlands section’s past chairperson.)