The ninth Middle East Geosciences Conference and Exhibition (GEO 2010), which addresses the needs for an inventive approach to new technology, has opened in Bahrain.

More than 2,000 oil and gas professionals are taking part in GEO 2010, running until March 10 at the Bahrain International Exhibition and Convention Centre.

The exhibition, which runs alongside the four-day conference, will have 164 exhibitors from 27 countries.

"No other geosciences event brings together all the essential players focused on the future development of the Middle East's hydrocarbon resources," said Fawzi Al Shehabi, director of sales and marketing, Arabian Exhibition Management, the event organiser.

Oil and Gas Affairs Minister and National Oil and Gas Authority chairman Dr Abdulhussain Mirza said: "We have already seen signs of economic recovery in some countries which should signal the return of the ever increasing demand for energy resources.”

"Demand in China, India and Brazil will continue to rise significantly in the next 20 years, driven partly by rising personal incomes in these countries and the demand for greater personal mobility. This factor, in addition to others, will likely drive the oil and gas price upwards in the next two decades,” he added.

"It is clear that the world can use all the energy the industry can produce from oil, natural gas and alternative energy sources," he said.

"It is also clear that, for the next few decades, oil and gas will continue to be the primary energy source. The energy industry will have to continue increasing the supply of hydrocarbon fuels to meet global energy demand.

"The development of new oil and gas supplies will require substantial investment in technology, human resources and the creation of the proper business environment.

"This will require advancing the co-operation between international and national oil companies and host governments and the collaboration with service companies for finding innovative solutions to the currently faced technical challenges."

He said there were ample hydrocarbon resources to meet demand but that the industry would have to look to oil and natural gas volumes located in unconventional reservoirs such as heavy oil, oil shales, tight gas reservoirs and gas shales which were much bigger that what has been produced so far from conventional reservoirs.

"More focus on mature fields is needed and possibly re-engineering the entire field is required to increase and accelerate production and to identify bypassed reserves," he added.

GEO 2010 has been selected as the launch venue for a new exhibition entitled the Middle East Prospect Exhibition (Mepex 2010), which will run in tandem with GEO 2010.

"Our vision is to complement GEO by creating a Middle Eastern oil and gas marketplace," said Bapco action chief executive officer and Mepex 2010 chairman Faisal Al Mahroos.

"By bringing together prospects, properties, capital and industry services all in one location, we aspire to establish MEPEX as the region's prime E&P business event," Al Mahroos said. – TradeArabia News Service