OTC Event to Feature Israeli Technologies for the Oil & Gas Industry
The Offshore Technology Conference (OTC), held yearly in Houston Texas for over 40 years now (taking place May 4-8) is the world’s foremost event for the development of offshore resources in the fields of drilling, exploration, production, and environmental protection. Leveraging on the success of Israel’s first participation in the event last year, this year Israel NewTech, the Foreign Trade Administration and the Israel Export Institute have planned a series of events which will give Israeli companies unparalleled access the world’s largest and most powerful actors in the Oil & Gas arena.
We spoke with Niv Morag, Business Development Manager of the Water, Oil & Gas Sector at the Israel Export Institute, looking towards the event to take place this coming May 4-8. “OTC is the place to be for anyone interested in doing business in the oil & gas industry,” says Morag. “Over the last decade, Israel has itself entered the arena of oil & gas production, with major discoveries such as Tamar and Leviathan. These discoveries have brought major companies to Israel, such as Noble Energy, which formed Noble Israel. These partnerships create an opening for Israeli companies developing supporting technologies to reach out to oil & gas companies all over the world.”
How does this opportunity translate into practical execution? One example is an off-site technology event to take place during OTC hosted by Noble Israel and the global Noble Energy headquarters. At the event, Noble will introduce the Israeli companies to its subcontractors – huge companies such as Baker Hughes and Halliburton. “This type of access to major international players, under the umbrella of Noble Energy, is a tremendous opportunity for Israeli technology companies,” says Morag.
Adi Yefet, head of the water sector at Israel NewTech, adds “We at Israel NewTech have done a lot to locate and create opportunities for Israeli companies in new sectors. Perhaps the most relevant is the oil & gas sector, which makes massive use of water in its production processes. Advanced Israeli water technologies can make these processes more efficient in water consumption, energy consumption and more environmentally friendly. The potential for cooperation is huge, and already beginning to be realized.”
Israel will host a 200 meter Israeli national stand showcasing 18 Israeli companies. All the participating companies provide supporting technologies necessary in the oil & gas industry, including water solutions, IT, security and cyber security. Another key event will be a breakfast seminar hosted by Norway and featuring Israeli companies, to take place May 5th. The Norwegian delegation is one of the largest to attend OTC and features 200 companies. “The collaboration between Israel and Norway in the oil & gas arena began with an Israeli delegation we took to Norway in November 2013. The joint event builds on the relationship begun there, and we believe it will continue to create substantial business opportunities for Israeli companies,” adds Morag.
Organization of the events was spearheaded by the Israeli Economic Office in Houston under the leadership of Economic Officer Michal Nidam. Israel’s Economic Officers from the Netherlands, Brazil and Canada, as well as all 5 Officers in the U.S. were also involved in the planning, as well as representatives from Israel NewTech and the Israel Export Institute.
For more information on the Israeli delegation to OTC click here.
