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Source:
Borneo Bulletin
Date: Tuesday, May 27, 2008
By: James Kon
The
Minister of Energy at the Prime
Minister's Office Pehin Orang Kaya Seri
Utama Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Yahya
Bin Begawan Mudim Dato Paduka Hj Bakar
yesterday spoke of the importance of
fossil fuel to the nation saying that it
will remain the energy of choice for
most countries in the world. Brunei
Darussalam generates 100 per cent of its
electricity from fossil fuels, he added.
The Minister made this observation in
his welcoming remarks at the First
International Conference on the
Institution of Engineering and
Technology Brunei Darussalam Network
held yesterday at the Rizqun
International Hotel.
"The country has yet to utilise
alternative sources of energy. Wind is
not strong enough to harness wind power.
"Brunei is trying to explore the
possibilities of setting up a solar farm
generating one Megawatt capacity while
Brunei has done some studies in hydro
energy in Temburong. But the project
will not be acceptable on environmental
grounds and the amount of energy
produced would have a big impact on the
economy," he added.
However he said, "There is a silver
lining, for we can say is that with the
oil price increasing, it now has become
economical for those fields and
reservoirs that remained uneconomical,
to put on stream."
"It becomes economical for us to go into
hitherto uneconomical fields. It is
possible for us to go into deeper and
unconnected fields."
Outlining the bleak and dramatic
development in the global energy market
the Minister said: "Firstly we are
witnessing an unprecedented rise in the
price of crude oil. Despite the huge
hikes in price, it has failed to dampen
the demand and has failed to induce more
supply of crude oil into the market and
there seems to be no sign that the
prices will be stabilising soon."
"Secondly, in some places oil and gas
fields are getting more and more
difficult to develop. We are now going
into deeper water and onto ultra deep
horizon involving higher temperature,
higher pressure and uncharted
conditions. The days of easy oil are
said to have gone by.
"Thirdly, exploration and development
costs are also on the rise. Rigs rental
and steel prices are going up on average
200 per cent or more over the last five
years. Similarly there is now very
strong competition for skilled workers
especially those of subsurface
disciplines.
"Fourthly, we are expected to keep
relying on fossil fuel well into 2030.
The contribution from alternative energy
resources such as solar, wind, tidal and
bio fuels are still far too small to
challenge the dominant fossil fuels. We
are yet to see a convenient and safe
alternative to fossil fuels for
transportation, and transportation
accounts for most of the demand for
fossil fuels. We can't put hydrogen fuel
on an aeroplane because its unsound and
its combustion fuel, we still have to
rely on fossil fuels.
"The bleak conditions and the concerns
over the security of supply mean that
both energy exporting and importing
countries must take a strategic approach
to energy management that is both
sustainable and achievable. This brings
us back to the theme of this conference,
"Sustainable energy management in the
era of information and communication
technology".
Speaking on the theme of the conference
the minister said, "Sustainable energy
management itself requires us to devote
our efforts to finding new methods of
energy production and improving the
efficiency of existing systems. It
requires us to address issues such as
the social and environmental aspects of
energy use as well as the economic,
policy and technical aspects of
conventional and sustainable energy
generation and use.
"Secondly, advances in technology,
including information and communication
technology, plays a very important role
in all stages of the energy cycle from
production of source of energy to
consumption of energy. For example in
the production of oil and gas, we know
that the recovery factor or the amount
of oil we can recover, from an oil field
using its nature pressure or drive is on
average about 30 per cent. We need
technology to recover the remaining oil
in those pressure-depleted reservoirs.
"Technology, information and
communication included, is only a tool.
It is of little or of no use at all, if
we do not have the right people to
utilise and operate it. The development
of qualified and experienced manpower is
therefore crucial."
Organised by the Institution of
Engineering and Technology Brunei
Darussalam Network, The 1st
International Conference will run from
May 26 to May 28 2008 at the Rizqun
International Hotel.
Also present at the ceremony were Hj
Abdul Rahman bin Hj Modin, the chairman
of the conference and other members of
the Institution of Engineering and
Technology Brunei Darussalam Network. |
