Hydro is the main sponsor and also has a stand and several speakers at the oil conference at St. Petersburg this week.
"We have seen how the standard of this exhibition and conference has improved from year to year. In a few years it will be of the same calibre as the ONS in Stavanger and the OTC in Houston," said Arvid Halvorsen at the opening of the oil exhibition on Tuesday.
Halvorsen leads Hydro's Moscow office and has business responsibility for oil and gas operations in Russia.
Hydro is the main sponsor for the conference "Development of the Russian Arctic Offshore" and the exhibition "CIS Offshore".
Both the speakers and the personnel manning Hydro's stand are keen to spread information on Hydro's expertise in field development and offshore technology.
An interesting stand
Hydro's stand has a central position in the exhibition. A DVD film on Hydro is shown on a flat screen, with particular focus on technological solutions on Troll Oil and Ormen Lange. The public's interest is also drawn by a quiz and mini golf.
"There have been lots of visitors and we have professional people to receive them. The activities at the stand get people involved and give them the opportunity to learn more about the company," says Per Gamre, who is in charge of Exploration and Production International's operation in Northwest Russia.
Collaboration in the north
Arvid Halvorsen's opening lecture focused on the prospects for Norwegian-Russian collaboration in the Barents Sea and the northern areas. He also presented the contractor survey Hydro has carried out with a view to qualifying Russian contractors.
The other speakers from Hydro were Anders Henriksson, Odd Bye and Vitaly Kokin. Henriksson presented Hydro's work as operator for the development of the Ormen Lange field, and Bye presented operations on the Terra Nova field offshore Canada.
Vitaly Kokin's contribution was published as a written report on the Norwegian authorities' organization of petroleum operations.