Eivind Reiten addresses ONS audience

On Tuesday August 24, the 16th Offshore Northern Seas Conference (ONS) was kicked off in Stavanger. President and CEO of Hydro, Eivind Reiten, was one of the main speakers at the formal opening, addressing the challenge of future energy supplies. "To provide the world with energy is a tremendous challenge," Reiten said.

The bi-annual Offshore Northern Seas conference is the largest of its kind in Europe, gathering politicians, government officials and representatives from the oil and gas industry from more that 90 nations. ‘Shaping our energy future’ is the title of this year’s conference.

HM King Harald formally opened the ONS 2004 conference, followed by opening remarks by the Chair of the ONS 2004 Conference Committee, Anne Drinkwater from BP, and Norwegian Prime Minister Kjell Magne Bondevik. Following Jeroen van der Veer, Chairman of Royal Dutch Shell Group, CEO Eivind Reiten was next on stage.

“The world’s demand for energy will nearly double in the coming decades. Each year we need to provide energy to 85 million more people. That is 250,000 new energy customers each day. People who want the same as us: light, heating, cooking facilities, mobility and transportation,” Reiten said.

“Affordable energy will be needed to ensure social progress and welfare. Failure to meet this need for energy is not an option. Neither companies nor governments can ignore this obligation. The challenge is tremendous. The investments needed are overwhelming; and the need for creativity, competency and courage seems endless.”

Following his introductory remarks, Eivind Reiten was one of five participants in a panel discussion moderated by Lord Moynihan, former UK Minister of Energy.

See also:

The ONS 2004 website

The oil conference in Stavanger is an important meeting place, with Hydro is playing an active role. The conference and exhibition is expected to attract 27,000 visitors. In addition to CEO Eivind Reiten’s presentation and participation in the panel discussion at the official inauguration, the project director for the Ormen Lange project Tom Røtjer and the head of Oseberg, Øystein Michelsen, will host a press meeting on Thursday at which Ormen Lange and Oseberg will be the main topics. Hydro is present with a 180 square metre stand. Additionally, Hydro will be an active player on Friday, targeting the younger generation of the oil and gas industry. Hydro representatives will also spend a good deal of time during the ONS on international business development.