REGINA - The Williston Basin Petroleum Conference (WBPC), one of North America’s pre-eminent gatherings in the energy sector, is back for its 29th event May 17 and 18.
The conference will take place at the Delta Regina Convention Centre and will explore opportunities and innovations in Saskatchewan’s energy industry, hosting more than 400 business and technical attendees from Canada and from around the world.
This year, the conference has seen a significant uptick in sales, with a sold-out exhibition and a 25 per cent increase in attendance over 2019. With a week still to go, the conference has over 325 registered delegates.
“It’s really exciting to be part of the conference this year,” said Ranjith Narayanasamy, CEO of the Petroleum Technology Research Centre, one of the conference organizers. “The WBPC is a great opportunity to network with attendees from around the world and to convey our own research in CCUS [carbon capture utilization and storage] and energy systems.”
As the world moves towards net zero, Saskatchewan’s energy research community leads the way, according to a press release for the event. WBPC is a showcase of this homegrown, world-class research and development.
This year’s theme is Energy from the Earth, and the conference will explore all subsurface possibilities, showcasing technical innovation around emissions reduction, carbon dioxide sequestration, enhanced oil recovery (EOR), helium, hydrogen and geothermal energy.
Innovations will be presented in heavy, light and tight oil, and in advanced energy systems and technologies.
Prominent speakers include addresses from Bronwyn Eyre, the Saskatchewan Minister of Energy and Resources, to open the conference; Premier Scott Moe with a keynote address before lunch on May 17, and Regina Mayor Sandra Masters, who opens the second day of the event.
The technical program themes reflect the changing landscape of energy and commodities in Saskatchewan, from methane emissions to geothermal energy, to CCUS, to new opportunities like machine learning in energy production.
To conclude the WBPC, a field tour is available to Estevan and Weyburn, starting with SaskPower’s carbon capture and storage facility at the Boundary Dam Power Station, followed by the Aquistore carbon dioxide injection/research site. Then it will conclude with Whitecap Resources’ CO2-EOR facility near Weyburn.
Registration and passes can be purchased online at www.wbpc.ca, or upon arrival at the Delta Marriot in Regina, but but fees go up for in-person registration so best to book on-line. Full technical and business programs along with speaker profiles can also be found at www.wbpc.ca.
