Sarah Gasda highlighted the importance of collaboration at the Joint National Petrocentre Energy Conference- https://jnpc.no/ , saying, “CSSR is really proud to have joined forces with LowEmission and NCS2030. Together we make a strong case for the importance of long-term petroleum research to solve the grand challenges in climate and energy security. Besides collaboration and deeper insights into the three centres, it was also an opportunity for the masters and PhD students to build their networks and showcase their work.”
Day 1: Strategic Partnerships & Innovation
The first day focused on strategic partnerships and maximizing the impact of innovations from the three petroleum research centres. Rune Volla (The Research Council of Norway) and Ann-Cathrin Vaage (Offshore Norge) kicked off by highlighting the role of research in low-emission technologies. Volla emphasized their strong academic and industrial contributions, while Vaage pointed to Norway’s potential to boost EU energy security. Ola Elvestuen (Venstre) stressed the urgency of faster emission cuts and aligning with EU climate efforts.
Leaders from the host institutions—Alexandra Bech Gjørv (SINTEF), Camilla Stoltenberg (NORCE Norwegian Research Centre), and Merete Vadla Madland (Universitetet i Stavanger (UiS)—shared insights into research collaboration.
Centre directors Stefania Osk Gardarsdottir( LowEmission), Sarah Gasda(CSSR), and Alejandro Escalona(NCS2030) – provided overviews of their centres’ achievements. Elisabeth Sæther (Energidepartementet (Norge)) discussed the historical and future roles of petroleum research in Norway. The day ended with a panel discussion featuring key NCS stakeholders:
Nick Ashton (Equinor)
Linda Vigdel (SLB)
Arne T Jacobsen (Sokkeldirektoratet)
Kjell Morisbak Lund (Petoro)
Thanks to Karoline Ski for moderating Day 1. In the evening, we enjoyed a delicious dinner at the Hotel Opera.
Day 2: Technical Deep Dive
Day 2 focused on technical details. It started with a PhD poster presentation breakfast and a keynote by Asgeir Tomasgard (NTNU). Researchers presented their ongoing work across five sessions:
- Energy efficiency and CO₂ emissions from surface facilities
- Reservoir management strategies for reducing CO₂ emissions
- Digitalisation for optimized energy solutions
- Alternative energy sources and holistic NCS transformation
- Offshore carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS)
Conclusion
The event showcased the power of collaboration in addressing climate and energy security challenges.
CSSR presentation:
| Reinjection of produced water: Filter cake build up and energy usage-Ketil Djurhuus (NORCE) |
| A tool for screening thr CO2 storage potential of petroleum reservoirs on the NCS-Alexey Khrulenko (NORCE) |
| Underground hydrogen storage and microbial challenges –Verena Nikeleit (NORCE) |
| Closed-loop Workflow for Short term Optimization of Wind-powered Reservoir Management- Mathias Methlie Nilsen (UiB/NORCE) |
| Accelerated data assimilation using machine learning- Antoine Lechevallier (NORCE) |
Photos by Kjersti Riiber of University of Stavanger
Thanks to The Research Council of Norway for hosting and thanks to Universitetet i Stavanger (UiS) – NORCE Norwegian Research Centre – SINTEF