We would like to thank you for contribution to the South Baltic Gas Forum
The idea behind the South Association Forum FSA - September 2011 2011 was to form a rich in essence platform for exchanging opinions, ideas and concepts relating to structural changes in the world-wide, national and Pomeranian gas-based energy landscape. The SBGF showed the strength of the cooperation between the Pomeranian academia, business and local government as well as their willingness to actively participate in shaping of the trends in the 21st Century and not just merely observe and adapt to changes.
The significance of conventional gas sources to the economy is undisputed. However, recent development strategies of the economy and of the energy sector started to take into consideration unconventional gas sources such as shale gas and biogas of industrial, municipal and agricultural source. Around the latter two many discrepancies and issues arose for the past few years making a sensible debate impossible. Many of these doubts were resolved during the Conference.
The First day, (Monday, 5th September) inaugurated the SBGF with a Strategic Session of politicians, businessmen, scientists and representatives of local government. Lively and productive discussion was dominated by the notion that the gas sector offers the Pomerania and Poland in general, particular chance for the development. However, hazards and risks should be carefully recognized and studied.
The Second day (Thursday, 6th September) was dedicated to shale gas production. Thanks to the presence of TerraTek and Schlumberger experts, technical aspects of estimating the potential of gas deposits were discussed from the scientific and practical point of view. Experiences of Canadian and American companies (Talisman Energy, BNK) in drilling, hydraulic fracturing and cooperation with local government were presented.
Adequate management of conventional and unconventional sources of gas was the subject, dealt very often with very little attention, of the Forum's third day (Wednesday, 7th September). Renowned experts from the Pomerania (Pomeranian Gas Company, the Gdansk University of Technology), Cracow (the AGH University of Science and Technology) and also from abroad (Stanford University, USA) took part in a panel on gas storage technologies (sub-surface storage caverns), gas transportation (intelligent grid) and the use (heat and power plants, chemical plants) of produced gas.
The fourth day (Thursday, 8th September) was coordinated by the Szewalski Institute of Fluid Flow Machinery of the Polish Academy of Sciences. That day was dominated by the issues of biogas production and use. In a parallel session a map of the latest developments in biogas development technologies in Poland and in the Baltic Sea Region was presented. The second parallel session was dedicated to discussion on the experiences in designing and supporting the biogas technology from the national, regional and local perspectives.
Course of the Conference made it clear, that the Pomeranian universities and companies are ready to engage in the development of innovative technologies (shale gas, biogas smart grid), as well as high-tech solutions in infrastructure and organization (containers, grids, heat and power plants). The local government sensibly supports the exploration of the shale gas and the biogas production, strictly calling for the conservation of the nature and landscape. The Gdansk University of Technology modernizes its laboratories to conduct advanced researches and opens new specialization (Natural Resources Engineering) in order to promote appropriately educated professionals. A need for setting up companies cooperating in the sector of services for the gas industry was also highlighted.
From the response of participants, the organizers are assuming that the Conference further raised the need and willingness for cooperation in the triangle of business, academia and local government and also fixed the direction of action towards a more certain energy security of a country functioning in the EU. Education and training components focused not only on a technical but also on socio-economic aspects, undoubtedly important in the realization of gas projects.
