Press releases
The Annual Caspian Technical Conference celebrates its 10th edition in Baku, Azerbaijan
Baku, Azerbaijan – 22 November 2023 – The 10th edition of the prestigious SPE Annual Caspian Technical Conference opened its doors yesterday at the JW Marriott Absheron in Baku, Azerbaijan. Running from November 21 to 23, the conference and exhibition gathered over 500 industry experts from 87 organisations and 24 countries to share insights on enhancing efficiency, cost reduction, environmental performance improvement, and potential skills shortages.
The event opened with remarks from Babak Huseynov, Conference Chairman and Vice President of SOCAR, and Olivier Houzé, 2025 SPE President, Co-founder, and Managing Director of KAPPA. Mr. Huseynov emphasised the critical role of technical events like this conference in providing a platform for sharing knowledge, success stories, and lessons learned. He highlighted the impact of the collective spirit shared at the event on shaping the future of oil & gas exploration, production, and sustainability and the pivotal role played by SPE in advancing regional initiatives.
The Executive Plenary Session, moderated by Denis Borodenok, Director, Middle East and Caspian Regions at Gaffney Cline, delved into the global energy challenge – the Energy Trilemma. Keynote speakers included Ali Al Jarwan, CEO, Dragon Oil; Ismadi Ismail, CEO, Petronas Turkmenistan; Colin Alan, Vice-President Finance, BP; Emmanuel De-Guillebon, Managing Director and Country Chair, TotalEnergies; and Asif Zeynalov, CEO, GL. They stressed the importance of the Caspians world-class infrastructure, sustainable progression, and strategic importance.
With its substantial energy resources, logistical developments, and wind/solar potential, it stands as an attractive destination for regional and global investments. Energy sourced from the Caspian not only ensures energy security locally but also extends to benefit European counterparts.
This year's event, hosted by SOCAR, the state oil company, and supported by BP, TotalEnergies, Tengizchevroil, DeGolyer and MacNaughton, Chevron, SLB, Equinor, GL, EI Group and Arlitech Technology Solutions, offers an exceptional technical programme, expert panel sessions on regional challenges, and unmatched networking opportunities with upstream E&P professionals. The programme addresses the current climate, providing crucial discussions for investors, operators, service companies, and government entities in the region.
To find out more about SPE’s 10th Annual Caspian Technical Conference, please visit: https://www.spe-events.org/caspian/welcome
About SPE
The Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) is a not-for-profit professional association whose members are engaged in energy resources development and production. SPE serves more than 119,000 members in 138 countries worldwide. SPE is a key resource for technical knowledge related to the oil and gas exploration and production industry and provides services through its publications, events, training courses, and online resources at www.spe.org.