The integrated management of reservoirs, whose purpose is to optimize the exploitation of oil and gas fields throughout their productive life, was the main topic of the 88th Meeting of Experts (RANE) of ARPEL, which took place November 9 - 10 in Lima, Peru.

Organized by the Regional Association of Oil, Gas and Biofuels Sector Companies in Latin America and the Caribbean (ARPEL), with the sponsorship of Petroperú and the support of the Peruvian Society of Hydrocarbons (SPH), this event brought together professionals, technicians and academic researchers specialized in the field, who exchanged experiences, presented case studies and analyzed the most recent technologies for integrated management of reservoirs.

"The current situation of low oil prices leads us to reconsider how fields are being operated, and it is here where we find opportunities to be more efficient in the management of reservoirs. Innovation, synergies and the use of state-of-the-art technology are indispensable tools for the development of reserves and their progression, thus achieving the sustained growth of the business," Luis García Rosell, General Manager of Petroperú, said at the opening ceremony of the meeting.

"We are confident that these technical sessions will help us to develop new projects for the growth of the exploration and production sectors in the region," he added.

Rafael Zoeger, President of Perupetro, warned that one of the great challenges of the country is to broaden its exploration horizon: "We have areas hardly explored or not explored at all, and we need to have a new map of hydrocarbon potential opportunities to optimize their use and improve the perception of investors regarding the prospects of our oil basins. We need a deep change in our exploratory policy, and actively promoting the identification of potential hydrocarbon resources that could become reserves after exploration must be a priority."

Zoeger also noted the importance of linking the academic development to the needs of the industry: "We need to encourage young people to do research with a focus on meeting the new challenges posed by the energy sector of our country."

Ruben Ferrari, Operations Manager of Pluspetrol, closed the opening session emphasizing the importance of sharing knowledge through these exchange opportunities which allow creating synergy among specialists, companies and organizations of the sector.

The two-day event covered six broad topics: Revitalization of mature fields, Reservoir monitoring, Reserve management, Reservoir evaluation, Gas and gas + condensate reservoir management, and Research and development and deployment. These issues are currently framed within the growing challenge of management of reservoirs, a crucial area for successful E&P companies that develop significant hydrocarbon projects in the region.

At the closing ceremony, Ronald Egúsquiza, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Peruvian Society of Hydrocarbons, referred to the current stage of structural change in the industry, where the level of prices is only a reflection of supply and demand factors. "The greater share of other sources of energy is no more than the reflection of this structural change. In this context, this RANE has remarked how to optimize the exploitation of hydrocarbon resources as a mechanism to be more efficient and competitive," said Egúsquiza.

"We still have to apply the tools considered in this meeting, manage the recovery factor and take into account the fact that we need to have low costs in order to remain within the industry," he added.

To end the event, Miguel Moyano, Upstream Director of ARPEL, noted that "five out of ten companies consider that increasing cooperation with other players in the industry is the highest priority to maintain innovation in an environment of adjusted costs such as the one we are living. This is precisely the task of ARPEL: developing partnerships and promoting the exchange of knowledge and experience in key areas among its member companies, which produce more than 90 % of the total hydrocarbons in Latin America and the Caribbean.

"Improvement in the access to potential reserves and to their development is one of the main incentives for investment in innovation and transfer of knowledge in our industry," he added. The RANE on "Management of Reservoirs" is an ARPEL technical event held every two years, whose venue rotates through different countries in Latin America and the Caribbean. The first edition was held in Argentina in 2014, followed by Lima in this opportunity.

The next edition will be in 2018.