Montevideo, November 24, 2017. The Regional Association of Oil, Gas and Biofuels Sector Companies in Latin America and the Caribbean (ARPEL) launched Innov@arpel, a virtual platform for innovation and technology developed with the objective of promoting the interaction between technology solutions providers and the operating companies in the energy sector, particularly oil and gas companies.

The event was attended by the President of ANCAP, Marta Jara; the Senior Vice President of Global Producing Assets, Roberto Díaz, and the International New Ventures Manager, Trey Meckel, both of Pluspetrol; the OAS Representative in Uruguay, Ricardo Domínguez; the General Secretary of CYTED (Ibero-American Program of Science and Technology for Development), Alberto Majó; the Head of the Area of Hydrocarbons, Arianna Spinelli, and the Directorate Adviser, Cecilia Diaz, both of the National Directorate of Energy; and the Executive Secretary of ARPEL, Jorge Ciacciarelli.

Participants from Argentina included the President of the Board of Directors of ARPEL and Reserves Auditor of YPF, Carlos Colo, and the General Manager of Y-TEC, Santiago Sacerdote. Also present at the event were the Director General of the Mexican Petroleum Institute, Ernesto Ríos Patrón, and from Brazil, the Country Manager of Spectrum, Joao Correa, and Giovanna Carneiro, Researcher of Schlumberger.

"In ARPEL we are facing a technological change that should be robust and lasting, aligned with the mission of promoting integration through the development of synergies among players, as well as the shared creation of values among members through the exchange and expansion of collective knowledge. The ARPEL platform opens a new paradigm for the generation of value by decentralizing processes, without intermediation, and connecting members directly," the President of the Board of Directors of ARPEL, Carlos Colo, stated.

Meanwhile, the President of ANCAP, Marta Jara, said "we must support the creation of an ecosystem that facilitates the exchange of information, because technologies are advancing at a rapid pace and we cannot be left behind. The creation of Innov@arpel will be very beneficial to bring together and promote ideas, projects and progress of the academia, companies and all professionals linked to the energy sector. In this and in all areas, innovation is fundamental to be increasingly competitive."

The General Manager of Y-TEC, Santiago Sacerdote, noted that "Innov@arpel is the invitation to create a space where we can meet to share the latest developments of our industry and also what capabilities we have. For a company like Y-TEC, with a vocation for international projection, a tool like Innov@arpel is part of the set of tools we need to connect ourselves with the environment. The open innovation model is not in dispute, it is impossible to think that an organization will face all its challenges with its own resources, we must all learn to share information on the problems we have, the uncertainties and doubts we have about the future, and to complement capabilities in order to shorten the times and the investment risk."

"One of the main characteristics of innovation today is that it is multidisciplinary, open, and multiplatform. The Mexican Petroleum Institute is deeply convinced that the articulation between the different stakeholders of the energy sector ecosystem, mainly technology developers and end users, is essential to strengthen the results of research, technological development, innovation, as well as their impact on the market," the Director General of the IMP, Ernesto Ríos Patrón, stated.

"A platform like Innov@arpel will promote innovation of high added value for the energy sector, because it considers the elements required to do this: exchange of experiences through interaction between the various stakeholders, creation of alliances to promote a collaborative development of new projects and access to the latest trends to allow accelerating the learning curve," Ríos Patrón concluded.

On the other hand, the Country Manager of Spectrum in Brazil, Joao Correa, said "at the beginning of the century, large service providers fostered products and services that allowed monitoring operations in real time, the multidisciplinary creation of collaborative teams. Undoubtedly, infinitely much more has been and is increasingly being created; today we are shipwrecked in a sea of information. Many problems today persist precisely because of the lack of communication and liaison between the parties," and added "I congratulate all those who contributed to the creation of something that has the potential to accelerate the development of our region through integration as a way to strengthen ourselves and help us to overcome the challenges of the 21st century."

Finally, the Production & Maintenance Corporate Manager of Pluspetrol, Ruben Ferrari, on behalf of this ARPEL member company stated: "In Pluspetrol we believe that the oil and gas industry needs profound changes that allow adapting rapidly to increasingly demanding and changing scenarios, such as low prices, maturity of assets, unconventional assets, offshore, costs, etc., where technological innovation plays a significant role. Innov@arpel serves as and provides a meeting point between the supply of available technologies and the demand of users in a simple and collaborative manner."

Through its various features, Innov@arpel (www.innovarpel.org) offers the possibility of exchanging experiences and knowledge, as well as obtaining references of technologies already implemented by other users. Similarly, it allows contacting other members that are developing new solutions or carrying out innovation projects together with other stakeholders of the sector. It also collects information on the latest trends in the sector and provides access to quality technical works.

“In ARPEL, we hope that in a short time this platform will bring together industry professionals, researchers and entrepreneurs, and will serve to foster the sustainable growth of the sector through the development and implementation of new technologies,” the Executive Secretary of ARPEL, Jorge Ciacciarelli, concluded.