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August 26, 2014
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Interview Mark Hodgson, VP, Bankers Petroleum Albania

 

 

IRN interviews Mark Hodgson,
VP, Business Development and Deputy General Director of
Bankers Petroleum Albania

Bankers Petroleum, today, is the largest E&P Company in Albania, contributing almost 40% of the country’s Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), investing over $1.4 billion in its Albanian operations over the past ten years. Their main asset in Albania, Patos-Marinza, is Europe’s largest onshore field. By focusing on implementing international standards for environmental, health and safety practices, Bankers has been able to remediate much of the pollution and contamination left from previous operators over the 85 year life of the field.Bankers Petroleum is a gold sponsor of this year’s Balkans and the Adriatic Oil & Gas Summit and IRN has secured an interview from the company to give you some pre-summit insights that will enhance your Summit experience.

Describe your experience in Albania so far in terms of human resources and expertise; governmental relations, and hydrocarbon prospectivity.“Bankers recently celebrated its 10-year anniversary of operating in Albania. In those ten years we’ve grown production to over 21,000 barrels of oil per day, more than at any other time in the 85 year history of the Patos-Marinza field. We currently employ approximately 500 staff directly and 1700 indirectly in Albania. In 2014, Bankers will contribute approximately $100 million to the Albanian Government in royalty tax payments, making Bankers the largest single tax contributor in the country. All of these numbers will grow alongside the company as we continue deliver steady reliable production growth for many years to come. As the largest foreign direct investor in the country, Bankers is committed to being the partner of choice for the country of Albania.“
 

What does the future hold for Bankers Petroleum in Albania?

         “At Bankers, we remain focused on our three part strategy to deliver steady and reliable production growth of 10–15% per year through the development drilling program, expanding product margins through surface-level improvements, and continuing to validate enhanced oil recovery pilots in the field.“

Any international plans ahead for more activities in the Balkans region?

         “Currently we are focusing on the tremendous opportunity of our legacy asset, the Patos-Marinza oilfield.   There are a variety of techniques that can be applied to this one field to increase the productivity.  Bankers does have two other assets in country, Block F & Kuçova, both of which will draw capital and operationally support our activities at Patos-Marinza. “

Could you give us a brief overview of your current activities in Albania?

         “Bankers is a producer of heavy oil, with all of our current production coming from the Patos-Marinza oilfield which is the largest onshore oilfield in Europe. In 2014 we plan to drill between 150-170 horizontal wells, approximately a third of all oil wells drilled in onshore Europe this year. In addition to the horizontal development, Bankers is investing in infrastructure to facilitate current and future growth, as well as application of proven technologies in enhanced oil recovery which could lead to significant new reserves being booked within the field over the years to come. “

What should we expect to hear about from Bankers at the Balkans Summit?

         “We are excited to share the story of our experience as the largest foreign direct investor and oilfield operator in Albania. Bankers plays a large role in the Balkan energy sector as the operator of the largest onshore oilfield in Europe, drilling 1/3 wells in onshore Europe and delivering consistent production growth from a field that was discovered in the 1920’s. Bankers brings international standards of operation and environmental practices to Albania and works alongside the communities in which it operates to improve the local economy and infrastructure. We are committed to being the partner of choice for the country and for the communities in which we have a privilege of operating nearby.“

 

To receive the latest agenda reply to this email with
‘more info Balkans’
in the subject line.

Join us at the 3rd Balkans and the Adriatic Oil & Gas Summit on 1st-3rd October in the Hotel Grande Bretagne in Athens to hear exclusive presentations from Bankers Petroleum, and other E&P operators as well as Governmental Officials.You will have the chance to personally speak with the senior level executives attending the Summit during the private gala dinner; the roof-garden drinks reception (sponsored by Aggreko); and the coffee breaks (sponsored by Weatherford and Spectrum).

How to get involved:Download the booking form

Email us at info@irn-international.com

Call us on +44 20 7111 1615

Fax us on +44 207 183 7945

Looking forward to meeting you in Athens! Best wishes,

Xenia Sapanidi
Marketing Manager
Mail: XeniaS@irn-international.com
Tel: +44 (0) 207 111 1615
IRN

For every day updates follow us on Twitter @IRN_OilandGas or look for news with the hash tag #balkanssummit and join our LinkedIn Groups: The Oil & Gas Network , Balkans Oil & Gas.

July 31, 2014
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PV Calculator

Open now PV Calculator

PVCAL

1. Rentability and annual electricity production of a grid connected PV system
2. Knowing the PV power (Wp) which battery capacity (Ah) ?
3. Knowing the battery capacity (Ah) which PV power (Wp) ?
4. Knowing the electricity demand (Wh) which PV power and battery capacity (Wp, Ah) ?
Calculations serve as a guide and may vary depending on system quality, PV technology or ventilation (mounting system).
Rough calculation for reference data: inclination 30° and southern exposure of the system. Should there be any departure from the reference data, one should correct the results in accordance with the table below, decreasing the efficiency in per cents.
July 30, 2014
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ITE Group

ITE_LogoITE organises exhibitions and conferences for a range of industry sectors. Some events are very broad in their appeal, others are focused, niche events.While there is a great deal of expertise throughout the group in the following areas, ITE is constantly researching new ideas for exhibitions in these and other sectors..

We are one of the world’s leading organisers of international trade exhibitions and conferences and specialise in organising events in growing and developing markets. These events help to connect your business to the world.

We organise over 230 exhibitions and conferences each year worldwide. We have many market leading events and well known brands in key industry sectors.

Our product range of annual events includes everything from niche specialist conferences through to globally significant trade fairs with mass appeal and influence.

ITE Group PLC
105 Salusbury Road
London NW6 6RG

Tel:      +44 (0) 20 7596 5087
Fax:      +44 (0) 20 7596 5112
Email: richard.wightman@ite-exhibitions.com

www.ite-exhibitions.com

July 30, 2014
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Solar Panel Orientation East/West

If the roof of your property is facing east/west then don’t worry it does not mean you cannot have solar panels. The system will still produce a good amount of electricity or hot water but you may have to think about the way you are going to set-up this type of system.

As you can see below there is a house that has solar panels on it that faces east/west. I have seen systems fitted like this and there is nothing to say it cannot be or should not be done this way, in some cases there may be no way round it.

Print

There has be research and documentation to show that splitting the system down is the way to go, especially if you are using electricity/hot water in the morning and later in the evening. In a 4kW system that had 16 panels this would mean putting 8 panels on one side of the roof and 8 panels on the other side (8 East/8 West). If it was a hot water system consisting of two panels we would put one on each roof.

This means that the system at any part of the day will be benefiting from direct sun light (if it is a clear day) as the sun travels around the building one side will always be getting direct irradiation from the sun. research has been conducted which shows that there is actually only a small reduction in overall power generation from East and West facing arrays. Power generation (depending upon roof incline) can be only 14% less per year, see the diagram below.

One thing to remember though in a situation like this with Solar photovoltaic s is to go for an inverter or inverters that will make use of this split in system. As you may know from reading the solar panel buyers guide is that there is a relationship between panels where they can effect each others performance. If a few solar panels are in a string together and one is shaded it will be producing less and this can effect the other panels.

When setting out a system like this you would really want to look at inverter types, if you use a single inverter it will probably best to have a duel inverter so it can process two string independently.

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July 30, 2014
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Solar Panel Orientation

Orientation of your property is very important in being able to figure out what your solar panel system will produce. The government have something called a SAP calculation(Standard Assessment Procedure) and there is one for solar PV and solar thermal systems.

Both of these take into account the orientation of the panels that you propose to fit, the figures of what the panels produce will change depending on this. First thing to take into account is which way the panels will face.

PrintIf you look at the diagram above (4kW system – 16 x 250w panels) you will see that the optimum direction is south. There is not a massive drop production if they where facing East or West, but the further off south you go the figures will come down slightly. If you go round to North then you can see there is a significant drop in production. The figures installers give you will be based on its nearest directional point, either:

  • South
  • South East/West
  • East/West
  • North East/West
  • North

Next is the pitch, a factor in production too, whether it be the pitch of the roof or the bracket you are fixing the panels too (flat roof). The optimum pitch is around  30 degrees and you will see that in the diagram above it mentions the panels being at that pitch with the direction they are facing.

roof-pitch
You can see the roof  to the right is 30 degrees, the optimum but the left roof is at 45 degrees. If we changed the roof pitch to 45 degrees in our first image above it would now look like this (see below – figures come down). If we change the pitch higher or lower, so the figures change.

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As you can see the pitch of the panels and there direction make changes to what they will produce. Below is the table for calculating the solar panel annual kWh/m2 (kilowatt hours per square meter) set out by the governments SAP calculation. Don’t worry to much about this as not many people are spot on south at 30 degrees, we are just showing you how it is worked out.

annual-solar-radiation-sap2009

July 24, 2014
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GUIDE TO BUSINESS PLANNING

GUIDE TO BUSINESS PLANNING

GUIDE TO BUSINESS PLANNING

 

This book is designed for those with an inspired idea who wish to translate it into a successful new business or incorporate it in an existing business. Usually, the first challenge for those who want to get a business idea off the ground is securing funding. Any investor or those in an existing business with responsibility for approving new initiatives will invariably insist upon seeing a business plan before they approve any investment. The business plan, besides being a prerequisite for gaining access to finance, also provides the blueprint for successfully creating and running the new venture. This book describes a business planning process that will support the preparation of a compelling business plan and the creation of a successful business.

[gview file=”https://info.aea-al.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/Guide_to_Business_Planning.pdf” save=”1″]