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By Itzhak Rabihiya

The Israel Innovation Authority Holds Second Conference on Digitization and Automation in the Gas and Oil Industries.  ‘Israeli innovation in oil and gas technology is just beginning,’ Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz says at conference, also urging more exploration for gas fields in Israeli waters

 Israel and the US are setting up a joint R&D center to focus on technologies to make the oil and gas sector more efficient, Israel’s Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz said at a conference in Tel Aviv on Monday (24.6.2019). “Israeli innovation in oil and gas technology is just beginning,” Steinitz said at the conference, according to a statement. “Many Israeli startups are focused on energy in general, and oil and gas in particular, and we are confident that the traditional oil and gas industry can benefit from Israeli innovation, research and development.”

The Israel Innovation Authority hold the second annual conference on Digitization and Automation in the Gas and Oil Industries in Tel Aviv. The conference has drawn senior officials from the local and global oil and gas industries, and representatives from more than 150 Israeli technology companies. This year’s event comes as the global oil and gas industries are undergoing a process of innovation and accelerated streamlining amid tightening environmental regulations and a drop in the price of crude oil.

Opening speakers included Dr. Yuval Steinitz, Israeli Minister of Energy; Dan Brouillette, Deputy Secretary of the US Department of Energy; and Dr. Ami Appelbaum, Chairman of the Israel Innovation Authority and Chief Scientist at the Israeli Ministry of Economy and Industry.

The conference is a platform for oil and gas companies to discuss industry challenges and opportunities, and for Israeli technology companies to showcase potential solutions across a wide range of fields, including automation and digitization, analytics, AI & machine learning, deep learning, machine vision, AR/VR, scalable computing systems, cloud environments, unmanned systems, blockchain, industrial cyber security, and more.

A major focus of the conference is the transition to clean energy sources and the place of gas and oil companies in a world where renewable energy accounts for a growing share of the global energy economy. The conference will touch on the many opportunities this creates for companies specializing in renewable energy, energy storage, energy management, and more.

The conference will also focus on the wider digital aspects of the oil and gas industries, encompassing hardware and software related to multiple tiers of activity. This includes the technology and systems that collect data in different levels of resolution and formats, transferring this data across differing conditions and communication channels, ending with technologies to process and analyze the data to distill it into business insights. In addition, the conference will deal with the automation of systems and industry processes, including a reference to autonomous and robotic technological systems.

Dr. Yuval Steinitz, Israeli Minister of Energy, said at the opening of the conference, “Israeli innovation in oil and gas technology is just beginning. Many Israeli startups are focused on energy in general, and oil and gas in particular, and we are confident that the traditional oil and gas industry can benefit from Israeli innovation, research and development. I am also pleased to announce that we are establishing an R&D Excellence Center with the US to focus on oil and gas efficiencies. We are confident that new discoveries are waiting, and we encourage new collaborations between Israeli high tech and the global energy industry. In addition, I encourage more global oil and gas companies to explore the rest of our economic waters. What has been found is just the tip of the iceberg.”

Dan Brouillette, Deputy Secretary, US Department of Energy, said at the opening of the conference, “This conference is special in providing a great opportunity for the US, Israel and other governments to exchange ideas and address mutual challenges in innovation and cyber security. The DoE is on the front lines of cyber protection for US critical infrastructure and it’s vital to understand how cyber fits into the landscape of energy. We continue to look for solutions that can be applied globally as we focus on ensuring access to energy sources and enhancing energy security. We must leverage our collective expertise, experience and resources, and this includes collaborating with allies such as Israel. We value our partnership with Israel and look forward to the opening of the US-Israel Center of Excellence which will foster dialogue focusing on water, energy and security.”

Dr. Ami Appelbaum, Chairman of the Israel Innovation Authority and Chief Scientist of the Israeli Ministry of Economy and Industry, said, “This conference reflects the Israel Innovation Authority’s commitment to developing a local ecosystem with deep knowledge in the field of energy in general, and oil and gas in particular. There is an extensive technological services industry surrounding the global oil and gas industry, generating hundreds of billions of dollars annually. The increasing demand for innovative technologies and groundbreaking solutions constitutes a great opportunity to involve Israel’s tech industry in the global oil and gas industries. Moreover, Israeli technology has a key role to play in the transition to a low-carbon economy. The Israel Innovation Authority will continue to encourage and support Israeli companies developing innovative products for the energy industry, while cooperating with local and global oil, gas and energy firms.”

Gil Shaki, Senior Director of Energy, Sustainability and Infrastructure at the Israel Innovation Authority, said, “The oil and gas markets offer tremendous opportunities for Israel’s tech industry. But the industry isn’t taking sufficient advantage of these opportunities, mainly because Israel’s industrial community is unaware of them or lacks knowledge of how the oil and gas industry operates. The goal of this conference is to increase dialogue between global oil and gas companies and Israeli tech companies regarding the challenges in the industry and the innovative solutions that can address them. This will help establish a new engine of growth for Israel’s technology ecosystem, as it integrates into the global oil and gas industry.”

According to data from the Israel Innovation Authority, there are more than 200 companies in Israel that make products or supply services to the oil and gas industries. Most of these companies are active in six main subfields: engineering and construction, control and monitoring, communication and software, advanced security services, water and environment, and counselling and services.

Attached photo credit: David Azagury, US Embassy, Israel