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BP regional president Birrell elected to chair OGP

19 June 2013 13:19 (UTC+04:00)
BP regional president Birrell elected to chair OGP

The International Association of Oil & Gas Producers (OGP) has elected the regional president of BP for Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey Gordon Birrell to serve as Chair of its Management Committee, BP Azerbaijan reported on June 19.

He was elected at the Association's recent Annual General Meeting, held in Brisbane, Australia.

OGP's members include most of the world's leading publicly-traded, private and state-owned oil & gas companies, oil & gas associations and major upstream service companies. OGP members produce more than half the world's oil and about one third of its gas.

Birrell, who has represented BP on OGP's Management Committee for the past four years, became BP's Regional President for Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey in 2012. Previously, during the course of a career that spans more than a quarter-century in the upstream oil and gas industry, Birrell held a variety of senior roles with special focus on the management of safety, operational risk and production both onshore and offshore.

He is a chartered engineer, a Fellow of the Institute of Engineering and Technology and has an MBA from Warwick University.

Commenting on his new OGP role, Birrell stressed the upstream oil and gas industry's responsibility in helping to meet growing worldwide energy demand over the next decades in a safe and environmentally responsible manner.

"As the world's population increases from 7 billion today to 9 billion by 2040, we will need 35 percent more energy, much of it for electricity and transport in the non-OECD countries. During that time, developments in nuclear power and renewables notwithstanding, oil will remain the most important global fuel, with natural gas overtaking coal as the second most important source of energy,' Birrell said.

"Fortunately, there is enough oil and gas in reservoirs both onshore and offshore to satisfy the world's demands and expectations. It is the role of OGP, with its emphasis on safety and sustainability, to help enable exploration and production for the benefit of society. In this way, the Association is dedicated to renewing, prolonging and expanding the industry's license to operate," he added.

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