Page 14: of Offshore Engineer Magazine (Mar/Apr 2013)

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Opinion

ThoughtStream

Paolo Scaroni, Eni SpA

Eni renews MIT partnership

Eni recently renewed its energy world, we have been working on a is a partnership that generates research partnership with the system to clean-up oil spills more real innovations of real economic

E

Massachusetts Institute of ef? ciently using super-absorbent signi? cance.

Technology Energy Initiative materials. The way in which we work and (MITEI), establishing a new path The Eni E&P division is what we have achieved so far forward for this highly successful interested in exploring new means that we have great hopes for collaboration. This alliance research techniques for sustainable the next four years together. The provides an opportunity to bring exploitation of conventional and focus will be on generating new together Eni’s technology assets unconventional hydrocarbon ideas to improve the ef? ciency with MIT’s excellence in scienti? c sources, starting with novel and sustainability of the oil & gas and technological research. Our approaches and studies for industry and on maturing some goal is to develop innovative, improving subsurface description of the most important discoveries powerful tools, technologies, and and reservoir simulation. The made to date.

solutions to address global energy alliance will also extend to the ? Key areas of interest will cover needs and challenges. Eni G&P division, with a focus all aspects of our business – from Eni is a MITEI founding member, reservoir modeling and natural gas

MIT brings the best a key partner since shortly after distribution and storage to ‘green

MITEI’s launch and is also MITEI’s chemicals’ – by which we mean of academia and largest energy research sponsor. chemicals made out of biological a vocation to

Eni’s funding signi? cantly exceeds matter instead of fossil fuels.

the founding member support level ? At the same time, solar power broad-spectrum of US$5 million/year, advancing will continue to be a pillar of our innovation, while research projects that span the collaboration – we are intending to energy spectrum from traditional run pilot projects to develop ? exible

Eni brings 50 years of hydrocarbons to methane hydrates solar cells and build a prototype technical experience to solar energy. of a solar concentrator for steam and a pragmatic Over the past ? ve years we have generation.

had a number of great successes: We have a very exciting time focus.

? Solar power has been a key focus ahead of us. And on the back of a of the partnership through the on natural gas utilization with successful ? ve-year track record,

Eni-MIT Solar Frontiers Center, distributed generation, energy I have every con? dence that the and perhaps the most interesting storage, and renewables. Eni-MIT partnership will contribute innovation has been the technology As well as generating interesting to solving the energy challenges of to print solar cells on paper, making technological innovations, the today – and of tomorrow.

them ? exible, durable and cheap. Eni-MIT partnership has another ? The research effort has also great success to its name. We have has been CEO of

Paolo Scaroni focused on our traditional oil and developed a unique way of working Eni since June 2005. He graduated in gas activities. For instance, we together. MIT brings to the table the economics from the Università Luigi have developed a new integrated best of academia, and a vocation to Bocconi, Milan, and later earned modeling system which allows us broad-spectrum innovation, while an MBA from Columbia University, to better understand and develop Eni brings 50 years of technical New York. In November 2007, he hydrocarbon reservoir. And very experience and a pragmatic focus was decorated as an Of? cier of the importantly in a post-Macondo on industrial viability. The result Légion d’honneur.

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