Tulsa to host major energy conference in April
BY ROD WALTON World Staff Writer
Wednesday, December 05, 2012
Tulsa, which already lays claim as one of the nation’s top oil and gas cities, will play host to a major energy conference this spring, local officials said Wednesday.
Houston-based Hart Energy will launch the DUG Midcontinent Conference April 22-23 at the Renaissance Hotel and Convention Center. The DUG Midcontinent could attract more than 400 attendees from around the country. DUG stands for Developing Unconventional Gas, a Hart Energy employee said.
Tulsa’s energy sector includes companies in all phases of the industry, from exploration and production to pipelines and refining. The city is home to Williams Cos., ONEOK Inc., Magellan Midstream Partners LP Laredo Petroleum Holdings, Mid-Con Energy Partners and SemGroup Corp., among others, while Apache Corp., PetroQuest and HollyFrontier Corp. also maintain major operations locally.
“The Chamber has identified energy as a target sector for its economic development efforts,” said Jim Fram, senior vice president of economic development for the Tulsa Regional Chamber. “With a workforce more than 23,000 strong, and an economic impact of more than $10 billion annually, the energy industry is vitally important for our region.”
The DUG MidContinent conference will focus on the up and coming Mississippi Lime oil-rich trend in northern Oklahoma and southern Kansas. Other regional plays include the Woodford, Anadarko and Fayetteville shales.
“The Mississippi Lime is the next generation of resource play: a conventional reservoir made far more economic by the application of unconventional technology,” Hart Energy CEO Rich Eichler said. “DUG Midcontinent will bring together the top players in this dynamic region to share knowledge and discuss the overall market as well as emerging technologies and results for unconventional drilling and completions.”
VisitTulsa, Mayor Dewey Bartlett and the Chamber will offer more specifics about the energy conference during a news conference this afternoon.
“We are thrilled to host Hart Energy’s DUG Midcontinent conference,” Ray Hoyt, VisitTulsa senior vice president, said. “Conferences such as this continually increase awareness of our region’s premier facilities.”
Tulsa once was known as the “Oil Capital of the World.” The city has ceded that title, and some homegrown companies, to Houston, but Tulsa still ranks high in the energy industry for its experienced workforce and proximity to the oil and gas plays opened up by horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing.
“Tulsa has a long and storied history in the energy industry,” Bartlett said. “Events such as the DUG Midcontinent conference help increase the visibility of Tulsa as a top-tier city in energy sector, and will bring energy professionals from across the region and country to Tulsa for enhanced educational, professional development and business opportunities.”
