Houston, TX - Where Little Norway Is a Big Player

Last updated: 5/13/2011 // Thousands of Norwegians arrived in Houston in early May to attend the 2011 Offshore Technology Conference (OTC).

The Norwegian Pavilion at the conference floor in Reliant Center. . Photo: Per Andreas Windingstad Larsen

With more than 70,000 visitors this year, the conference is perhaps the energy industry’s most important international meeting place. But despite OTC being a huge international event, one could hardly fail to appreciate the strong Norwegian presence there. With 65 exhibitors, the Norwegian Pavilion was by far the largest national pavilion at the conference, providing an excellent showcase for Norwegian companies.

“This is a place Norwegian companies go to meet key people they otherwise do not have access to,” said Bjørn Tormod Akselsen, director of Innovation Norway in Houston.

Strong Links to Norway
In total, it is estimated that as many as 2,500 Norwegians visited Houston just for the event. Add to that the approximately 7,000 Norwegians who live in Houston on a regular basis, and you understand how strong the links between Norway and Houston have become over the years.

All this made for a busy week for the Norwegian Consul General in Houston, Dr. Jostein Mykletun, who besides hosting a networking reception with 270 guests organized and participated in several events. “This is the most important arena for Norwegian energy industry abroad,” said Dr. Mykletun as he officially opened Beerenberg Inc, a Norwegian company in the oil and gas service industry.

The Consul General also spoke at a seminar on oil spills organized by Innovation Norway, and a workshop on space and energy that took place at Norway House.

CCS Workshop

Finally, The Norwegian Consulate General organized, together with the British and Canadian Consulates General, a workshop on challenges and opportunities for the carbon capture and storage (CCS) industry. CCS is a technology that may become vital in dealing with global warming, by capturing CO2 before it is released into the atmosphere. The workshop gathered key government and industry representatives, with speakers from Schlumberger, Shell, ExxonMobil, ConocoPhillips, Denbury, Chevron, BP and Statoil in the panel discussion.