London/UK, 21 May 2013 – GL Noble Denton’s Executive Vice President for the Americas, Arthur Stoddart has been recognised with a Gold Medal by the Institution for Gas Engineers and Managers (IGEM). The Medal was awarded at the Institution’s Annual General Meeting in 2013 for the Sir Denis Rooke Memorial Lecture that he presented in March 2012. The renowned Memorial Lecture is held annually to commemorate the life and industry contributions of former British Gas Chairman and IGEM President, Sir Denis Rooke.
The Gold Medal is awarded to the best overall lecture at an IGEM event, and is selected based on criteria including the presentation’s technical or commercial content, depth and novelty, industry relevance and its author’s expertise and experience.
“The lecture, entitled ‘Gas in a Low Carbon World’, Â included references to Jimi Hendrix, a supernova explosion and a Morris Marina and explored why an engineer like Denis Rooke had achieved the pinnacle of the British honours system, ” said IGEM’s Honorary Secretary, Gordon Davies, at the announcement of the Gold Medal award at the Institution’s Annual General Meeting this month. He added: “Arthur also showed that, more than 35 years ago, Sir Denis was accurately anticipating the position of renewable energy, the hydrogen economy, the environmental lobby and the impact that fracking technology would have on the future of gas.”
In addition to celebrating the vision of Sir Denis, Stoddart’s engaging lecture also focused on some of the current challenges facing the UK gas sector in a low carbon world. In particular, Stoddart, who was formerly UK Managing Director at GL Noble Denton before moving to Houston to take up the role of Executive Vice President, Americas, outlined why carbon capture and storage techniques will become imperative to UK energy generation, as gas continues to grow as an important source of fuel in the country.
“The government’s strategy swayed to herald natural gas as ‘destination fuel’ for the country’s carbon plan in 2012, ” said Stoddart during his lecture. “But, if the UK is to maximise its gas potential, the industry needs to focus on developing effective carbon capture and storage solutions that will allow us to operate against tightening environmental regulations.”
Arthur Stoddart
Stoddart also suggested that the UK has a number of options to make the best use of carbon capture and storage solutions in gas production; for example, by removing carbon dioxide from the exhaust of combined cycle gas turbines; by capturing wasted heat from power stations; or by developing fuel cells with local carbon capture capabilities. He added that by developing and employing robust carbon capture and storage technologies, “the UK had a strong chance of making good headway in meeting the carbon goals it has set for the next three to four decades.”
“As his Sir Denis Rooke Memorial Lecture showed, Arthur is passionate and knowledgeable about both the past and future of the oil and gas industry, ” commented Pekka Paasivaara, Executive Board Member, GL Group, on the announcement of the IGEM Gold Medal award. “It is well-deserved recognition for a fascinating lecture that examined current UK approaches to gas energy in light of the work undertaken by past visionaries such as Sir Denis Rooke.”
About GL Noble Denton
GL Noble Denton, part of the GL Group, is a global independent technical advisor to the oil and gas industry. With a presence in over 80 countries, the company applies global best practice in safety, integrity and performance across the lifecycle of its clients’ on- and offshore operations.
