OREANDA-NEWS. On October 18, 2007 Groningen and the Hague has hosted solemn ceremonies dedicated to a five-year anniversary of the Energy Delta Institute establishment, reported the press-centre of Gazprom.

The conference dedicated to cooperation between Russia and the Netherlands was held in the frames of the said event. Attending the conference were Gazprom, Gasunie, Parliament Assembly of Council of Europe, representatives of the Parliament and Ministries of the Netherlands, international socio-political organizations, Energy Delta Institute, universities of Russia and the Netherlands.

Speaking about the prospects for cooperation between Russia and Europe in the energy sector, the participants underscored that particularly the process of the world business globalization, the major projects execution due to the efforts of the international consortiums defines the need to develop business contacts covering the whole set of directions including education.

Reporting at the conference, Boris Kuzmin, Head of the Gazprom Staff Management Department underscored that Gazprom as the global energy company must employ high-quality specialists who know how to conduct business within the present-day conditions. Therefore, Gazprom pays special attention to personnel training, and joint programs with European gas companies have become an essential part of the corporate training system for employees.

“The Energy Delta Institute in five years has become a recognized international business school specializing in training employees in the gas sector,” said Boris Kuzmin. The members of the Supervisory Board and partners of the Institute are the leading companies of the Netherlands. This fact stimulates expansion of the Institute’s opportunities as a platform for experience exchange”.

“Any delta is fruitful. The Energy Delta is not exclusion: we develop new ranks, experience, qualified personnel. Our international institute is a crossroad for cooperation between Russia and Europe in the gas sector, a part of educational infrastructure providing Gazprom and European gas companies with successful future,” said Marcel Kramer, President of Gasunie.

Gazprom and Gasunie have a long-term business partnership stimulating long-term cooperation development in the sector of business as well as culture and education. The cooperation resulted in the establishment of the Energy Delta. While establishing the Institute we assumed that the energy must not only heat your households but also warm your hearts,” said George Herberg, President of the Energy Delta Institute.

Gazprom and Gasunie discussed an idea of setting up a joint educational institution. However it was considered that not less than 20 years must pass before the institute would become a recognized international educational institution. However, after five years we see that the Energy Delta is internationally recognized institution,” said Folko de Yong, Executive Director of the Energy Delta Institute.

The International Supervisory Board of the Energy Delta Institute held its 7th meeting during the commemoration of the 5th anniversary of the Institute. The meeting was attended by the representatives of Gazprom and Gasunie, as well as new corporate partners of the Institute – Shell and RWE.

The participants of the meeting discussed the results of the activities of Energy Delta Institute for five years. It was noted that the students had highly appreciated the Institute's educational programs. From 2002 to 2007 over a thousand students entered the Institute.

The Supervisory Board meeting summarized the results of the academic year of 2006-2007. The participants of the meeting considered the education of students at the following workshops successful: Lifecycle Gas Field Management, Gas Dispatching Safety Operational Management of Gas Transmission Systems, Underground Gas Storage.

The members of the Supervisory Board considered the Institute’s plans for the academic year of 2007-2008. In particular, the education of the Institute’s students will be carried out according to the Environmental safety of gas industry facilities, Risk management. Moreover, the Supervisory Board considered the educational prospects for 2007-2008 workshop programs: Gas Business Management, Oil and Gas Business and Technologies Specialist, Finance and Control, as well as the matters of implementation of a new educational program for UGS engineering.

The meeting discussed new form of cooperation and communication of experience between the specialists of the Institute’s corporate partners. In particular, a question was raised on the participation of the companies in the development of an educational program for the specialists in UGS together with the Gubkin Russian State Oil and Gas University. The participants of the meeting endorsed the idea of creating an International Dispatcher School.

A graduation ceremony was held for the graduates of Gas Business Management Specialist Workshop during the commemoration of the 5th anniversary of the Institute.

Reference:
In 2001 Gazprom and Gasunie came forward with an initiative of launching a joint project for the exchange of knowledge and experience in energy industry. This initiative was supported by the governments of Russian and the Netherlands. The project was given a code name of “Gas University”. University of Groningen which established the Energy Delta Institute together with Gasunie joined the Project later.

Since September 2002 the specialists of Gazprom, the Russian Ministry of Industry and Energy, Gasunie, Shell and others have been trained at Meerwold training center (Netherlands) on a regular basis. They have taken courses related to strategic development, market relations, and economic aspects of the gas industry.

In 2003 Gazprom, Gasunie, and the Energy Delta Institute signed an Agreement of cooperation in personnel training and exchange of knowledge in the energy sector.