Talks of a merger between the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) and The American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG) have ended without success.

 

AAPG’s Executive Committee voted on March 11 not to move forward with a member vote on the merger.

 

Kamel Ben Naceur, SPE President said he was disappointed that members of both organisations did not get a chance to vote on the proposal.

 

The possible merger could have been a catalyst for change for SPE, which has witnessed membership fall every year since peaking in 2015, as a result of the lower levels of activity and employment in the E&P sector.

 

Professional membership has declined from 99,175 at the end of 2015 to 66,020 at the end of 2021. Last year, SPE lost young members at almost twice the rate of decline for all professional members.

 

“For SPE to continue as a home for those who work in petroleum, we must attract and retain younger members, and demonstrate that we are part of a sustainable energy future,” Ben Naceur said.

 

“While the merger option has passed, the need for change has not. The industry we serve is changing,” he added.

 

SPE needs to determine how it can remain relevant to younger members, address the changes to the industry due to the energy transition, position the energy industry as part of the solution to climate change, and build a society that can remain vibrant and serve the needs of its members for the future.

 

Ben Naceur said: “We know better than most that petroleum will be a major part of the energy mix for a very long time, for transportation, electricity and raw materials for a range of consumer and industrial products. Most projections from energy scenarios show oil and gas remaining near 50 per cent of energy supplies in 2050, declining only slowly after that.”

 

But as energy companies adapt quickly to a broader energy industry, SPE expects members to also be working in geothermal, hydrogen, and carbon capture and storage.

 

“We must ensure that we are delivering value to companies while we support the needs of our members,” Ben Naceur said.

 

SPE’s Board of Directors will begin a new strategic planning process when it meets in July. --OGN