A visiting professor with over 30 years experience in the oil and gas industry has given students at Charles Darwin University an insight into the real world of LNG.
Professor Christian Pech from the TOTAL Professors Association (TPA) has just completed a four-day course providing an overview of the natural gas and LNG chains as per today’s international standards.
The course aimed at students and LNG industry support business personnel was the first of its kind ever delivered in Australia.
Professor Pech now retired, worked for TOTAL for more than 30 years in the oil and gas exploration and production sector and now teaches courses related to natural gas and LNG at universities around the world.
“The TPA was formed 10 years ago with the purpose of transferring knowledge and experience from people like myself who have worked in the industry for a long period of time to students who are just starting their careers,” Professor Pech said.
“I think it is important to provide the next generation with an opportunity to learn through real world examples rather than just theory.”
Now an oil and gas consultant in Paris, Professor Pech volunteers his spare time to delivering courses for the Association.
“Australia is in the middle of the action with regard to LNG,” he said. “With eight LNG plants under construction, they are becoming a big player on the worldwide stage and likely to become the second biggest exporter after Qatar in the coming years.”
He said the course was an opportunity for students to not only learn the basic technical aspects of the oil and gas industry, but also about commercial operations and worldwide marketing from a real world perspective.
CDU Engineering lecturer and Deputy Director of the North Australian Centre for Oil and Gas Dr Daria Surovtseva, who originally approached the TOTAL Professors Association, said another course related to project management of oil and gas projects will be delivered in September.
The TPA is a non-profit organisation, independent, but supported by the TOTAL group.