President’s Column with Terry Palisch: Creating Our Energy Future (January 2024)
Authors: Palisch Terry 
Published: January 2024

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In this episode and transcript, Terry Palisch is joined by Karen Olson, the SPE technical director for completions, to discuss how SPE can help us collaborate more on a global level through our technical sections. This transcript is an excerpt from the podcast episode. Listen to the full episode here.

Karen:
Hello, I’m Karen Olson, SPE Completions Technical Director and president of Olson Turner Enterprises. I’m pleased to join 2024 SPE President Terry Palisch in this episode to talk about how SPE facilitates technical collaboration, particularly for our technical sections. As a technical director, I see the tremendous importance of our technical sections and the collaboration opportunities they provide. Thank you for inviting me to join you, Terry. I hope you had a great holiday and a happy new year.

Terry:
Thanks, Karen. I hope you did too. I want to thank you for being a part of the episode. Last month I had a great time speaking with Simeon Eburi, an SPE regional director for North America, about our regional sections. When I started thinking about who should host the technical sections episode, I thought what better person than the current chair of the Technical Content Committee on the SPE Board and current completions technical director. I know, having been in your shoes as a technical director, that the technical sections and SPE Connect, all things technical, fall under your purview. So, it’s good to have you here today.
To start, I want to talk about technical sections because like regional sections, they’re key to fulfilling SPE’s mission of connecting our members. I don’t know if everybody understands what is available, particularly when it comes to technical sections, SPE’s technical communities, and SPE Connect. I think it’s important that members understand this is a big aspect of advancing technical competence by collaborating and advancing technology, as well as ultimately impacting their energy future.

Karen:
Terry, just like you, I’ve had the opportunity to be heavily involved with the technical sections. I now think they are as important as the regional sections. But for people who don’t know what technical sections are, maybe you can explain more about them.

Terry:
Technical sections got their start many years ago when we had something we called technical interest groups (TIGs). The first technical sections were formed in 2006 and 2007. It’s hard to believe they’ve been around that long. The first were wellbore positioning, drilling, and research and development (R&D). In 2007, our third TIG was carbon dioxide capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS), which I think is a surprise to people that we have had CCUS as a technical section for over 15 years.
They are usually a subset of one of the technical disciplines, something that’s specific, like flow assurance or artificial lift and gas well deliquification. They gained popularity over just the last year. We currently have 22—five recently added including data science and engineering, methane emissions management, hydrogen, management, and this past year, we added plug and abandonment. The membership likes these, and I think they’re important.