Inspiring energy innovation in China

Yumin Yang interviewed by media on-site

Chief Technology Officer Greg Leveille and a colleague judge a panel discussion.

Meeting growing global energy demand while addressing the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals is a challenge that will require the brightest minds as well as innovation and cooperation from companies and governments. In China, a growing economy and rising energy consumption must be met by developing a clean, reliable, safe and efficient energy system. That’s why ConocoPhillips recently partnered with Enactus China to jointly launch the FUTURE Energy Innovation Research Project to inspire Chinese postgraduate students to pursue research studies in oil and gas technology innovation and sustainable development.

Yumin Yang makes opening remarks.

Teams representing 10 colleges and universities submitted a total of 99 research papers identifying innovative solutions for tackling the associated technological challenges of developing China’s substantial unconventional oil and gas reserves while meeting stringent environmental standards. Research proposals were scored on originality, technical content, applicability and environmental sustainability. The eight teams with the highest scores recently participated in the FUTURE China National Competition in Beijing. The winning team, from Southwest Petroleum University, will participate in the Enactus UN Sustainable Development Goals Forum at the Enactus World Cup Event in California, presenting ideas on how China can sustainably meet energy goals. Their project utilized a novel technical solution for treating produced water for reuse, reducing the amount of freshwater needed for operations as well as the quantity of water disposed.

Greg Leveille with champion team

“Technology-driven innovation is key to sustainable development in the energy sector. I was impressed to see the strong passion of China’s university students, who share a vision with us of creating a better future by identifying innovative energy solutions. We support FUTURE’s mission of finding sustainable solutions that will help China meet its growing energy needs” said ConocoPhillips Chief Technology Officer Greg Leveille, who helped judge the competition. Other judges included professors from top universities, and senior engineers from China’s national oil companies.

ConocoPhillips has had a presence in China for more than 37 years and has supported FUTURE for the past four years, offering financial assistance for research studies and career opportunities to promising graduate students and their academic advisors.