Last week the ‘Young Energy Officers’ program started, an initiative in which twelve young professionals from the Dutch oil and gas sector are participating.
Also Dejan Zamurovic, Data Engineer Wintershall Noordzee is one of the Young Energy Officers.
Over the coming years the Young Energy Officers will be talking to many different parties about the enormous challenge we face as a society: the energy transition.
In this transition it is needed to drastically reduce CO2-emissions by 2050 to achieve the climate goals, and there are many roads that lead to Rome. In order to determine the right route, the society must discuss the choices it faces and the dilemma’s associated with this.
The Young Energy Officers want to discuss these dilemma’s with the knowledge and experience they have gained as energy professionals in the oil and gas industry.
Roman van Laak, from Neptune Energy, is one of the Young Energy Officers. He thinks it is important that young professionals from the oil and gas sector participate in the discussion about the energy transition themselves. “The energy transition is central to the national debate and I notice every day how complex it is to ensure the Netherlands with energy safely and affordably. There are no easy solutions or choices in this energy transition. What we should also keep in mind is that the decisions we make now have lasting consequences for all of us. Everyone experiences the consequences of climate change. Young people in the energy sector have a fresh look at the challenges and opportunities. That is why I and the other Young Energy Officers want to talk with society about the route to a sustainable energy supply and the role that we and our sector play in this.”
Recent research among more than 1,800 Dutch people shows that 60% of young people (18 to 34 years old) are still unfamiliar with the energy transition. While tough choices have to be made in this transition that affect everyone in society and have a major impact on the future of young people.
For example, when producing less gas in the Netherlands, this immediately means a need for more imported gas. Gas of which we know that CO2-emissions are much higher. The research shows that 81% of the Dutch think it is good that Dutch gas production makes us less dependent on foreign countries.
The research also shows that the Dutch have a positive or neutral attitude towards national gas production, but do prefer production from small fields offshore. These kinds of dilemmas require a broad dialogue, in which the specialist knowledge and drive of young employees from the current energy supply sector can provide important input.
In the new Young Energy Officers program, participants will enter into dialogue with all possible stakeholders in this transition, such as policymakers, NGOs, employees from their own sector and opinion makers. The group itself consists of young people with a diverse background from different companies in the Dutch oil and gas sector.
The Young Energy Officers program is an initiative of the trade association NOGEPA. Pooja Peters, coordinator of the YEO program: “The opinion and contribution of young people is extremely important for the development of our industry. As an industry association, supporting these young people to make their opinion part of the discussions in our ‘inner and outer world’ is very important to us”.