Society 361 / 2012

Tunesien
Interview
Foto: OMV
the state oil company ETAP and
well founded relationship to
the Tunisian authorities.
We build on long term presence
in Tunisia by further
strengthening the good relations
in the country and investing
significantly in order to increase
activity and production.
OMV recently renewed its
strategy: its strategic priority is
the growth of its international
exploration and production
business by increased exploration,
development of discoveries
and targeted acquisitions.
The implementation of this
strategy entails significant investment,
which will support
the economy of Tunisia and
aims to increase the energy independence.
What has changed in Tunisia
since the revolution?
OMV, like other IOCs, followed
the events first with anxiety
and soon after with a sense
of relief and added confidence
in the country, its people and
the Tunisian business environment.
Tunisia’s Jasmin Revolution
in December 2010 was the
»OMV followed
the events with
anxiety but
soon after with
a sense of relief.
We really
have to appreciate
the pace in
which Tunisia
moved towards
normalization.
«
David Latin
curriculum
vitae
ince July 2011 David
Latin has been Senior
SVice President of OMV
accountable for the E&P
business in North Africa,
UK, Norway, New Zealand
and Australia. Prior to this
he worked for BP for almost
twenty years and for the
last ten years as General
Manager and then Vice
President in various roles
including Major Projects,
Subsurface, Technology, IT
and the North Sea Business.
Before moving into leadership
positions with BP he
worked as a Geologist and
then a Reservoir Engineer
in Vietnam, Venezuela and
West of Shetlands and
UK North Sea. As for his
academic background, he
holds a PhD in Geology
& Geophysics from the
University of Edinburgh and
worked for several years in
Post Doctoral Research at
Cambridge University. He is
married with three young
daughters.
blossom of the Arab Spring.
Being the first country to gain
control over the post-revolution
era, Tunisia managed to hold
successful democratic elections
on 23rd of October 2011 for the
first time.
ETAP and the Tunisian government
are reliable and cooperative
partners for OMV in the
post-revolution era. We really
have to appreciate the pace in
which Tunisia moved towards
normalization.
Which role does “Corporate
Social Responsibility”
play in your activities in Tunisia?
OMV actively supports development
in the regions where
we operate by making substantial
investments in community
projects to promote education,
health, and environmental protection
in our sphere of influence.
As part of our investment
programs, OMV is committed
to maximise local content in order
to create jobs and retain industry
knowledge in Tunisia by
awarding contracts to Tunisian
vendors when technically and
commercially competitive. We
support the start up of small local
businesses to service the oil
industry. After having created
numerous new jobs OMV Tunisia
is now amongst the largest
employers in Tunisia’s oil & gas
industry.
OMV is further dedicated to
developing Tunisian talent in
OMV’s Academy program. Currently,
approximately 20 Tunisians
are in this program for
various disciplines required in
oil and gas field developments
and operations. These engineers
will provide a skill pool
for the future growth of OMV
and on the long run also for the
whole Tunisian oil industry.
Following a social baseline
study, OMV Tunisia initiated
an irrigation project in the area
of Remada, which will provide
several work places for the local
community. With the drilling
of a fresh water well local
farmers will be able to generate
income by cultivating land for
fruits and vegetables.
•
Facts
OMV
With Group sales of EUR
34.05 bn and a workforce
of 29,800 employees in
2011, OMV Aktiengesellschaft
is one of Austria’s
largest listed industrial
companies. It is active in
more than 30 countries
worldwide in the three
business areas of Exploration
& Production, Gas
& Power and Refining &
Marketing.
OMV has a worldwide production
of around 288,000
barrels of oil equivalent per
day in 2011.
Facts
OMV in
Tunisia
OMV first became active in
Tunisia in the early 1970s.
The acquisition of the
international E&P activities
of Preussag in 2003 gave
OMV access to several oil
fields in the Gulf of Gabes,
both onshore and offshore.
Thereafter, OMV started a
large exploration campaign
in the south of the country,
which led to gas-condensate
discoveries, including
the Nawara field in 2006.
In February 2011, OMV
concluded the acquisition
of the Tunisian Exploration
and Production (E&P)
subsidiaries of Pioneer
Natural Resources in the
south of the country. The
transaction increased existing
production and added
significant exploration
and development upside.
Furthermore, it offers substantial
operational synergy
potential given adjacency
to OMV’s existing Tunisian
assets. OMV currently has
interests in six exploration
and nine production
licenses in Tunisia. The current
production in Tunisia
amounts to approximately
12,000 boe/d.
Society 1_2012 | 55