A former Arctic engineering executive has been named as director of the Subsea Systems Institute in Houston.
Bill Maddock will lead the research centre which was initially set –up in the aftermath of the 2010 Deepwater Horizon spill.
A collaboration between the University of Houston, Rice University and NASA Johnson Space Centre, the institute will serve as a neutral third party to provide industry and government
regulators with new technologies, science-based policies, education and workforce training.
Maddock, who most recently worked on Arctic issues for BP America, said the institute’s goal is to reduce the risk of offshore accidents and build public trust in the safety of offshore drilling and production.
He said: “Over the next few months, I will be engaging with our partners to ensure that the Subsea Systems Institute’s goals align with the needs of industry and government for safety and for the economic exploitation of offshore energy resources.
“When prices come back up, when demand goes back up and supply is low, we’ll be ready to help industry meet the challenge.”
The Subsea Systems Institute was established in January with initial funding from the state of Texas, and it is expected to attract substantial federal support over the next 10 years from the RESTORE Act trust fund that was created with funds from the Deepwater Horizon settlement.
Maddock said plans call for the institute to become self-sustaining through broader industry and government support.
He will provide day-to-day leadership for the institute, which is governed by representatives from the University of Houston, Rice and NASA, along with representatives from industry and government.
Additional institute partners include Texas Southern University, Houston Community College and Lone Star College.
Ramanan Krishnamoorti, chief energy officer for the University of Houston and principal investigator for the institute, said today’s low oil prices have increased pressure on companies working offshore, where production costs are far higher than for onshore wells.
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