10 Top Global Cities for Petroleum Engineers
The demand for petroleum engineers is expected to grow by 17 percent by 2020. A growing job field, petroleum engineering provides favorable employment prospects and a highly competitive salary. Below are some of the top cities around the world for petroleum engineers. This list is based on a careful analysis of the cities’ respective output and commercial importance in the subject sector.
1. Houston, Texas
Home to more than 5,000 energy-related firms, Houston is considered by many as America’s energy capital. Almost half of the economic base employment is in energy-related sectors including oil and gas extraction, oilfield services and oilfield machinery manufacturing. Most of the workforce in Houston are either directly or indirectly employed in the energy industry.
The prospects for Houston couldn’t be better as according to a recently International Energy Report, United States is projected to be the world’s top oil producer by 2016.
Oil and Gas Jobs in Houston, Texas
Petroleum Engineering Jobs in Houston, Texas
2. Calgary, Canada
Often referred to as the “Energy Capital of Canada”, Calgary is Canada’s fastest growing economic region. Calgary is home to the majority of Canada’s oil and gas production companies, major pipeline operators, oilfield service and drilling companies, and energy-related engineering and consulting firms.
With over 2, 500 petroleum engineers working in the city, Calgary has the second largest concentration of employment and expertise in the oil and gas sector in North America. Many technologies developed in Calgary for Canada’s challenging geological and environmental conditions are now deployed around the world.
Petroleum Engineering Jobs in Calgary, Canada
3. Port Harcourt, Nigeria
Located in the heart of Nigeria’s Niger Delta, Port Harcourt is the capital of the Oil and Gas Industry in the Gulf of Guinea and indeed Africa. Port Harcourt holds the largest accumulation of heavy and light industry technology in Nigeria and the West African sub-region. Petroleum production and export play dominant roles in Nigeria’s economy, accounting for more than 80% of the country’s gross earnings. All the international Oil and Gas companies that operate in Nigeria have their operational bases in the city. The oil and gas industry is supported by a vibrant commercial sector, with an expanding import /export trade.
4. Stavanger, Norway
Since the discovery of North Sea oil in Norwegian waters during the late 1960s, exports of oil and gas have become important contributors to Norway’s economy. Perhaps one symbolic feature that is indicative of Norway gas export capacity is the Ormen Lange Natural pipeline which supplies Britain with 20% of its natural gas needs. Further, Norway is estimated to supply 1/3 of Europe’s gas needs. Stavanger, commonly known as Europe’s Energy Capital, has benefited immensely from Norway’s booming oil industry. Stavanger hosts all major international operators and approximately 280 oil service companies. This convergence of industry players has resulted in one of the strongest energy economies in the world.
Half of the total Norwegian oil and gas industry is located in Stavanger, employing over 45, 000 people in the petroleum sector.
5. Tomsk, Russia
Tomsk, a little innovation island in the middle of Russia, is one of the top ten regions in production of oil and gas. Most deposits belong to two main Russian companies; however, foreign companies are also very active in the region. The emergence of many innovative companies servicing oil and gas industry is the result of a combination of a rich economy and educational potential. Major Russian oil and gas producing companies have also established their educational centers in Tomsk.
6. Rio De Janeiro, Brazil
Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, is the capital of major companies in the oil & gas. Petrobas, a partly state-owned company, is a dominant player in the industry alongside other foreign companies that include Royal Dutch Shell, Chevron, Statoil and Frade Japo, a Japanese consortium.
The city has by far the largest oil and gas reserves in the country. The pre-salt discoveries may well surpass 70 billion barrels, driving up the economy of the entire region and attracting foreign investors to consider Rio de Janeiro as their strategic partner. Engineering companies and architects from every corner of the globe are buying up land in anticipation of the enormous economic expansion that the oil discovery has brought to the area.
7. Daqing, China
An important center for the petrochemical industry in China, Daqing has served as the country’s energy capital since the 1960’s. The Daqing Field is still the top oil producer in China with the presence of both large and small petrochemical companies. However, the dwindling reserves of the oil fields have raised an important question: how long will the Daqing oil field sustain its production levels? Technological upgrades and innovation are considered the keys to tackling the problem. Dubbed the underground brains of the oil field, Daqing Exploration and Development Research Institute is home to more than 1800 scientists and engineers in the field of oil exploration.
8. Villahermosa, Mexico
Dynamic activity makes Villahermosa the hub for oil and gas operations in the South of Mexico. The axis of Mexico’s oil and gas industry, Villahermosa handles 95% of Mexico’s crude oil exports. Oil and gas exploration and production activities are the mainstay of Villahermosa’s economy. This condition is being reinforced by the important set of exploration and production projects that are being developed both, offshore and onshore, in Southeast Mexico. Some of the O&G companies with premises in Villahermosa are: Pemex Exploration and Production, Mexican Petroleum Institute (IMP), Schlumberger, Halliburton, Baker Hughes, among others.
9. Doha, Qatar
The base to the headquarters of the country’s largest oil and gas companies, including Qatar Petroleum, Qatargas and RasGas, Doha’s oil and gas reserves provide a solid foundation to the Qatari economy. Doha’s economy is built on the revenue the country has made from its oil and natural gas industries.
The majority of the country’s oil and gas resources are owned and operated by the state-owned company Qatar Petroleum (QP) in partnership with major international energy companies. The country’s vast reserves of natural gas are exported in the form of liquefied natural gas.
10. Dammam, Saudi Arabia
After spending decades as fishing and pearl diving villages, the life in the Dammam tri-city Metropolitan was transformed dramatically with the discovery of oil in 1938. The discovery of oil in the Dammam Metropolitan and the development of the Saudi petroleum industry drew both local and foreign investments to the Eastern city. Currently Dammam holds under its lands and waters, the world’s largest oil reserve and the world’s fourth largest gas reserve. The Saudi petroleum industry, represented by the Saudi Arabian Oil Company, leads the world’s petroleum industry and is considered a vital component in the world’s energy industry.
