Section SOCIETY
TOPIC

HELLENiQ ENERGY

Cooperation initiative between HELPE and the University of West Attica for the "Industrial Oil and Natural Gas Systems" Postgraduate Program (MSc)

The objective of the Program is to create the conditions for quality technical training in the subjects of Safe Design and Optimization, Safe Refinery Operation, Supply Chain Management and Organization, Application of Modern Environmental Technologies based on the Energy and Digital Transformation, Economic and Technical – Financial investment Analysis, Process Safety and Risk Assessment as well as Strategic and Business Planning in the Oil and Gas Industry based on our Group's Vision for leading in Corporate-Business-Technical Knowledge and Corporate Strategy for Holistic Security, Actions and Partnerships in the "Knowledge Triangle" (Education, Research, Innovation), Sustainable Development, Transformation for Future Energy and the Transition to a new production model in the Post digital era.

 

The aim is to be one of the best postgraduate programs in this field in Europe, to create executives with excellent technical education and training, to prepare students to take on positions in the industry’s current developments and to contribute to their successful professional careers in respective Oil and Gas Production, Processing and Distribution companies.

The program is intended for graduates from universities, polytechnic colleges or Technical Education Institutions (TEI), Greek or foreign higher education polytechnic institutes / Universities (AEI) specializing in Mechanical, Naval, Electrical, Electronic, Chemical Engineering, Petroleum Engineering, Mining and Metallurgy, and other specialties with proven  relevance in the hydrocarbon industry and for Greek or foreign university science graduates (physics, chemistry, geology, computer science), as well as other related to the hydrocarbon industry specialties.

4 semester courses/ per study cycle (agreement for three year support)

Our Group, which has partnered with a variety of Greek upper education institutes to support Postgraduate Training Programs with a focus on the Energy Sector, technically and educationally supports the development of this innovative Postgraduate Program which started in April 2019.

This post graduate program aims to cover the market needs in Refinery subjects, through a modern and rich curriculum designed by the University’s academic staff with the contribution of experienced Group executives from the Oil Transport Operations, Technical Support, R&D and Refinery Transformation Departments.

Signing of the Cooperation Agreement with the Western University Attica (WUA) and implementing mutual Technical and Educational support, serves the main goal of the HELLENIC PETROLEUM Group to expand its cooperation with the University community in order to facilitate interconnections between research and the production process and to develop links and the necessary attractive conditions for investing in “knowledge” that will ultimately boost competitiveness, growth and employment.

 

Empowering the 'Knowledge Triangle' (Education-Research-Innovation) is at the heart of our Strategy.

During the program there was and will continue to be a two-way collaboration in teaching courses, educational on-site field trips, internships and diploma research theses.

 

As part of this collaboration, the first semester of study, completed in the summer of 2019, included HELPE / UWA Refinery Technical / Educational Mutual Support Training for the following thematic units:

 

A) BASIC PROCESSES OF OIL REFINERY UNITS

Lecturers include the R&D, Refinery Efficiency and Transformation Department Manager - Mr. A. Stefanankis, R&D and Transformation Manager – Mr. A. Paspaliaris, Aspropyrgos Industrial Complex Maintenance and Mechanical Equipment Assistant Manager – Dr. B. Bouras and the Executive Member of the BoD of Asprofos Engineering – Dr. S. Lattas.

 

Also note that during the course of the program, a postgraduate on-site field trip to the Aspropyrgos Refinery took place.

 

Β) PROCESS SAFETY AND RISK ASSESSMENT IN HYDROCARBON UNITS – OIL REFINERIES AND NATURAL GAS UNITS

Technical Services Department Assistant Manager – Dr. Thomas Tsolakis covered the entire thematic unit and carried out a second on-site field trip to the Aspropyrgos Refinery (visiting the Control Rooms, the Distillation and Conversion Unit areas and Firefighting for theoretical and practical presentation of firefighting means).

 

Note that within the context of the broader strategic partnership, through the Corporate Social Responsibility program “360o Actions”, our Group for 3 academic years has been subsidizing this Postgraduate Program (MSc) for the newly established University of West Attica. This is already being implemented, on the one hand with 10 scholarships per year for postgraduate students (5 based on high performance and 5 for our Group’s employees, so that they can study without tuition in this postgraduate program), and on the other hand in order to enhance its research and teaching goals.

This incentive is in exclusive cooperation with the UWA, which had the initiative to develop, organize and operate this Master's Degree program in collaboration with the HELPE Group.

The following participate from HELPE: a) 5 senior executives, as lecturers - professors with extensive professional and academic experience (detailed above) and b) HELPE employees - Engineers and Technologists- as trainees, 5 of which with program scholarships.

  • University of West Attica
  • Hellenic Petroleum Aspropyrgos and Elefsina Refineries

Improved, technically specific education for engineers, technologists and technical school graduates with the aim of creating upper level employees with an excellent educational and training background prepared to take part in the industry’s current developments and to contribute to their successful professional careers in respective Oil and Gas Production, Processing and Transport companies.

 

Upon completion of the MSc Program, students will have full knowledge and understanding of products, treatment processes and production units, as well as downstream production stages, storage, crude, gas and hydrocarbon products transport, marketing, safety, finance and business issues related to hydrocarbon companies. Technical knowledge will also be gained on the environmental behavior and impacts of hydrocarbon production and transport processes, on current projects for their transport as well as on application of new technologies in production units and across the supply chain.

The aforementioned dissemination of technical know-how and training of existing and future managers in the areas supported by the Post Graduate Program and the general cooperation on research, technology and innovation in the areas of Safe Design, Optimal and Safe Operation, Supply Chain Organization and Management, Application of new Environmental Technologies based on Energy and Digital Transformation, Process Safety and Risk Analysis, and Strategic & Corporate Design will have a positive impact for our Group, as well as for the entire Oil and Gas Industry (energy sector in general).