Dr. Herman Franssen (*)


Summary:

Explaining the importance and uniqueness of oil in the modern world;

The modern history of oil from the Second World War until peaking;

Oil peaking and its possible consequences for both the Western economies and the developing nations;

The pending global struggle for access to oil (renewed north-South conflict?);

Post-peaking decline of global oil production: Challenges and Opportunities.




(*) Biographic Note:

Dr. Herman Franssen was born in The Netherlands where he attended the University of Amsterdam. He received a PhD from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy in Medford, Mass.

Between 1974 and 1978, was a Research Associate on Science Policy at the Congressional Research Service of the US Congress, providing Senators, Congressmen and Congressional committees with advice on ocean policy. Between 1978 and 1980, he had similar responsibilities in the US Department of Energy as Director of the Office of International Market Analysis.

From 1980-1985, was Chief Economist of the International Energy Agency and in this capacity was responsible for energy economic analysis of the IEA and for the first major IEA World Energy Outlook in 1983.

Dr. Franssen was Senior Economic Advisor of H.E. the Minister of Petroleum and Minerals of the Sultanate of Oman (1985-1996), advising on crude oil marketing, international oil policy, foreign investments in the oil and gas sectors, and acted as principal liaison with the OPEC Secretariat as well as individual oil exporting and consuming countries.

Dr. Herman Franssen is the President of International Energy Associates Inc, Maryland. The group provides energy economic analysis of global oil markets; conducts political risk assessments; assists companies in establishing relationships with NOC's and governments in the Middle East and other oil and gas producing regions. Dr. Franssen is a Director of Petroleum Economics Ltd (PEL) of London, an internationally energy consulting company with expertise in such areas as price formation, competitive positioning, economic and political geography, project evaluation, market regulation, and current and emerging technologies.

He is a Senior Fellow with CSIS in Washington, DC and MEC in London, an Adjunct Scholar at the Middle East Institute in Washington, DC as well as a visiting fellow at the CGES (Yamani Centre) in London.