The momentum continues

Well, it's that time of year again, to look back at the last 12 months and consider how they will help shape the future. Hatch Energy had a very good 2007, and we have excellent prospects for continued business growth in 2008 – particularly in India, Australia, Africa, the Middle East and South America.

We made excellent progress in the oil and gas sector, strengthening our Calgary presence in particular through Front-End Engineering Design for the Fort Hills ore preparation plant in one of the largest remaining undeveloped oil sands leases in Alberta's Athabasca region. We anticipate continued growth at this office, and in Queensland, Australia, where we are leveraging our oil-shale experience.

We are also seeing new opportunities arise in renewable resources with increasing development of worldwide hydropower resources, emerging solar technologies and the proven viability of wind power – particularly from our own work which has resulted in new developments in the US.

It was also an exciting year for Synexus Global, our water and energy optimization business unit, with development and installation of the new Vista Real Time (RT) optimization module for the Mighty River system in New Zealand. Two highlights for Synexus in 2008 will be the market expansion for Vista RT and our first Vista DSS project financed totally through carbon-emission-reduction credits. We also foresee new Synexus projects in New Zealand, Africa, Eastern Europe and China, as well as in our traditional North American markets.

In thermal and nuclear, 2007 saw the successful expansion of our business in Australia and South Africa, and we will continue to invest and increase efforts in these markets throughout 2008. We are also actively developing and implementing new technologies for gasification, bio-fuels, carbon capture and clean coal – all areas for which 2008 holds great promise.

Actually, that is how I view 2008 for all our specialty sectors – holding much promise. As global energy demand keeps rising, the world will need increasingly efficient supply. This will involve non-traditional approaches to traditional resources, as well as movement into unconventional methods of power generation and distribution.

Progress will depend as much on breadth of past experience as it will on vision for the future – and the people at Hatch Energy offer both. So I'm very much looking forward to the year ahead.

Tony Hylton
President, Hatch Energy