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Dana Gas PJSC, the Middle East’s largest regional private sector natural gas company, has signed an agreement with the Syrian Petroleum Company (SPC) to explore the potential for the redevelopment and expansion of several natural gas fields across central Syria

The fields include the Abu Rabah gas field – one of the largest gas discoveries in Syria – as well as other SPC gas fields.

Dana Gas is the first developer to sign such an agreement. Under the terms of the agreement, Dana Gas will conduct a comprehensive technical assessment of the identified fields and propose a development plan aimed at significantly increasing total gas production if the evaluation is successful and both parties reach a final agreement. The initiative aims to support the government’s ambition to significantly boost national gas production, supporting Syria’s power generation and energy recovery.

Richard Hall, CEO of Dana Gas, said, “This agreement marks an important first step in evaluating opportunities to redevelop Syria’s gas infrastructure and unlock the potential that exists within its gas sector. The fields identified under this MoU could make a real difference to domestic gas production, strengthening Syria’s energy security and supporting local communities.

“Our confidence in taking on this challenge is two-fold: first, the professionalism and technical strength of the Syrian Petroleum team and second, our own proven development and operational expertise, most recently demonstrated through the early completion of the KM250 expansion project in Iraq alongside our joint operating partner. The lessons and capabilities we developed there are directly transferable to projects such as this, where hands-on execution, technical and financial discipline, and regional understanding are key to delivery. We are grateful to our Syrian counterparts for their trust and partnership as we embark on this effort.”

Dana Gas has exploration and production assets in Egypt, Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI) and UAE, with 2P reserves exceeding one billion boe and average production of 55,000 boepd in 2024. With sizeable assets in KRI and Egypt, and further plans for expansion, Dana Gas is playing an important role in the rapidly growing natural gas sector of the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia (MENASA) region.

Syria has the potential to significantly increase its oil and natural gas production. Before the civil war in 2011, it was self-sufficient in energy production, producing around 380,000-400,000 bpd of crude and 9 bcm of gas, with oil and gas sales accounting for around 20% of total revenues. However its infrastructure and refineries were damaged in the war, and the imposition of western sanctions, now partially lifted, along with the exit of oil majors from the country also took a toll on its production and refining capabilities. Crude production now stands at around 80,000-100,000 bpd.

Localisation should be a boon rather than a burden, says Alex Myers, president - India, Middle East & CIS, Sulzer Services

International oil companies (IOCs) are expanding operations in the region to develop major opportunities arising from projects such as Qatar’s North Field expansion and Saudi Arabia’s gas developments.

What is hidden by the headlines are the complexities these businesses must navigate to operate successfully in the Middle East. The region overall is prioritising localisation, but each country additionally operates to its own set of specific priorities. Expansion into the region needs to factor in the realities on the ground, including the relevant regulations in individual markets.

But that compliance doesn’t need to be all cost and no benefit. In fact, companies operating in the region can take advantage of the trend toward localisation as an opportunity for enhancing the speed and efficiency of service they can deliver and receive.

Think local, act local

Since 2015, 200,000 jobs have been created and sustained due to Saudi Arabia’s In-Kingdom Total Value Add (IKTVA) score, and 67% of Aramco’s procurement spending has contributed to local content as of 2024. Across the border to the south, a process of Omanization to protect employment for Omani citizens has been underway for a number of years and is now accelerating. Last year, 30 new professions were added to the list of jobs reserved for Omani citizens, and businesses must adhere to prescribed Omanization percentages or forgo the opportunity to contract for government entities and state-owned companies.

In the UAE, the number of Emiratis employed in companies holding ICV (In-Country Value) certificates reached 19,000 in the first half of 2024, a 40% increase over the first half of 2023, according to official figures. While Qatar’s Tawteen initiative, launched through QatarEnergy, has driven the local contribution of the energy sector up from 14% to 28.5% and created an estimated 7,000 jobs.

Many countries in the region have large numbers of young people, such as in Saudi Arabia where almost three-quarters of citizens are between 15 and 64 years old and in Iraq where the median age is 21.

Providing employment for citizens is one of the major priorities of the trend of localisation sweeping the Middle East, but there are important distinctions between countries, where the focus can vary greatly.

Qatar has a population of just three million, and less than 12% of that number are Qatari. This places less pressure on local jobs specifically, but makes it more important for the country’s oil and gas sector to have easy access to in-country capabilities. There are often barriers to the transfer of capabilities and equipment across borders. Iraq has a particularly cumbersome process for shipping state-owned equipment out of the country, which requires bank guarantees that can take six months to finalise.

More than the regulatory environment or government objectives, every country in the region has its own cultural sensitivities and particularities about how best to operate. That includes everything from language to the unwritten rules of business interactions that citizens live by, but outsiders could easily miss.

Putting your partnerships first

For IOCs, there is a pressure to find service providers who can reliably meet the full range of their equipment needs over the long term. In the context of increasing localisation, that can make it even more challenging to find the right partner. However, there are certain features that make potential providers more reliable options.

One criterion is that the company is invested in local infrastructure, which could be through a partnership with, or through an acquisition of, local companies owned and operated by the citizens of that country.

That would enable the provider to satisfy the growing regulatory and cultural expectations of Middle Eastern states and increase the likelihood that an IOC can rely on them for the foreseeable future. Or it could be that the provider has a strong focus on internal talent development to foster the engineers of tomorrow.

Having local expertise ensures providers have a deep understanding of the specific challenges faced by IOCs, enabling customisable solutions that get the most out of local capabilities and supply chains.

That allows for things like the longer tender procedures common in Iraq, for example.

An in-country presence also supports a reduction in the time it takes to deploy expertise quickly to oil and gas customer sites within a country. Or, where an in-country presence is not possible, deployment across the borders of neighbouring countries is the next best option. This proximity translates into a speedier diagnosis of problems with plant machinery and decreased turnaround time for their repairs, which is vital in an industry where unplanned downtime can be costly.

A race against downtime

An IOC in Qatar faced this downtime challenge recently due to a critical planned maintenance shutdown that required the overhaul of 31 pieces of equipment, including motors, pumps, compressors, turboexpanders, fans, and a steam turbine, in just 35 days. Missing the deadline would result in millions of dollars in lost revenue.

Sulzer was tasked with overhauling all equipment within this limited timeframe while ensuring no lost time incidents (LTIs) occurred during the high-stakes project. To do this, we assembled a global team of over 150 experts, implemented detailed planning, allocated resources ahead of time, and conducted comprehensive work maps and process control procedures for each piece of equipment. This is where our local workshop in Qatar is a crucial advantage for faster, on-site support. The result was a successfully completed project three days ahead of schedule, delivering over 52,000 man-hours of work with zero LTIs. That is just one of many cases where our local presence enabled us to deliver at speed, meaning the customer could resume delivering essential energy supply earlier than expected.

In the Middle East, it is important to invest in local expertise and infrastructure so that we are not simply responding to trends but also enhancing our ability to service customers and create value for the region’s energy sector. With the right approach, localisation should be a boon rather than a burden. Sulzer’s own journey reflects this learning: from a single sales office, we have built seven fully operational service centres across the Middle East and India in just six years, employing several hundred people – including more than 200 in Saudi Arabia, 38% of whom are Saudi nationals – demonstrating how deeply we are invested in the region’s growth and long-term success.

Aramco, Honeywell and King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) are collaborating to scale up the development of Crude-to-Chemicals (CTC) technology in a bid to maximise the value of crude oil and reduce costs associated with CTC conversion 

The new CTC pathway will entail converting crude oil directly into light olefins and other high-demand chemicals, resulting in improved fuel efficiency, carbon utilisation, and process economics—allowing for more efficient and cost-effective production at scale.

The collaboration aligns with Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 by helping to advance economic diversification, build national research and technology capabilities, and strengthen the Kingdom’s position in the global chemicals market, combining academia and industry expertise to accelerate technology development and national capabilities.

Dr. Ali A. Al-Meshari, Aramco senior vice president of technology oversight & coordination, said, “This collaboration with Honeywell UOP and KAUST furthers Aramco's efforts to drive innovation and shape the future of petrochemicals. By harnessing the power of cutting-edge technologies, we aim to enhance energy efficiency and unlock increased value from every barrel of crude. This novel Crude-to-Chemicals process is aligned with our vision of supporting the global transition towards cleaner, high-performance chemical production. Moreover, this initiative demonstrates our focus on contributing to the growth of a vibrant ecosystem, where the deployment of innovative technologies can create lasting value for our stakeholders, our communities, and the environment.”

Rajesh Gattupalli, Honeywell UOP president, added, “This agreement marks a defining moment in our strategic collaboration with Aramco and KAUST – and in the global evolution of Crude-to-Chemicals technology. With Honeywell UOP’s deep expertise in catalytic process design and commercial scale-up, we’re well positioned to drive this innovation forward.”

Emerson has relaunched the ASCO Series 327C solenoid valve, featuring new Intrinsically Safe and Manual Reset construction versions

The valve is designed with a direct-acting, high-flow technology that offers superior flow-to-power ratios, making it ideal for high-demand industries such as power plants, refineries, and chemical processing facilities.

The ASCO Series 327C offers a balanced poppet construction for high-flow efficiency and is capable of operation in harsh environments, with temperatures ranging from -60 to 90°C. The valve’s unique two-layer dynamic seal technology reduces friction and ensures stiction resistance, providing reliable and consistent performance over its lifecycle.

The Intrinsically Safe and Manual Reset versions provide faster response times and greater reliability. The intrinsically safe model eliminates the need for an electronic booster, enabling more consistent partial stroke testing and faster response times, a significant advancement for these types of valves. Features including a unique electrical test connection, help streamline field commissioning and prevent moisture ingress during storage, providing added value to OEMs and end users.

“Facilities in demanding industries like power and chemical processing need valves that offer long-term performance with minimal maintenance,” said Anne Sophie Kedad, director Marketing Process and Sustainability, Emerson. “With the Series 327C, we are not only providing superior valve performance but also meeting the industry’s growing need for intrinsically safe solutions capable of performing critical operations with minimal downtime and lower maintenance costs. This new IS construction enables our customers to access a much more simple design as there is no electronic booster to operate the solenoid valve.”

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Join Pelco for an exclusive online discussion on 16 September, 3pm GST to gain actionable insights into the industry’s top security challenges, and learn how Pelco’s ruggedised camera systems, designed for extreme environments, are rising to the challenge.

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The expert panel will provide insights and real-world use cases demonstrating how the Pelco portfolio is transforming security ROI in oil and gas, from explosion-proof, long-range and AI-powered camera systems, legacy system integration and predictive safety alerts, to halo sensors for safety in zones where cameras can’t go.

Speakers are:
• Andy Shartzer, Technical Evangelist, Pelco
• Saqib Farooki, Middle East Oil & Gas Expert, Pelco
• Shamsheer Mohiuddin, Lead PMC Telecom Engineer, Kent PLC.

The session will be moderated by Louise Waters, Editor, Oil Review Middle East.

Don't miss this opportunity to gain actionable insights and position your operations for success. Book your place now and discover how Pelco can transform your approach to security.

The fossil-fuel sector offers the largest and most cost-effective opportunity for rapid methane abatement, according to the newly released Global Methane Status Report, launched on the sidelines of COP30 in Belém

Produced by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC), the Global Methane Status Report assesses progress and remaining gaps in efforts to cut methane - a potent greenhouse gas responsible for nearly a third of current warming.

The report shows that although methane emissions are still rising, projected 2030 emissions under current legislation are already lower than earlier forecasts due to a mix of national policies, sectoral regulations, and market shifts. However, the report warns that only full-scale implementation of proven and available control measures will close the gap to the Global Methane Pledge’s target of a 30% cut from 2020 levels by 2030.

Urging decisive methane action to deliver the Global Methane Pledge, ministers attending the Global Methane Pledge Ministerial stressed that the policies, technologies, and partnerships needed to meet the target are available, but require rapid scale-up across the energy, agriculture, and waste sectors. Ministers also called for increased transparency from countries on ambition and action to track progress.

Julie Dabrusin, Canada’s Minister of Environment and Climate Change and Co-Convener of the Global Methane Pledge, said, “This report is a crucial assessment of our progress and a key indicator of the work that’s required to meet the Global Methane Pledge goal. In just four years, we have made improvements, but we must continue to drive faster, deeper methane cuts. Every tonne reduced brings us closer to cleaner air, more resilient communities, and a thriving global economy. It is important for all countries that have agreed to the Global Methane Pledge to continue to work closely together to drive momentum on methane mitigation, turning ambition into tangible benefits for the planet.”

The fossil-fuel sector is the second largest source of anthropogenic methane emissions, responsible for approximately one third of the global total. Under current legislation, emissions from the sector are expected to rise by 8% in 2050 compared to 2020. This sector presents the single greatest potential for rapid, cost-effective methane abatement, according to the report. These reductions could be achieved through readily available technologies and practices, often at low cost.

Since the launch of the GMP, methane abatement policies in the oil and gas sector have become more innovative and widespread, while voluntary initiatives such as the Oil and Gas Methane Partnership (OGMP) 2.0 now cover up to 45% of global oil and gas production.

The rate of policy development and country participation, however, still fall short of what is needed to achieve the 2030 targets. Implementation and enforcement must also be strengthened.

The recent adoption of novel approaches, such as the European Union import standard, offers the potential to use the market to mitigate methane in oil and gas sector more rapidly at the global scale.

Bridging the methane policy gap in the fossil fuel sector calls for strong implementation of existing policies, continuous capacity building, increased ambition from additional producing countries, ramped up technical support and innovative financial mechanisms to facilitate mitigation in developing countries.

Key measures recommended include:

• enhancing monitoring, reporting and verification (MRV) systems across all fossil fuel operations
• expanding the use of direct measurement protocols and corroborated satellite data which could improve the accuracy and transparency of inventories
• expanding leak detection and repair (LDAR) programmes in oil and gas, which not only help reduce leaks but also enhance data quality for inventories and enhance workplace safety and asset integrity;
• ensuring proper sealing techniques during well closure, given methane emissions from abandoned wells can continue for decades after activities cease;
• strengthening enforcement mechanisms with the establishment of clear accountability structures, penalties for non-compliance and independent oversight;
• facilitating access to finance and capacity building;
• harnessing import standards as market leverage, creating a clear incentive for producing countries to adopt stronger mitigation practices; and
• leveraging international and bilateral frameworks for capacity and alignment.