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Gastech 2023 to feature exclusive roundtable discussions on gas, LNG and hydrogen

A series of 10 invitation-only roundtable discussions will be held as part of the Gastech 2023 conference and exhibition, which will focus on the major themes of energy supply security, low-carbon energy for sustainable global growth, energy transition alliances, and the development of the energy industry workforce globally

The roundtable discussions will see participation from more than 10 energy ministers and 100 C-suite executives from across APAC, Europe, the US, and beyond, to discuss action and tangible solutions accelerating the future of the gas and energy industries and supporting global decarbonisation goals towards a more secure energy future. They will focus on gas, LNG and hydrogen as key enablers and accelerators of the energy transition.

UNEP will host a Roundtable asking: ‘How will the gas and LNG industry make a step change in its decarbonising efforts?’. UNEP OGMP 2.0 manager Giulia Ferrini will be joined by representatives from the Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF), Zhero, SLB, the World Bank, the Global Centre for Maritime Decarbonisation, ENGIE, Linde, and TES to debate strategies to tackle the existential issue of methane emissions curbs.

Giulia Ferrini  said, “The oil and gas sector needs to act and curb methane emissions as a first step towards their decarbonisation efforts. It is only through collaboration, accountability, and transparency that industry can be part of the transition to sustainable energy and urgently address the climate crisis.”

A range of measures are already being evaluated, from responsibly produced gas to CCUS to more efficient engines in ships. Convening a broad panel of public and private sector players will ensure that these important questions are not just asked but answered.

A session on ‘Hydrogen - unlocking the off-takers and market signals needed to secure demand’ will be led by Siemens Energy, addressing the critical role of hydrogen in the path to net zero and reducing scope 3 emissions in hard-to-abate sectors. Insights will focus on accelerating APAC’s ability to unlock the roll-out of its hydrogen economy, while balancing decarbonisation, energy security, and affordability.

Anne-Laure de Chammard, member of the Executive Board of Siemens Energy, said, “Engaging in conversations about hydrogen becomes crucial as we seek to shape policies, attract investments, and establish markets. Nevertheless, the road towards a thriving hydrogen economy is complex, requiring careful navigation to ensure tangible benefits for all stakeholders while considering its impact on our planet.”

Key outcomes from the Gastech 2023 Leadership Roundtables will feed into industry reports produced by Wood Mackenzie, with the aim to support the global energy agenda and inspire the industry to develop the crucial strategies required to accelerate energy progress and meet net zero targets.

Simon Flowers, chairman & chief analyst, Wood Mackenzie, said: “The gas outlook remains bullish, for LNG in particular. LNG demand growth, mainly from Asia, requires another 100 mmtpa of new capacity to be built by the mid-2030s on top of that already under construction. While this growth is positive, suppliers also face multiple challenges: margins are at risk from cost inflation, developers must meet growing calls for low-carbon-footprint LNG and securing long-term offtake with Asian buyers is key. I can’t think of a better time and location for the industry to be meeting than in Singapore for this year’s Gastech.”

Gastech takes place from 5-8 September in Singapore. For the opportunity to participate in the Gastech 2023 Leadership Roundtables, apply to become a Gastech Energy Club Member by registering your interest here.

Top Stories

Grid List

The new concession will allow the development of large gas cap resources.

Exploration & Production

TotalEnergies has signed agreement to secure partnership in the ADNOC Onshore-operated Bab Gas Cap Concession in Abu Dhabi, with a 10% interest, alongside ADNOC (60%), bp (10%), CNPC (8%), JODCO/INPEX (5%), ZhenHua (4%) and GS Energy (3%)

The new concession will enable the partners to develop the large gas cap resources of the Bab onshore field, with a target production rate of 1.5 billion cubic feet per day. It builds on the 2015 renewal for 40 years of the Onshore oil concession (formerly ADCO).

Since then, TotalEnergies, alongside ADNOC and its partners, has worked to advance the development of the Bab Gas Cap, which represents a significant growth opportunity. The project also aligns with Abu Dhabi’s strategy to expand both its liquids production from condensates and its gas output while reinforcing its LNG value chain, notably the Ruwais LNG project, in which TotalEnergies also holds 10% interest.

“I would like to thank the Supreme Council for Financial and Economic Affairs of Abu Dhabi for its continued trust. In the current context, this entry in a new concession underlines TotalEnergies’ commitment to stand alongside ADNOC, our historic partner in Abu Dhabi, and to keep contributing to the development of the United Arab Emirates’ significant hydrocarbon resources. The Bab Gas Cap project is well in line with TotalEnergies’ Upstream strategy by adding low-cost, low-emissions resources with significant potential for production growth,” said Patrick Pouyanné, chairman and CEO of TotalEnergies.

Amin H. Nasser, CEO of Aramco. (Image source: Aramco)

Industry

Aramco has recorded a sharp increase in Q2 profits thanks to elevated oil prices as a result of the Middle East crisis and its ability to bypass the Strait of Hormuz by diverting exports via the East-West pipeline

Highlights of Aramco’s Q2 /H1 results

• Aramco recorded Q2 profits of US$33.4bn compared with US$25.2bn in the first quarter of 2025, a rise of 33%. Profits for the first six months stood at US$67.2bn compared with US$52bn in the corresponding period of 2025.
• Revenues for the second quarter of 2026 were US$139. 146bn compared with US$124.496bn for the first quarter, mainly due to higher prices of refined and chemical products and crude oil, partially offset by lower volumes sold of crude oil and refined and chemical products.
• The board declared a second-quarter base dividend of US$21.9bn, payable in the third quarter.
• Oil production stood at 9.5mn bpd in the second quarter compared with 12.6mn bpd in the first quarter, reflecting the shutting in of production as a result of the closure of the Strait of Hormuz
• Capital expenditure for the first half of 2026 was US$20.175bn, an increase of 5.3% compared with 2025, mainly due to continuing development activity on major strategic gas projects to increase gas production capacity by around 80% by 2030 compared with 2021 levels, and phasing of crude oil increments related to maintaining maximum sustainable capacity (MSC) at 12mn bpd.

Resilience in the face of regional disruption

Aramco’s CEO Amin H. Nasser commented that the company’s performance has been defined by the resilience of its people and the agility of its business and operations to withstand and respond to rapidly changing market conditions.

“Despite the unprecedented supply disruption through the Strait of Hormuz, we continued to demonstrate our ability to maintain business continuity by capitalising on our diverse asset base and multi-decade planning, including strategic infrastructure such as the East-West Pipeline, storage capacity, and export terminals.

“That enabled us to sustain production and exports while advancing key projects, despite the challenging regional environment.”

Aramco was able to keep the oil flowing by redirecting around 70% of its oil through the East-West pipeline which runs from the Abqaiq oilfield in Eastern province to Yanbu on the Red Sea, maintaining exports at a maximum capacity of 7mn bpd. Aramco maximised throughput and exports from its west coast refineries and terminals to capture higher margins.

Through its operational flexibility, extensive domestic and international infrastructure, integrated supply chain capabilities and well-established business continuity plans, Aramco effectively managed regional challenges while maintaining operations.

“We have entered the second half of the year with solid financial and operating momentum with one of the strongest balance sheets in the sector, sustainable and progressive base dividend distributions, and a clear focus on our strategic growth objectives,” Nasser continued. “Even through periods of uncertainty, Aramco has stayed anchored to its long-term priorities. Our disciplined execution, combined with our lower-cost and higher-reliability operations, has supported our profitability.”

Aramco comments that the market demand for liquids remains resilient, and as oil flows improve, previously constrained demand is expected to recover, supporting stronger oil demand. Additional call for crude is expected from inventory replenishment and the filling of new commercial and strategic storages. The company is well-positioned to capture higher demand post-Strait of Hormuz opening for inventory replenishment and offsetting lost supply, it says.

Operational highlights

Oil

• Construction activities continued on the Zuluf crude oil increment, which is expected to process 600mn bpd of crude oil from the Zuluf field in 2026
• EPC activities progressed for phase two of the Dammam development project, which is expected to be onstream in 2027, adding crude oil production capacity of 50mn bpd.

Gas

• Phase one of The Jafurah gas plant maintained steady production of sales gas and condensate, while procurement and construction continued for Phase 2, including the construction of the Riyas NGL fractionation plant targeted for completion in 2027
• The Fadhili gas plant expansion construction activities continued, which is to provide an additional gas processing capacity of 1.5bscfd by 2027.

Downstream

• Aramco continued to leverage the East-West pipeline and enhance its west coast export infrastructure to increase supply flexibility, and the Yanbu export terminal was repositioned as a strategic hub for western regional shipments. Aramco continued to pursue major downstream projects.

The agreements will expand the chemicals ecosystem. (Image source: ADNOC)

Petrochemicals

TA’ZIZ, a joint venture between ADNOC and ADQ, has signed long-term agreements spanning offtake, feedstock and sales across its chemicals portfolio, valued at US$28.5bn (AED104.6bn)

Signed at the Make it in the Emirates Forum, the agreements, valued at US$28.5bn, secure both global offtake and reliable local feedstocks, allowing for large-scale chemical production within the UAE and reinforcing TA’ZIZ’s role in building a fully integrated domestic chemicals ecosystem. The deals include sale agreements with ADNOC and Proman for methanol; Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA) for caustic soda; Mitsubishi Corporation for ethylene dichloride (EDC), vinyl chloride monomer (VCM) and caustic soda; Mitsui & Co. for EDC and caustic soda; Sanmar Group for EDC and VCM; Tricon for PVC, EDC and caustic soda; and Vinmar for EDC and polyvinyl chloride (PVC).

ADNOC Gas secured a 25-year feedstock agreement to supply natural gas to the TA'ZIZ methanol project valued at over $5 billion (AED18.4 billion). TA’ZIZ also agreed a 20 year salt supply agreement with Abu Dhabi based Sama Salt to support production at its PVC complex.

Mashal Saoud Al-Kindi, CEO of TA’ZIZ, said, “These long term agreements represent a defining milestone for TA’ZIZ and for the UAE’s industrial growth ambitions. By securing both global demand and reliable local feedstock, we are translating vision into delivery, anchoring world scale chemicals production, strengthening domestic value chains and creating enduring economic value, jobs and supply chain resilience for the UAE.”

Together, these agreements leverage local resources to secure a reliable and sustainable supply of critical raw materials, further strengthening domestic value chains and advancing the UAE’s industrial self sufficiency.

TA’ZIZ is a manufacturing, industrial services, logistics and utilities ecosystem that enables the production of transition fuels and new products across the chemicals value chain, supporting ADNOC’s ambition to become a top three global chemicals player as well as the UAE’s industrial development and economic diversification ambitions.

The TA’ZIZ Industrial Chemicals Zone is set to produce 4.7 million tonnes per annum (mtpa) of chemicals once construction is completed in 2028. This includes a 1 mtpa ammonia plant, a 1.8 mtpa methanol plant and 1.9 mtpa of marketable products from its integrated polyvinyl chloride (PVC) complex. The PVC complex, which produces PVC, ethylene dichloride (EDC), vinyl chloride monomer (VCM), and caustic soda, will be one of the world’s top three largest single site PVC complexes.

Also at the Make it at the Emirates Forum, TA’ZIZ and Alpha Dhabi Holding announced a strategic collaboration agreement for around US$10 bn (AED36.7bn) in capital investment in new industrial chemicals in the TA’ZIZ industrial chemicals ecosystem in Al Ruwais Industrial City, Al Dhafra region of Abu Dhabi.

The partnership could produce up to 14 new chemicals, delivering around 2.2mn tonnes per annum (mtpa) of additional chemical capacity in the TA’ZIZ industrial chemicals ecosystem in Al Ruwais Industrial City. The new chemicals, which include styrene and polystyrenes, acrylic acid and derivates, polyols, MDI, epoxy resins and linear alpha-olefins, are based on domestic demand and could substitute key products currently imported into the UAE, while strengthening local supply chain resilience. The partnership supports the UAE’s national industrial priorities, including the Make it in the Emirates (MIITE) initiative and the country’s industrial strategy, by strengthening domestic manufacturing capability and advancing self-sufficiency in strategically important chemical products.

The Sigma Enterprises team with the Scout 137 drone. (Image source: ScoutDI)

Technology

ScoutDI, the Norwegian manufacturer of the Scout 137 confined space inspection drone system, has entered a new partnership with Sigma Enterprises, a UAE-based provider of industrial products and solutions, boosting access to safe, data-driven confined space inspection across the United Arab Emirates and the wider MENA region

Inspecting tanks, flare stacks, confined spaces and other hazardous and hard-to-access assets remains a major challenge for the oil and gas industry. Increasingly, operators in the MENA region are deploying drone technology for inspections, thereby eliminating the risk to personnel, as well as saving time and costs compared to traditional inspections. Equipped with LiDAR, various sensors, thermal cameras, and high-resolution imaging, drones today can provide accurate and detailed real-time data, precisely pinpointing any threats to asset integrity. Capabilities continue to advance with technology advancements, with the integration of AI and data analytics facilitating real-time data processing and analysis. A recent report projects the drones for oil and gas market to grow from US$1,473.5 mn in 2025 to US$16,755 mn by 2035, recording a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 27.5% during this period.

Faster, safer, better inspections

Through the new partnership, Sigma Enterprises brings deep regional presence and technical service capability to industrial clients who need to inspect tanks, vessels and other confined assets without sending people into hazardous spaces. Combined with the Scout 137 drone system, this means faster inspections, better data, and a safer working day for inspection teams across the region's energy, petrochemical and maritime sectors.

The Scout 137 is a tethered drone built for GPS-denied confined spaces. It carries its own lighting, a 4K zoom camera and survey-grade 3D LiDAR, with an optional ultrasonic thickness measurement payload, and it captures every inspection as a positioned, repeatable record in the cloud-based Scout Portal. Because each flight follows a consistent, traceable path, asset owners can compare inspections over time and move toward genuine condition trending rather than one-off snapshots.

“The Middle East is one of the most important regions for industrial inspection, and Sigma Enterprises gives us a strong local partner with the reach and technical depth our customers expect,” said Håvard Eilertsen, chief commercial officer at ScoutDI. “Together we can help the region's asset owners inspect more safely and turn every flight into reliable, comparable data.”

“Adding the Scout 137 to our portfolio lets us offer clients a proven, safer alternative to manual confined space entry,” said a spokesperson for Sigma Enterprises. “It is a natural fit with our mission to bring advanced, reliable technology to industry across the region.”

Both companies will support asset owners across the UAE and MENA with inspection technology that reduces risk, improves data quality and supports long-term asset integrity.

Competence is a must for high-risk tasks. (Image source: Adobe Stock)

Webinar

How do complacency and human factors contribute to workplace injuries, and how can you prevent complacency-related injuries and incidents?

That is the subject of a webinar hosted by HSE Review in association with SafeStart, to take place on Wednesday 1st April 2026 at 2pm GST, which will shine a light on the neuroscience behind competence, complacency and human factors.

Safety professionals have known for years that “complacency is a silent killer.” They have also suspected that complacency was a contributing factor in almost every unintentional injury or incident. Unfortunately, from a neuroscience perspective, it is impossible to stop people from becoming complacent once they are competent. And for high-risks tasks in particular, competence is a must.

Even more unfortunately, many (most) companies do not know what to do to help their employees deal with complacency, which leads to mind not on task/risk.

In this session, participants will:
• Understand the neuroscience behind complacency and why it cannot be eliminated once competence is achieved
• Recognise the two stages of the complacency continuum and how human factors impact critical decision-making
• Learn practical skills to prevent complacency-related injuries, including attentive habits, looking for risk patterns in others, analysing close calls and small errors to prevent agonising over large ones, and using self-triggering skills, to deal with rushing, frustration and fatigue which, when combined with complacency, can cause fatalities
• Explore how concepts such as fail-safe can help compensate for complacency leading to mind not on task.

Register for the webinar here

Our speaker is Larry Wilson, a pioneer in the area of Human Factors in safety. He has been a safety consultant for over 25 years and has worked on-site with hundreds of companies worldwide. Larry is the author of SafeStart, an advanced safety and performance awareness programme, successfully implemented in more than 4,500 companies in 75 countries, with more than five million people trained. He is the moderator of the SafeConnection expert panels series and has authored and co-authored a number of books, the latest being “25 Years of Original Thought-Innovations in Safety, Human Error and Performance”. Larry is also an active keynote speaker at health and safety conferences around the globe (32 countries so far).

Participants are guaranteed an hour of engaging and thought-provoking interactive discussion and debate and will take away the understanding, skills and strategies to help prevent complacency-related injuries and incidents.

So don’t delay, register for the webinar here

SafeStart Trainer Certification – Global Training Series

Following strong demand last year and impact across global markets, we’re also launching the SafeStart Trainer Certification – Global Training Series, starting with Dubai on 7–8 April 2026.

This is a practical, human factors–based certification designed to help organisations reduce incidents, strengthen decision-making, and improve overall safety performance, on and off the job.

Find out more information and register here:

The new guidance addresses hydrogen-specific integrity and safety considerations. (Image source: Adobe Stock)

Energy Transition

DNV has published a recommended practice (RP) for offshore hydrogen pipelines, supporting safe design, operation and requalification of pipeline infrastructure for transporting hydrogen

DNV-RP-F123 Hydrogen pipeline systems addresses hydrogen-specific integrity and safety considerations. It supplements DNV’s established submarine pipeline standard, DNV-ST-F101 and adds additional guidance tailored to transporting hydrogen gas and hydrogen blends in pipeline systems. It is relevant for new pipeline developments as well as for the requalifying of existing offshore infrastructure for hydrogen transport, supporting broader efforts to scale hydrogen networks.

Hydrogen is expected to play an increasing role in cutting emissions from hard-to-decarbonise sectors. However the transportation of hydrogen by pipeline faces certain risks and considerations, such as embrittlement.

DNV-RP-F123 has been developed through the H2Pipe joint industry project (JIP), which ran from 2021 to 2026 and brought together 37 industry partners across operators, manufacturers, engineering companies and academic advisors to provide guidance for engineering projects and qualification work.

The next step is large-scale testing to validate data and advance existing standards. This phase will include full-scale pipe testing at DNV’s Spadeadam Research and Development Facility. The results will feed into the continued development of DNV-RP-F123 and future guidance.

“Hydrogen service fundamentally changes the integrity picture for pipeline systems,” explained Prajeev Rasiah, executive vice president and regional director for Northern Europe, Energy Systems at DNV, “it cannot be treated as a simple variant of natural gas. This recommended practice moves beyond theoretical study to provide an evidence-based framework for assessing hydrogen-specific risks in design, requalification, and operation. By closing the gaps around material suitability and safety margins, we are giving teams the technical clarity needed to move projects from the study phase into execution. This is particularly vital for requalifying existing infrastructure, where the guidance helps define exactly what must be tested or upgraded to ensure a safe reliable and sustainable transition.”

“The objective of the H2Pipe JIP is to build guidance grounded in shared data and real technical experience from testing,” added Philippe Darcis, chairman of the H2Pipe JIP Steering Committee and Pipeline Technology Senior Director at Tenaris. “The real value of the H2Pipe JIP is in turning years of shared data into credible, site-ready guidance that engineers can use to scale hydrogen infrastructure. This is a practical tool built to reduce the 'unknowns' that often stall investment. Because it was developed through industry-wide collaboration, it gives operators a robust basis for making decisions, allowing us to move forward with fewer assumptions and greater confidence in our safety and performance standards.”