webcam-b

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 company will focus initially on Egypt.

Exploration & Production

XRG, ADNOC’s energy investment company, and bp, have established a new regional gas platform, Arcius Energy, which will initially focus on gas development in Egypt

Arcius Energy will focus on natural gas growth to meet growing regional demand, while supporting Egyptian energy security and economic development. It includes the Shorouk concession (bp 10% interest), which contains the producing Zohr field; North Damietta concession (bp 100% interest), which contains the producing Atoll field; and North El Tabya, Bellatrix-Seti East and North El Fayrouz exploration concession agreements.

Arcius Energy is 51% owned by bp and 49% by XRG and will be headed by Naser Saif Al Yafei, from ADNOC, who was appointed as chief executive officer while Katerina Papalexandri, from bp, was appointed as chief financial officer.

Exciting new chapter

H.E. Dr. Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, executive chairman of XRG said, “The formation of Arcius Energy marks an exciting new chapter in our long-standing partnership with bp, and fully aligns with XRG’s objectives to accelerate the transformation of energy systems and build a world-scale integrated gas and chemicals portfolio to meet rising global demand. This progressive partnership will unlock a lower-carbon transition fuel to build a future where smarter, cleaner and more affordable energy is accessible for Egypt and the world."

Murray Auchincloss, chief executive of bp, added, “Arcius Energy brings together the strengths of our two companies to create a dynamic new platform for international growth in natural gas in the region. Together, we can continue to build on bp’s 60 years of technical expertise and delivery of safe and efficient operations in Egypt – a hub for new opportunities to build out a highly competitive gas portfolio in the region.”

 bp, along with its partners, currently produces around 70% of Egypt’s gas through its gas development projects in the West and East Nile Delta.

The Middle East continues to be a good source of business for EPC contractors. (Image source: Adobe Stock)

Industry

2024 has proved fruitful for EPC contractors in the Middle East, as the region increases the focus on offshore and subsea developments, gas, and energy transition projects

It has been a good year for Wood, which scooped a record US$920mn in contracts across the Middle East, with decarbonisation being a strong theme. Work in the region includes pre-FEED on Aramco’s Southern and Northern Areas project in the KSA for gas facilities in eastern Saudi Arabia; integrated front-end engineering design (FEED), detailed design, procurement support, and construction and commissioning assistance for TotalEnergies in Iraq for the first phase of the Associated Gas Upstream Project, part of the Gas Growth Integrated Project (GGIP) in Southern Iraq; as well as a flare gas reduction programme which has reduced more than 10 million tonnes of CO2 per year. Wood has also secured a contract worth around US$17mn from a leading petrochemical company in the Middle East to improve efficiency and reduce emissions on a process manufacturing plant.

To support continued growth, Wood has expanded its Middle East workforce by 500 employees in less than a year, with a 25% headcount increase in UAE alone, where it recently opened its third office in Sharjah. The company is also currently recruiting for another 130 roles across the region.

Ken Gilmartin, CEO at Wood, said: “As we underlined in our strategy, we believe the Middle East will be a huge driving force in the world’s energy transition and Wood is helping accelerate the journey to net zero in the region as a trusted partner to companies like Saudi Aramco, ADNOC, Shell and TotalEnergies.”

Another company receiving a steady flow of work in 2024 is Saipem, building on its longstanding ties with the region. The company was awarded an offshore contract in September worth around US$2bn with Saudi Aramco, for the development of the Marjan field in Saudi Arabia. It involves the engineering, procurement, construction and installation of wellhead platforms’ topsides and jackets, flowliness and subsea cables. It followed the award of two offshore contracts in Saudi Arabia together worth approximately US1bn for EPCI of production deck modules, subsea pipelines and power cables for the Marjan field, and jackets, PDMs, subsea pipelines and power cables for the Sulfa and Safaniya oilfields.

In July, Saipem was awarded an offshore EPC contract worth around US$4bn by QatarEnergy LNG for the Combined COMP3A & COMP3B of the North Field Production Sustainability Offshore Compression Program, aimed at sustaining the production of the North Field offshore natural gas reservoir.

Other major contracts this year included Tecnicas Reunidas and Sinopec Engineering Group’s two lumpsum contracts combined worth approximately US$3.3bn from Saudi Aramco for the EPC of the Riyas Natural Gas Liquids (NGL) fractionation facility in Saudi Arabia; Samsung Engineering, GS Engineering & Construction, and Nesma & Partners’ US$7.7bn EPC contract from Saudi Aramco for the Fadhili Gas plant expansion; and Technip Energies /JGC /NMDC Energy’s EPC contract worth around US$5.5bn from ADNOC for the Ruwais LNG project.

Aramco’s gas expansion was a major source of business this year, with contracts worth more than US$25bn awarded in June relating to the development of the Jafurah unconventional gas field and expansion of Aramco’s Master Gas System.

This project includes the construction of a 30,000-metric-ton ethylene storage facilities and associated utility infrastructure. (Image source: Adobe Stock)

Petrochemicals

SAMSUNG E&A has been awarded a contract with Ras Laffan Petrochemicals (RLP) for the Qatar RLP Ethylene Storage Plant, to be executed as a joint venture with CTCI of Taiwan

The total contract amount of the project is around US$418mn, with SAMSUNG E&A's share being about US$215mn, and the contract period is estimated to be 34 months. The client, Ras Laffan Petrochemicals, is a joint venture between Qatar Energy, Qatar's state-run energy company, and a subsidiary of Chevron Phillips Chemical Company LLC.

This project includes the construction of a 30,000-metric-ton ethylene storage facilities and associated utility infrastructure at an industrial complex in Ras Laffan, 80 km north of Doha, Qatar's capital. It is located within the same complex as the RLP ethylene project awarded to SAMSUNG E&A and CTCI in 2023 and is currently under execution. Its purpose is to store ethylene during the plant's maintenance and repair periods, ensuring availability in case of an emergency, while allowing flexible handling of ethylene from both upstream and dowonstream suppliers. SAMSUNG E&A is responsible for the engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) of key equipment, including 30,000 metric ton storage tanks, compressors, and pumps.

The joint venture plans to deliver exceptional schedule management for the client by applying innovative strategies in project execution. This includes a pioneering approach to procurement, with key equipment and materials being purchased before the engineering process is finalised.

Hong Namkoong, president and CEO of SAMSUNG E&A said, “As we have secured a linked order with Ras Laffan Petrochemicals, we will successfully carry out the project based on our performance experience and innovation strategy and strengthen our position in the Qatari market.”

Michael Yang, chairman of CTCI, said, “We appreciate Ras Laffan Petrochemicals’ continued trust in offering this opportunity to our team. We will continue to deliver high-quality engineering and safety management to ensure the project is completed on time and up to standard.”

AR360 modules will be developed as Petrel subsurface software plug-ins to create a suite of powerful and specialised tools. (Image source: AIQ)s

Technology

Abu-Dhabi based technology company AIQ, has partnered with SLB to integrate its Advanced Reservoir 360 (AR360) solution with SLB’s Petrel software

AR360 uses AI to visualise reservoirs and optimise development, reducing planning time while increasing well life and recovery rates by ensuring the right balance between drilling new wells, boosting performance of existing wells, and optimising injection and production volumes.

Petrel software offers a comprehensive suite of physics- and AI-based technologies in an integrated, model-centric architecture to deliver critical insights into the subsurface. It facilitates more efficient well planning, field development, and optimisation for oil and gas reserves, as well as solutions supporting the energy transition, including CCUS and geothermal.

While traditional forecasting technologies require working across multiple software platforms and data sets, which can be time-consuming, combined with Petrel software, AR360 enhances workflows with an end-to-end approach to reservoir development and utilises AI to save time and enable better and more proactive decision-making. AR360 modules will be developed as Petrel software plug-ins, utilising the SLB Ocean software development framework to create a suite of powerful and specialised tools.

ADNOC has deployed AR360 on more than 30 reservoirs across its upstream operations, following the solution’s successful initial deployment in early 2024 on two ADNOC reservoirs at Bab and Umm Shaif fields.

Magzhan Kenesbai, acting managing director of AIQ commented, “Petrel software is globally reputed, and incorporating AR360 into its capabilities will deliver an improvement of asset reservoir understanding through data integration. This partnership reinforces the emergence of AIQ as a developing global AI supplier-of-choice for the energy sector. We are driving greater efficiencies in upstream operations and beyond, and partnering with leading technology providers in our pursuit of excellence.”

The webinar highlighted SAFEEN Green - a revolutionary new USV. (Image source: AD Ports Group)

Webinar

Oil Review Middle East hosted a very well-attended webinar on 20 November on the future of offshore operations, in association with SAFEEN Group, part of AD Ports Group

The webinar explored the latest trends and challenges in the rapidly evolving world of offshore operations, focusing on groundbreaking innovations that are driving sustainable and efficient practices. In particular, it highlighted SAFEEN Green – a revolutionary unmanned surface vessel (USV), setting new benchmarks for sustainable and efficient maritime operations.

Erik Tonne, MD and head of Market Analysis at Clarksons, gave an overview of the offshore market, highlighting that current oil price levels are supportive for offshore developments, and global offshore capex is increasing strongly. The Middle East region will see significant capex increase over the coming years, with the need for rigs and vessels likely to remain high. Offshore wind is also seeing increased spending. Global rig activity is growing, while the subsea EPC backlog has never been higher, with regional EPC contracts seeing very high activity. Tonne forecast that demand for subsea vessels and other support vessels will continue to increase.

Tareq Abdulla Al Marzooqi, CEO SAFEEN Subsea, AD Ports Group, introduced SAFEEN Subsea, a joint venture with NMDC, which offers reliable and innovative survey, subsea and offshore solutions to support major offshore and EPC projects across the region. He highlighted the company’s commitment to sustainability, internationalisation and local content, and how it is a hub for innovations and new ideas, taking conceptual designs and converting them to commercial projects. A key project is SAFEEN Green, which offers an optimised inspection and survey solution.

Tareq Al Marzooqi and Ronald J Kraft, CTO, Sovereign Global Solutions ME and RC Dock Engineering BV. outlined the benefits and capabilities of SAFEEN Green as compared with commercial vessels, in terms of safety, efficiency, profitability and sustainability. It is 30-40% more efficient through the use of advanced technologies, provides a safer working environment given it is operated 24/7 remotely from a control centre, and offers swappable payload capacity. Vessels are containerised and can be transported easily to other regions. In terms of fuel consumption, the vessel is environment-friendly and highly competitive, reducing emissions by 90% compared with conventional vessels, with the ability to operate on 100% biofuel.

As for future plans, SAFEEN Green 2.0 is under development, which will be capable of carrying two inspection work-class ROVs simultaneously. A priority will be to collect data to create functional AI models for vessels and operations, with the first agent-controlled payload systems in prospect by around 2027.

To view the webinar, go to https://alaincharles.zoom.us/rec/share/mNHjZhAhQzn1sPzmFWZCgrq7_SckfLRcSb4w81I7aVlokO9sgHM_zVeOqgN3DgJS.bO4OIRqNeFP09SPu?startTime=1732095689000

 

The project will support Aramco's emissions reduction objectives. (Image source: Adobe Stock)

Energy Transition

Aramco is significantly advancing its net-zero ambitions with the signing of a shareholders’ agreement with Linde and SLB to progress the development of a Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) hub at Jubail, set to become one of the largest globally

Under the terms of the shareholders’ agreement Aramco will take a 60% equity interest in the CCS hub, with Linde and SLB each owning a 20% stake.

The first phase of the hub, due for completion by late 2027, will have the capacity to capture nine million metric tons of CO2 from three Aramco gas plants and other industrial sources, with the potential for expansion in later phases. The captured CO2 will be transported through a pipeline network and stored below ground in a saline aquifer sink, leveraging the Kingdom’s geological potential for CO2 storage.

Net-zero ambitions

The project will support Aramco’s ambition to achieve net-zero Scope 1 and Scope 2 greenhouse gas emissions across its wholly-owned operated assets by 2050. It also complements the company’s blue hydrogen and ammonia initiatives.

Ashraf Al Ghazzawi, Aramco EVP of Strategy & Corporate Development, said, “CCS plays a critical role in furthering our sustainability ambitions and our new energies business. This announcement represents a step forward in delivering on our strategy to contribute to global carbon management solutions and achieve our emission mitigation goals. Aramco’s collaboration with SLB and Linde demonstrates the importance of global partnerships in driving technological innovation, reducing emissions from conventional energy sources and enabling new, lower-carbon energy solutions. This CCS hub is among several programmes that will enable us to meet rising demand for affordable, reliable, and more sustainable energy.”

Oliver Pfann, Linde EVP EMEA, added, “Carbon capture and sequestration is essential for achieving the Kingdom’s emission reduction targets. Linde is proud to collaborate with Aramco and SLB, contributing Linde’s innovative technology and experience in delivering world-scale decarbonization projects.”

Gavin Rennick, SLB president, New Energy, said, “Leveraging our proven portfolio of CCS technologies and extensive experience in complex CCS projects around the world, we are confident that SLB will play a critical role in advancing this important initiative. This project aligns perfectly with our commitment to industrial decarbonisation, and we look forward to collaborating closely with Aramco and Linde to make it a success.”

Latest news