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In a further boost for Iraq's oil and gas development prospects, Türkiye Petrolleri Anonim Ortaklığı (TPAO) is acquiring a 15% interest in BP Energy Company of Kirkuk Limited (BP ECKL), which is redeveloping several major oil and gas fields in the promising Kirkuk region of northern Iraq

Signed during the official visit of Iraqi Prime Minister Ali Al-Zaidi to Türkiye, the move builds on the strategic cooperation Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed by bp and Türkiye's national oil company in February 2026, and follows ConocoPhillips' recent acquisition of a 42% interest in BP ECKL. The two acquisitions bring together partners with complementary capabilities and expertise together with bp to support the next phase of redevelopment in Kirkuk. Following completion of the transaction, bp will remain the majority shareholder in BP ECKL with 43%.

Vast potential

Kirkuk, once among the most prolific regions globally, has vast potential, with a combined resource opportunity estimated at up to 20 billion barrels of oil equivalent.

bp received final government ratification for its contract to invest in the redevelopment of several giant oil fields in Kirkuk in March 2025, when bp said the investment will bring opportunity and growth to the Kirkuk region, as well as improving supply chain capability alongside job creation. Then bp executive vice president William Lin commented that the opportunity is fully in line with the company’s priority of pursuing new growth opportunities for bp as it strengthens and high-grades its portfolio across the world.

The contract between North Oil Company (NOC), North Gas Company (NGC) and bp includes the rehabilitation and redevelopment of the fields alongside investment in existing gas processing facilities, spanning oil, gas, power and water with potential for investment in exploration.

The Development and Production Contract covers an initial phase of oil and gas production of more than 3 billion barrels of oil equivalent from the Baba and Avanah domes of the Kirkuk oil field and the adjacent Bai Hassan, Jambur and Khabbaz fields in Federal Iraq, all currently operated by the North Oil Company (NOC) and North Gas Company (NGC). The contract area also includes additional exploration potential.

bp is drawing on its experience elsewhere in Iraq in developing Kirkuk, notably at the supergiant Rumaila field in southern Iraq, where with its partners it has helped to deliver a 40% increase in production since 2010. bp says it aims to grow a similar, modern upstream oil and gas industry centred around Kirkuk, bringing in technologies that transformed operations at Rumaila, such as real-time monitoring and digital surveillance. These can help to optimise well performance, predict and avert production issues, and facilitate data-driven decision making.

Chief executive officer Meg O’Neill said, “TPAO has been a trusted partner for more than 30 years through our work together across the Caspian region. This agreement builds on that long-standing relationship and, alongside our partnership with ConocoPhillips, positions us strongly for the next phase of redevelopment in Kirkuk. Kirkuk is a world-class resource base that can support Iraq's long-term energy ambitions, and we look forward to working closely with the Government of Iraq and our partners to deliver the next phase of redevelopment."

bp has a longstanding relationship with Iraq spanning more than a century with an involvement in both the north and south of the country. bp’s predecessor helped ‎Iraq to locate, produce and export oil from Baba Gurgur in Kirkuk, one of the largest oilfields ‎in the world at that time.

As AI workloads, cloud demand and rack densities increase, cooling is becoming one of the most critical elements of data centre performance, says MSA Safety

High-density computing environments generate more heat in a smaller footprint, driving greater use of advanced liquid cooling and other high-capacity thermal-management systems. These technologies can support demanding workloads, but they also reduce the margin for error.

In this environment, cooling resilience cannot begin at the point of failure. It must start earlier, with the ability to identify small changes before they develop into a wider operational issue.

The margin for cooling disruption is shrinking

Traditional data centres often benefited from a degree of thermal buffer. Lower rack densities and large volumes of conditioned air could provide teams with more time to respond when cooling performance began to decline.

High-density AI environments are different. Greater heat loads mean temperatures can rise more quickly if cooling capacity is reduced. A minor loss of performance that may once have developed gradually can now place equipment, uptime and service-level commitments at risk much sooner.

This changes the role of refrigerant leak detection. Rather than treating detection solely as a compliance or safety requirement, design and engineering teams increasingly need to consider it as part of the facility’s wider cooling-resilience strategy.

Cooling disruption can begin before an alarm

Refrigerant leaks are not always sudden or immediately visible. A small leak can develop gradually at a joint, valve, seal or other component, allowing the system’s refrigerant charge to decline over time.

Initially, the cooling system may compensate. Compressors may run for longer, controls may adjust and temperature set points may continue to be maintained. From an operational perspective, the system can appear to be functioning normally even though its performance has begun to change.

As refrigerant levels continue to fall, cooling equipment may work harder to maintain the required output. This can contribute to increased energy use, place additional strain on system components and gradually reduce the cooling capacity available to the facility. In a high-density environment, continued refrigerant loss may eventually lead to a low-pressure trip or an inability to meet the thermal load. By that point, the opportunity for planned intervention may have narrowed considerably.

The challenge is that detection systems intended primarily to identify higher refrigerant concentrations may not alert teams during the earliest stages of a leak. A critical alarm can confirm that action is required, but it may not provide the earliest opportunity to respond.

Early detection should begin at the design stage

Cooling resilience is strengthened when refrigerant detection is considered during system design rather than added late in the project. Design teams can identify likely leak points, plan suitable sampling locations and determine how detection information will connect with building-management or facility-monitoring systems. Aspirated sampling pipework can also be incorporated while plant layouts, service routes and access requirements are still being developed.

This early consideration is particularly important in large or complex cooling installations, where multiple pieces of equipment may need to be monitored across separate plant areas.

The location of sampling points can influence how quickly a developing leak is detected and how easily teams can identify its likely source.

During commissioning, high-sensitivity detection can provide another layer of visibility. It can help engineering teams identify low-level refrigerant presence, installation issues or emerging leaks before the cooling infrastructure is handed over to the operator.

Once the facility is live, the same system can support a more proactive maintenance strategy by showing where refrigerant is being detected and how readings are changing over time. This gives teams an opportunity to investigate while cooling equipment is still operating, rather than waiting for a fault, pressure trip or loss of capacity.

How aspirated refrigerant detection supports earlier visibility

Aspirated refrigerant detection continuously draws air from multiple sampling locations back to a central sensor for analysis. This allows several plant areas or potential leak points to be monitored from one system while still providing zone-specific information. Sampling points can be positioned close to chillers, compressors, valves and other areas where refrigerant leaks may develop.

The Bacharach® Multi-Zone gas monitor from MSA Safety uses infrared sensing technology to detect supported refrigerants at concentrations as low as 1 ppm. A single monitor can sequentially sample up to 16 zones, giving design, commissioning and maintenance teams greater visibility across complex cooling infrastructure.

This high-sensitivity approach can help identify low-level refrigerant presence before it develops into a more significant loss of charge. When detection information is connected to wider monitoring and alerting systems, teams can also review readings remotely, examine trends and prioritise investigation according to the location and development of an event.

The value is not simply in generating another alarm. It is in providing actionable information earlier in the progression of a leak.

Cooling resilience starts before failure

As computing densities rise, data centres have less tolerance for unnoticed cooling degradation. A critical alarm may indicate that cooling performance is already at risk. Early leak detection provides an opportunity to act sooner, while the system is still operating and before a low-level issue becomes a wider cooling disruption.

By integrating high-sensitivity refrigerant detection into design, commissioning and maintenance strategies, data centre teams can gain better visibility of emerging risk and take a more proactive approach to protecting cooling performance and uptime.

Explore how the Bacharach Multi-Zone gas monitor can support earlier refrigerant leak detection across critical data centre cooling infrastructure. Contact MSA Safety to discuss your application with a refrigerant-detection specialist.

*Bacharach is a trademark of MSA Technology, LLC, registered in the United States and other countries and regions.

At the S&P Global Energy Middle East Petroleum & Gas Conference (MPGC) held in London, Musaab Al Mulla, Aramco's vice president of market analysis and sustainability, underlined the need for the recognition of the role refined products play in resilient energy systems, which has been brought into sharp focus in the current crisis

Al Mulla highlighted the need for a realistic approach to the role of oil and gas as the engine for economic growth and the impact of the crisis on products ranging from helium to materials and fertilisers, with shortages of the latter in turn impacting food supply.

A common theme of the event was the need for resilience and redundancy in the energy system to be able to weather such crises. Al Mulla highlighted Aramco’s focus on long-term strategic planning and investment for the future, as exemplified by its investment in the east-west pipeline which is now not only transporting crude but also products, building flexibility into the system, transporting crude to refineries for export and ensuring refined products get to market.

“The world has realised the need for more investment in pipeline infrastructure and domestic refining to ensure industry is working together,” he said.

He remarked that the crisis has demonstrated demand is resilient and has exposed the underinvestment in refineries, with capital flows being redirected towards the energy transition and resulting in a deficit of 3mn bpd.

“We need to build refineries and infrastructure while also reducing emissions,” he said, noting that Aramco has one of the lowest emissions intensities.

Discussing demand for refined products, he noted that demand for jet fuel continues to grow and refinery utilisation is at record rates.

“We believe demand will continue to be resilient, and low carbon products will be important as well,” he said.

He foresaw strong growth in chemicals with the market for durable materials growing in multiple sectors, noting that carbon-based materials can help reduce emissions. Replacing steel with polypropylene in cars can reduce emissions by 80%, for example. He also highlighted growth in demand for low carbon aviation fuel (lcaf), fossil-based jet fuel, which is 10% lower in emissions than conventional jet fuel, and complements sustainable aviation fuel (saf) as it addresses some of its limitations.

Highlighting the continuing long-term strategic importance of refining, he stressed that gasolene will still account for a significant proportion of transportation fuel by 2050.

With resilience, reliability and sustainability being global challenges, Al Mulla said that resilience for Aramco means building on operational excellence, long-term investment in oil and gas, new energies and low carbon, and localisation, noting Aramco’s 70% localisation target to ensure a resilient supply chain.

“Resilience is correlated with sustainability, you can’t be sustainable if you are not resilient,” he said. It involves not only having the flexibility to be able to adapt to shocks, but also having the capacity to innovate and grow supply while also reducing emissions, he added.

Commenting on the Middle East’s attractiveness as an investment destination, he said, “Clearly the region remains the hub for oil and gas petrochemicals and refining, and it has shown its infrastructure and energy system have been resilient in this historic crisis.”

He said Aramco is also looking at other regions, and urged the need for more investor-friendly policies in Europe, where there is a need for more domestic refining and chemicals so as not to be dependent on other regions.

Discussing the role of gas, Al Mulla said there will be increasing demand to fulfil the growing demand for power from data centres, highlighting the move towards regional data centres.

Now that the focus has moved from what AI can do to how it can be leveraged to create value, oil and gas companies are accelerating the deployment of AI to transform their operations

ADNOC, for example, is deploying the first AI-enabled fully automated walking island rig, which enables faster and more consistent offshore well delivery, while TotalEnergies is deploying agentic AI solutions to improving the detection of fugitive emissions and target the highest-emitting equipment.

One of the undisputed leaders in AI deployment is Aramco. At LEAP 2026 in Riyadh, Ahmad O. Al-Khowaiter, the company's executive vice president Technology & Innovation, discussed how AI is changing the way the company works, explaining that Aramco looks at AI through three lenses: intelligence, trust and scale.

Intelligence

Aramco collects more than 10 billion plus data points from its operations every day, from wells, pipelines, refineries, terminals, and laboratories.

“But this data on its own does not create value,” stressed Ak-Khowaiter.

“That value comes from combining it with huge computing power and world class technical expertise to put into models which help our engineers, operators, and technologists make better decisions.

“This is why we are moving AI deeper into the core of our business.

“We are using it to enhance exploration, optimise production, improve reliability, accelerate engineering, strengthen maintenance, and even keep our people safe.

“It detects anomalies, recommends responses, and automates workflows, empowering our people to focus on higher-value decisions.”

Aramco’s in-house large language models process millions of requests a day and are estimated to have saved hundreds of thousands of working hours every year, he added.

Trust

In the age of agentic AI and autonomous operations, trust is more important than ever. Cyber security, digital ethics and governance all need to be part of the foundations of how AI is developed, deployed, and scaled, al Khowaiter stressed.

“Autonomous systems need strong guardrails.”

Secure cloud environments, resilient connectivity, digital ethics, and AI-enabled monitoring are a focus, with AI-enabled monitoring significantly reducing the time needed to resolve IT service issues.

“Furthermore, our CyberMind security system demonstrates how AI is strengthening cybersecurity at scale, automating millions of investigations while processing over a billion potential threats every year,” Al-Khowaiter said.

“It enhances our resilience, improves response times, and provides the secure digital foundation we need for the next generation of industrial AI to succeed.”

Scale

The real value of AI projects will come from scaling them across enterprises, industries, and ecosystems, Khowaiter said, noting that Aramco is no stranger to scale given it operates some of the largest and most complex industrial systems in the world

“We have the data and we have the infrastructure, but most importantly we have the people. Engineers, scientists, operators, geologists, and technologists who understand the difference between a promising model and a practical solution.

“That’s why AI is not replacing our industrial knowledge, it is amplifying it.”

Al-Khowaiter went on to stress Aramco’s leadership role in AI, with Aramco Ventures now having a portfolio that includes around 300 start-ups from around the world, while the TecShift initiative aims to attract early-stage start-ups from across the world to Dhahran, bringing them together with industrial partners to work on solving real world challenges.

Concluding, Al-Khowaiter said, “The future of industry will inevitably become more intelligent. But it must also be trusted and scalable. That is the opportunity we see at Aramco.

“Combining nearly a century of industrial expertise with cutting edge technology and world-class talent.

“Our innovation has moved to implementation, creating value not just for our company, but for the Kingdom and the world.”

Oil Review Middle East, in association with Flyability is hosting a webinar on “NDT drones for the oil and gas industry: from innovation to implementation" on Tuesday 14 July at 2pm GST

The oil and gas industry continues to face increasing pressure to improve safety, reduce operational downtime and enhance inspection efficiency. Increasingly, operators are deploying drone technology to improve inspection quality, enhance safety and drive greater operational efficiency across oil and gas assets, discovering new ways to conduct inspections in hazardous and confined spaces while minimising risks to personnel.

This practical session will explore how drone technology is being used to perform remote NDT inspections, collect critical asset data and create digital twins that support more effective asset integrity management. Through real-world case studies and industry experience, attendees will gain valuable insights into implementing drone solutions within their own operations.

Register here

Key highlights

• Visual inspections: Learn how drone technology is improving access to difficult and hazardous inspection environments
• Remote NDT applications: Explore the use of UT spot measurements and other remote inspection capabilities
• Digital twins: Understand how digital asset models are supporting integrity monitoring and maintenance planning
• Industry success stories: Hear practical examples from asset owners and service providers successfully utilising drone technology
• Implementation strategies: Gain insights into integrating drone-based inspections into existing operational workflows.

Our expert speakers:

• Fabio Fata, senior sales manager, Flyability
• Senan Khatib, certified AUV pilot/instructor and UAV field specialist Sagerdrone
• Abdullah Al-Rahmah, head of UAV team, Saudi Aramco
• Jacob Swidy, head of inspection technology and digital transformation, Saudi Aramco

Don’t miss this opportunity to take away exclusive insights from the leading lights of the drone technology world!
Register here

Abu Dhabi is forging ahead with hydrogen development and is emerging as one of the world’s leading global hydrogen hubs, according to a new report from the Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ADCCI)

The report, entitled Abu Dhabi's Positioning in the Hydrogen Economy, highlights that Abu Dhabi is moving from ambition to concrete project execution through investment in production, infrastructure, manufacturing, logistics and export-oriented value chains, even as progress slows in other markets due to the reassessment of hydrogen ambitions and policy uncertainty.

Competitive advantage

The report finds that the UAE benefits from a unique combination of structural advantages, including:
• abundant solar resources
• efficient electricity infrastructure
• strong industrial capabilities
• low cost of capital, and
• strong project delivery capability.

These factors combine to make Abu Dhabi among the most competitive global hydrogen hubs globally, with the levelised costs of hydrogen and ammonia set to be one of the lowest in the world by 2030, strengthening its position as a key exporter to early demand centres such as the European Union, Japan and South Korea. 

Abu Dhabi has set a 2031 production target of 1.4 Mt/year of low-carbon hydrogen. This is in line with the UAE’s hydrogen strategy, which aims to enhance the UAE’s position as one of the largest producers of hydrogen by that year and envisages the low-carbon fuel as a crucial tool in meeting the country’s net-zero commitments and reducing emissions in hard-to-abate sectors.

Shift to high-value hydrogen derivatives

The report highlights a global strategic shift away from just exporting pure hydrogen toward higher-value derivatives such as green ammonia, methanol, synthetic fuels, and Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF).

Abu Dhabi is pursuing a number of initiatives in these areas such as
• Development of methanol and SAF projects using green hydrogen and captured CO₂
• Exploration of e-methane production and bunkering infrastructure
• Expansion into green ammonia and synthetic fuels.

These initiatives could result in exports worth millions of dirhams, as well as creating new jobs and contributing to emissions reduction, creating new opportunities across manufacturing, trade, logistics and industrial production.

Offtake agreements critical

The report stresses that long-term offtake agreements are critical to accelerate investment and scale the hydrogen economy. As a recent IEA report notes, demand uncertainty remains a key constraint for scaling up low-emissions hydrogen development, and is cited by developers as one of the largest barriers to investment. Despite strong global momentum, the report notes that only around 12% of low-carbon hydrogen projects have secured confirmed customers.

Addressing these considerations, Abu Dhabi is demonstrating a viable delivery model through customer-aligned projects and partnerships:
• The EMSTEEL–Masdar green steel pilot (MENA’s first hydrogen-based steel project) is already operational
• Offtake agreements have been signed with Modon and Aldar to supply green steel to sustainable construction projects.

Equipment and technology offer opportunities

As well as production and derivatives, the report identifies opportunities in exporting hydrogen-related technologies and equipment to global projects, such as electrolysers, port infrastructure components and blending projects. Abu Dhabi's industrial zones — including KEZAD— and logistics infrastructure at Khalifa Port position the emirate as a manufacturing and re-export hub to markets such as China, Germany, the United Kingdom, the USA, and Australia. In a regional first, ADNOC, John Cockerill Hydrogen, and Strata Manufacturing signed an agreement in 2023 to produce electrolysers in the UAE for domestic use and export. Other similar arrangements will surely follow.