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Dana Gas is pursuing a US$100mn investment programme in Egypt. (Image source: Dana Gas)
Dana Gas reports positive drilling results in Egypt
Dana Gas PJSC, the Middle East’s regional private sector natural gas company, has announced encouraging results from its Egypt drilling programme, together with the receipt of additional payments totalling AED 79 million (US$21.5 million), marking the full settlement of all overdue receivables in Egypt and the continuation of payments by the Egyptian Government
The progress achieved in Egypt reflects the combination of an improved fiscal framework under the Consolidated Concession Agreement, constructive cooperation with the Egyptian Government, the closure of all overdue receivables, and Dana Gas' continued investment in its asset base. The full settlement of overdue receivables and continued timely payments have strengthened the business’ confidence in further investment in Egypt, alongside the Government’s ongoing efforts to encourage upstream investment, increase domestic gas production and reduce reliance on imported LNG.
Dana Gas has been actively executing its US$100mn investment programme, focused on stabilising production and restoring growth across its Nile Delta portfolio. The company delivered a return to production growth in the first quarter of 2026, with average production increasing 4% year-on-year to 13,060 boepd, marking the first increase in output since 2017.
In 2025, the company successfully drilled four wells and carried out workovers across three additional wells, adding approximately 30 MMscf/d of production and 36 Bcf of reserves.
More recent drilling activity has delivered results significantly above expectations. The latest well has identified an estimated 10 Bcf of gas reserves, significantly exceeding the original prognosis of 3 Bcf. The result opens up additional development and exploration opportunities across the licence area and has the potential to contribute approximately 12 Bcf of future gas resources once developed. Dana Gas plans to drill four further wells before the end of 2026.
Richard Hall, chief executive officer, said, “The Egyptian Government’s settlement of all outstanding receivables and the return to full, timely payments are important developments that give us greater confidence to continue investing in Egypt. Combined with the progress we have made operationally over recent months, this demonstrates the benefits of the investment programme that we continue to execute.
"We are already seeing tangible operational results. Production returned to growth in the first quarter for the first time since 2017, and our latest well results have exceeded expectations.
"The most recent well has identified significantly more gas resources than originally anticipated, highlighting both the quality of our acreage and the opportunities that remain across our portfolio. The result opens up additional development and exploration potential and further strengthens our confidence in the long-term outlook for the Egypt business."
Hall also acknowledged the support of the Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources, EGPC and EGAS, and their efforts to encourage investors in the energy sector to increase domestic gas production and reduce country’s dependence on gas imports.
These efforts are paying off, with a number of discoveries being made recently. They include the oil and gas discovery by Agiba Petroleum Company, the joint venture between the Egyptian General Petroleum Corporation (EGPC) and Eni, in the Western Desert; a gas discovery made by Eni in the Nile Delta region, following its gas and condensate discovery in the Temsah concession in the Eastern Mediterranean; and a gas discovery by the USA's Apache, in collaboration with EGPC, in the Western Desert.
the crisis and the increased focus on energy security are renewing interest in hydrogen and hydrogen-based fuels. (Image source: Adobe Stock)
IEA highlights impact of Middle East crisis on hydrogen supply chains
The conflict in the Middle East has disrupted global production and trade in hydrogen-based products such as fertilisers, fuels and industrial feedstocks, exposing vulnerabilities in supply chains, according to the latest edition of the IEA’s Global Hydrogen Review
The report finds that the crisis and the increased focus on energy security are renewing interest in hydrogen and hydrogen-based fuels, although low-emissions hydrogen remains at a relatively small scale.
Demand for hydrogen worldwide surpassed 100 million tonnes in 2025, according to the report, while production of low-emissions hydrogen grew by 20% to almost 1 million tonnes. However, persistent barriers including high costs, uncertain demand, complex regulations and a lack of infrastructure continue to slow the development of low-emissions hydrogen, putting 2030 targets announced by governments increasingly out of reach.
"The current crisis has highlighted how deeply economies around the world depend on trade in hydrogen-based products and the significant role of the Middle East in those supply chains," said IEA executive director Fatih Birol. "Countries are looking for ways to make their energy systems more resilient and diversified. Low-emissions hydrogen can play an important role in those efforts over time, but stronger policy support and much faster deployment will be needed before it can make a meaningful contribution at scale."
Fertiliser markets have been particularly affected by the conflict in the Middle East, which is home to around one-sixth of global hydrogen production, the majority dedicated to the production of chemicals, fertilisers and refined oil products. The region accounts for more than 10% of global refining capacity, ammonia and urea production, and close to 17% of methanol production.
The region makes up over one-quarter of global trade in ammonia, almost 40% of urea trade and almost 45% of methanol trade, and one-third of its refining capacity is export-oriented. The closure of the Strait of Hormuz has severely disrupted the supply of all these products. The production of hydrogen-based fuels outside the Middle East has also been affected, particularly in Asia, where countries are very dependent on natural gas imports from the Middle East.
Disruptions to production, exports and shipping routes have contributed to shortages and price volatility across global markets with the increase in fertiliser costs posing risks for food supply chains, especially in import-dependent agricultural economies.
Low-emissions hydrogen
Low-emissions hydrogen production grew by 20% in 2025 to reach almost 1 Mt and is set to exceed 1% of global hydrogen production for the first time, but progress is concentrated in a small number of projects. However investment momentum weakened in 2025, with delays to final investment decisions and a shrinking pipeline of projects highlighting the challenges facing the sector.
Despite continued policy support in some markets, low-emissions hydrogen and hydrogen-based products remain significantly more expensive than conventional alternatives in most markets. The pipeline of announced projects for producing low-emissions hydrogen by 2030 has shrunk by around a quarter since last year to 27 million tonnes due to delays and cancellations, and the number of projects likely to become operational by 2030 has fallen significantly.
Demand uncertainty remains a key constraint for scaling up low-emissions hydrogen development, with offtake agreements at low level. This is cited by developers as one of the largest barriers to investment.
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TotalEnergies advances use of data and AI to tackle methane emissions
TotalEnergies is advancing the deployment of data and AI to make its operations more efficient, safer and more sustainable, as exemplified by its new methane emissions monitoring centre
At VivaTech 2026, TotalEnergies is showcasing MethaneLive, its new global methane emissions monitoring centre which leverages real-time data and advanced algorithms to detect, measure, and analyse emissions, thereby providing a pathway to reduce them
Curbing methane emissions can play an important role in slowing global warming. IEA analysis suggests that the energy sector was responsible for around 145 Mt of methane emissions in 2024 – more than 35% of the total amount attributable to human activity. Oil operations were responsible for around 45 Mt, natural gas operations for nearly 35 Mt, and abandoned wells for around 3 Mt. An additional 2 Mt of methane leaked from end-use equipment. The oil and gas industry is making increasing efforts to reduce methane emissions, with more than 50 oil and gas companies, including TotalEnergies, signing up to the Oil & Gas Decarbonisation Charter launched at COP28, which commits signatories to reducing emissions to near zero by 2030.
Acccurate emissions data is critical for the implementation of effective methane abatement strategies. In 2025, TotalEnergies deployed permanent, real-time methane emissions monitoring through the installation of 13,000 sensors across all its operated onshore and offshore Upstream sites. These sensors generate a large volume of data. By combining advanced digital tools with the expertise of MethaneLive teams, this data is analysed in real time to alert operators, identify the root causes of anomalies, and recommend the most appropriate corrective actions.
Since its launch in early 2026, MethaneLive has detected 35 fugitive methane emissions at various facilities and enabled them to be tackled through targeted maintenance operations.
This foundation now enables the deployment of agentic AI solutions to go further, by more effectively targeting the highest-emitting equipment and improving the detection of fugitive emissions.
“The use of real-time data is a concrete driver that helps make our operations more reliable, safer, more efficient, and more sustainable. The value of digital technologies and AI is built over time, at the intersection of technology and people. Thanks to the quality of our data and the expertise of TotalEnergies’ teams, we are making digital a key driver in the fight against methane emissions,” said Namita Shah, president OneTech at TotalEnergies.
MethaneLive is just one example of how TotalEnergies is leveraging data to integrate artificial intelligence into its operations, making them more efficient, safer, and more sustainable, as it looks to scale up the use of data and AI across the company.
Data: a key enabler for scaling AI
Today, nearly 3,000 pieces of equipment are monitored across TotalEnergies’ assets. By analysing data collected from this equipment, AI systems detect early warning signs of potential failures, enabling teams to proactively plan maintenance operations on industrial facilities. This approach improves asset availability, reduces unplanned shutdowns and associated costs, and enhances safety. This system is set to be extended to tens of thousands of additional pieces of equipment monitored by AI models.
To fully leverage data and deploy AI at scale, TotalEnergies is investing in collecting real-time information from all its sites, then making it more reliable, better structured, and easily accessible to teams through dedicated platforms.
AI to unlock the full value of subsurface data
The company is leveraging advanced AI models combined with high-performance computing to fully harness its subsurface data and knowledge base, from exploration through to production across its assets.
In geosciences, AI helps streamline basin and field synthesis, improve the interpretation of seismic data, and optimise reservoir development and production, while automating processes and enabling the evaluation of a wide range of scenarios. It thus strengthens teams’ analytical and interpretation capabilities, helping identify new resource opportunities and optimise their development in a more efficient and sustainable way.
A new supercomputer to support AI applications
To support these data investments, TotalEnergies is launching Pangea 5, a new-generation supercomputer, which will increase the company’s computing power sixfold and support the development of AI applications. From 2027, it will help meet growing digital needs, optimise computing times, and deepen the understanding of complex scanarios.
AI to enhance safety and boost industrial performance
TotalEnergies is also collaborating with Mistral AI on a joint innovation lab, focusing initially on refinery performance analysis, as well as on leveraging large volumes of technical documents and data for exploration & production activities.
The curated digital destination is designed to help energy companies discover and deploy AI agents, domain models and digital applications from SLB and partners. (Image source: SLB)
SLB launches SLB Digital Marketplace
As the deployment of agentic AI advances throughout the industry, SLB has launched the SLB Digital Marketplace, a curated digital destination designed to help energy companies discover and deploy AI agents, domain models and digital applications from SLB and trusted partners
The marketplace includes around 200 digital products including existing Ocean store solutions and new solutions from SLB and over 30 partners. These products span Delfi and Lumi SaaS applications, plug-ins, workflow extensions, data connectors, and Tela AI skills, agents and foundation models. SLB's suite of digital platforms — Tela, Delfi, and Lumi — covers the full spectrum of energy software: from AI-powered workflows and cloud-native E&P applications to intelligent workspace tools for energy teams worldwide. With a family of agentic workflows and full integration across all SLB digital products, Tela agentic AI assistant helps users interface with its agents through natural language.
With the advancement of agentic AI, energy companies will need access to a broader ecosystem of specialised tools that work together across planning, operations, data and AI.
For energy professionals, the marketplace provides a single destination to evaluate and access trusted digital capabilities that extend workflows across the Delfi and Lumi environments, enabling them accelerate agentic workflows and build their own bespoke ecosystem, from subsurface to production, well construction, sustainability to data management. For developers, partners and ISVs, it provides the opportunity to publish and scale solutions across the SLB ecosystem.
“AI in energy is shifting from promise to performance,” said Olivier Le Peuch, chief executive officer of SLB. “The SLB Digital Marketplace is designed to accelerate that shift by creating an open ecosystem where innovation can scale, solutions can interoperate and customers can move faster from insight to action. This is how we translate AI into real performance across the energy system.”
“No single company can build every agent, model or application the energy industry will need,” said Rakesh Jaggi, president of SLB’s digital business. “The SLB Digital Marketplace is the next expression of our commitment to openness, giving energy professionals more choice while maintaining the governance and quality standards required for enterprise operations.”
Oil prices fall on announcement of peace agreement
Oil prices have fallen to just over US80/bbl, their lowest level since April, and stocks risen following President Donald Trump’s announcement that Washington and Iran have reached an agreement to end the war
A formal signing of the agreement is due to take place on Friday 19 June in Switzerland.
While the text of the agreement has not yet been released and the details are still unclear, Trump said that hostilities have ceased, the Strait of Hormuz will fully open on 19 June toll-free, and the US blockade will be lifted, although how the Strait will be controlled is not clear.
“Ships of the World, start your engines. Let the oil flow!” Trump said on his social media account, Truth Social.
Iran’s deputy foreign minister, Kazem Gharibabadi confirmed, “A permanent and immediate end to the war has been declared on all fronts.”
The agreement would extend the ceasefire for 60 days to allow negotiations to begin about Iran’s nuclear programme, and lead to a final peace agreement. Plenty of thorny issues remain to be resolved, however which could potentially scupper the deal and lead to renewed conflict.
Claudio Galimberti, chief economist, Rystad Energy commented, “This deal, if it holds, is the most workable outcome available to all parties at the table, which gives it a degree of credibility. Washington has an incentive to avoid a spike in gasoline prices ahead of the midterms, while Tehran is seeking sanctions relief and restored export revenues, and the global economy has a strong interest in keeping the Strait of Hormuz open.”
However the sequencing dispute, with both sides insisting the other must move first, remains the main barrier, while Lebanon continues to represent a wildcard that neither Washington nor Tehran fully controls, he notes. While a credible reopening of the Strait of Hormuz would be one of the most important developments for the global economy, a return to normalised market conditions immediately upon signature in Switzerland would look optimistic.
“It will take time for production to ramp back up, for logistics to normalise, and for the risk premium embedded in crude prices to dissipate, particularly given that the structural shift implied by the UAE’s exit from OPEC+ is not reversed by any near-term diplomatic outcome.
“If the deal holds, it will therefore represent a step in the right direction, and an important one at that, but still a step rather than a destination.”
Even if the agreement holds, it is likely to take some time for traffic through the Strait to return to pre-war levels, with marine insurance rates remaining at a high level, mines needing to be cleared, and tankers needing to be repositioned.
Restarting oil production and getting all the elements of the logistics and supply chain in place could take months.
Total pre-conflict supply across the six Gulf producers stood at 24.2mn bpd in January 2026; current output has fallen to 12.4 million bpd, Rystad notes. Saudi Arabia accounts for the largest single share of lost barrels at 3.8mn bpd, followed by Iraq at 2.8mn bpd and Kuwait at 2mn bpd.
Energy consultancy Wood Mackenzie's view is that if the negotiations continue to make progress, and the Strait of Hormuz is reopened within a few weeks, oil supply from the strongest producers in the Gulf region can be restored relatively quickly, with shipping and logistics likely to be the bottleneck in the early phases of the recovery, rather than upstream producers.Countries with more complex assets, particularly Iraq, will take longer to recover, but could still return close to pre-war levels in six to nine months.
Ed Crooks, vice chair Americas at Wood Mackenzie, says that while Interest in coal, renewables and nuclear power has grown, as has the focus on hydrocarbon assets outside the Middle East, particularly in the Americas, the structural advantages of the Gulf producers as sources of low-cost oil and gas have not changed.
"When exports can flow freely from the region again, they will be highly competitive in world markets," he said.
The webinar 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. (Image source: Flyability)
Webinar: NDT drones for the oil and gas industry
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
Musaab Al Mulla (right) in conversation with Daniel Evans, VP, global head, fuels & refining, S&P Global Energy. (Image source: S&P Global Energy)
The role of refining in resilient energy systems
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.