In The Spotlight
Aramco will combine its expertise and intellectual property with Emerson’s advanced corrosion solutions to digitalise and transform corrosion management. (Image source: Emerson)
Emerson and Aramco to collaborate on corrosion management solutions
Emerson has announced it will co-develop next-generation corrosion management solutions for Aramco
Corrosion management is a strategic priority for Aramco, tied directly to operational performance, safety and environmental responsibility. Continuous corrosion monitoring eliminates difficult, inefficient and dangerous manual corrosion measurements and provides a reliable digital data stream for improved decision making.
At the Middle East Metallurgy, Corrosion & Coatings (MECOC) Expo earlier this year, Aramco’s executive vice president of technical services, Wail A Al Jaafari said that Aramco has invested more than US$70mn in corrosion management technologies, achieving over US$770mn in cost savings and avoidance.
“AI-powered solutions are now anticipating corrosion before it happens, leveraging a cast network of IIOT sensors across our facilities and pipelines. These sensors provide more than 10mn corrosion-motoring readings annually across over 40 facilities,” he said.
Aramco’s Hybrid Statistical Corrosion Prediction Model, HySCorr, leverages 20 years’ worth of data, using machine learning and advanced flow and corrosion modelling to produce dynamic, predictive and more accurate monitoring of pipeline health, therefore protecting thousands of kilometres of pipelines.
As part of the corrosion research and development collaboration with Emerson, Aramco will combine its expertise and intellectual property with Emerson’s advanced corrosion solutions to digitalise and transform corrosion management. Emerson will provide its technology leadership in ultrasonic online corrosion monitoring technology; seamless wireless connectivity for corrosion wall thickness monitors, and real-time and continuous data collection to develop a fit-for-purpose corrosion management solution for Aramco processes.
“Emerson, with our complete technology stack, is uniquely positioned to co-innovate the next-generation corrosion monitoring solutions that are cost-effective, scalable and customised for Aramco,” said Ram Krishnan, chief operating officer for Emerson. “We look forward to working with Aramco to develop not only a corrosion solution for its vast operations, but one that will also be a valuable tool for many other industries.”
LNG investment is expected to more than double in 2026 compared with 2025. (image source: Adobe Stock)
Oil investment declines while gas investment rises: IEA report
Oil investment is set to decline for a third consecutive year, while natural gas investment is projected to rise to the highest level in a decade, according to the 2026 edition of the IEA’s annual World Energy Investment report
Despite higher oil prices, oil investment is expected to fall below US$500bn, as uncertainty over the duration of the price spike, long project lead times, supply chain constraints and tighter offshore rig markets limit spending outside the Middle East.
Global upstream investment is expected to rise marginally in 2026, with declines in the Middle East and North America offset by increases mainly in Central and South America and Africa, but new refinery investment is expected to fall to decade-level lows.
At the same time, natural gas investment is projected to rise to US$330bn, supported by a wave of new LNG export projects, particularly in the USA and Qatar. LNG investment is expected to more than double in 2026 compared with 2025 as more than 230 bcm of projects advance toward peak construction.
The report highlights that the impact of the conflict in the Middle East and the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz is prompting countries and companies to reshape energy investment strategies with a focus on security and diversification, particularly in Asia and the Middle East.
The report projects that total global energy investment will reach US$3.4 trillion in 2026, a slight increase year-on-year. Around US$2.2 trillion is expected to go to grids, storage, low-emissions fuels, nuclear, renewables, efficiency and electrification in 2026, while around US$1.2 trillion is set to be invested in oil, natural gas and coal.
Electricity and diversification drive spending
Electricity and diversification are driving growth in energy spending with countries seeking to respond to the second energy crisis in five years with new routes and domestically available resources. There is a growing focus among fuel-importing countries on domestic energy sources including renewables, nuclear power and, in some cases, coal. Investment in renewable power projects is expected to total around US$665bn in 2026, with US$365bn going toward solar alone. Nuclear investment is continuing its resurgence, exceeding US$80bn annually, with close to 80 gigawatts of new nuclear capacity under construction across 15 countries.
Coal investment, meanwhile, is also set to rise to US$180bn in 2026, the highest level since 2012, with China accounting for almost 70% of global coal supply spending. The report notes that some Asian countries may seek to keep existing coal-fired power plants operating for longer to bolster energy security.
Electricity-related investment remains a dominant theme. Investment in electricity supply and infrastructure is expected to reach nearly US$1.6 trillion in 2026 with spending on electricity grids projected to approach US$550bn, up nearly 20% year-on-year, while battery storage investment is set to exceed US$100bn.
The electricity demands of the rapid expansion of data centres and artificial intelligence are also becoming a major influence on energy investment trends in some markets, particularly in the USA. Orders for new gas-fired power plants reached a 25-year high in 2025, with data centre needs playing a significant role.
The report highlights an increased focus on energy efficiency as a result of the crisis, although there are plenty of gaps that need to be filled.
The report notes that the Middle East conflict is impacting the availability of finance for future energy projects, triggering volatility within financial markets, slowing investment decisions in the short term and pushing up long-term financing costs. This could disproportionately affect capital-intensive energy technologies, the report warns, particularly in emerging and developing economies where financing costs are already significantly higher than in advanced economies.
“We are in the midst of the largest energy security crisis the world has ever faced – and I believe this will reshape investment strategies globally, with parallels to the major changes the energy world witnessed after the oil shocks of the 1970s,” said IEA executive director Fatih Birol. “We are already seeing intensified efforts by both producer and consumer countries to diversify trade routes and energy sources – such as advancing new pipelines and other supply infrastructure, on the one hand, and turning more to domestically available resources, on the other. These range from renewables and nuclear to coal, oil and gas, in some cases – as well as broader measures to strengthen electricity systems, expand electrification and accelerate energy efficiency.”
Wood will optimise the complex pipeline network. (Image source: Wood)
COOEC selects Wood's services for QatarEnergy project
Consulting, engineering and operations provider, Wood, has been contracted by China Offshore Oil Engineering Company (COOEC) for QatarEnergy’s Bul Hanine EPIC2 project offshore Qatar
The contract secures scope for delivery of a detailed design for QatarEnergy’s Bul Hanine EPIC2 project offshore Qatar.
The field is characterised by a complex pipeline network to which Wood will find an optimised approach for boosted production capacity and extended asset lifetime, drawing on extensive subsea engineering and flow assurance expertise.
Wood will undertake the design of 25 pipelines, including ensuring safe interaction where pipelines cross existing infrastructure and managing thermal expansion to protect long-term integrity, alongside crossing analysis for 15 umbilicals and two power cables.
Gerry Traynor, regional president - Middle East, Africa & Caspian, at Wood, said, “Wood has a strong track record in delivering offshore detailed design and in optimising installation solutions for complex subsea systems. By working collaboratively with COOEC, we are bringing together complementary strengths that will help accelerate QatarEnergy’s ambition to extend the field’s life, increase capacity and boost production from these critical, ageing assets.”
Wu Zhixing, Deputy Director of COOEC Engineering Company, said, “COOEC is glad to be QatarEnergy's trusted partner for the Bul Hanine EPIC2 Project. This is an important milestone which will build on our continual strong track record in the industry, strengthens our presence and commitment to support the energy landscape in the Middle East, and a testament of COOEC's capability in delivering a trusted EPIC solution for mega offshore projects.”
Digitalisation and AI will create close to US$500bn in cumulative value for E&P companies between 2026 and 2030. (Image source: Adobe Stock)
Digitalisation and AI a US$500bn opportunity: Rystad Energy
Digitalisation and artificial intelligence (AI) will create around US$500bn in cumulative value for E&P companies between 2026 and 2030, according to new analysis from Rystad Energy, creating a huge market for digital solutions
Cost reductions from more efficient operations, production increases from higher uptime and increased recovery, and compressed development timelines contribute to this value creation. Exploration and production (E&P) companies currently investing in digital and AI are expected to capture an additional value of US$80bn per annum in 2030 compared to 2025.
The returns are already visible in the industry, Rystad notes. ADNOC reported US$500mn in AI-driven value already in 2023, and has committed US$1.5bn in digital capital expenditure targeting US$1bn in annual value creation. Norway’s Equinor generated around US$200mn in AI-related savings between 2021 and 2024, and reported US$130mn in 2025 alone.
The US$500bn value creation opportunity in upstream oil and gas encompasses four main workflow categories: asset development, operations and maintenance, exploration and reservoir development, and drilling, wells and production. Each is at a different stage of digital maturity. Digitalisation within exploration and reservoir development is relatively well established. Operations and maintenance is now seeing more rapid adoption, with predictive maintenance and remote operations delivering cost reductions. Subsurface workflows hold the largest untapped value potential, especially from getting more volumes out of the ground and reducing drilling costs. Some operators have, for instance, compressed seismic interpretation timelines from months to around 10 days.The early adopters of these technologies typically have digitalisation and AI as an integral part of their strategy.
Capturing the value at stake requires investment in digital tools, infrastructure and integration, and E&Ps are estimated to have spent around US$25bn on digital and AI purchases in 2025. The market for providing these tools and services is expected to grow by more than US$10bn by 2030, surpassing US$35bn in total annual market size and approaching US$50bn by 2035.
However, the main barrier to capturing this value is deployment at scale, says Rystad. Partnerships with suppliers and technology experts are increasing to reduce complexity, and simplify integration, typically through platform solutions. Traditional oilfield service (OFS) providers with domain expertise, and technology experts such as integrators or hyperscalers are among the most important partners for E&Ps, with the commercial model shifting from transactional service delivery towards integrated technology partnerships that can leverage an ecosystem of players, platforms and scalable tools.
AI is accelerating the value potential of digital solutions in oil and gas. Despite many breakthroughs, most current AI applications in upstream rely on traditional machine learning models trained on equipment and workflow-specific data, which takes years to accumulate, and models may require significant rework. Newer AI approaches may change this, for instance through agentic AI automating tasks and augmenting humans in a way that breaks down organisational silos and acting as a contextualising layer that functions across varied data types without full retraining.
Rystad puts forward a scenario where AI accelerates the value creation even further, with breakthroughs simplifying integration and compressing adoption timelines. This accelerated AI scenario would also require additional spending on digital solutions, and the value creation gap between early adopters and followers could widen even more.
The robot is now carrying out routine inspections on site. (Image source: ADNOC)
ADNOC deploys inspection robot at Taweelah plant
ADNOC has successfully deployed Taurob’s heavy-duty inspector robot at its Taweelah Gas Compression Plant, where it will conduct autonomous inspections in hazardous environments without putting people at risk.
The robot acts as a first layer of surveillance to detect potential gas leaks, temperature anomalies and other operational hazards. Equipped with advanced sensing systems, including 3D LiDAR and 360-degree thermal imaging, it is built to operate in extreme conditions while reducing the need for human exposure to dangerous areas.
By integrating robotics into daily operations, ADNOC aims to strengthen early hazard detection and enhance decision-making for its engineering teams. The system supports continuous monitoring and provides real-time data to improve plant safety and reliability.
In parallel, ADNOC announced plans to advance its robotics programme through the development of a heavy-duty “operator” robot capable of not only visual inspection but also physical interaction with industrial equipment. The next-generation system, being developed under the ARGOS Joint Industry Project with partners including Equinor, TotalEnergies, and others, is expected to handle tasks such as valve operation and equipment manipulation in hazardous zones. It is designed for deployment in temperatures ranging from –20°C to 60°C and is targeted for operation by the end of 2026.
Dena Almansoori, ADNOC’s group chief technology and innovation officer, said robotics and artificial intelligence were central to the company’s long-term operational strategy.
She said, “Artificial and physical intelligence are transforming how we operate across our value chain. At Taweelah, autonomous robots are already active in live environments, supporting safer and more efficient operations. This innovation is enhancing safety, reducing emissions and strengthening performance in line with national AI and robotics strategies.”
The initiative forms part of ADNOC’s wider integration of AI, robotics and digital monitoring systems across its operations to reduce risk exposure and improve industrial safety performance.
ADNOC’s tools such as HSE Cockpit.ai, which has reduced safety incidents by 30%, provide real‑time visibility to help prevent incidents before they occur, while robots and drones carry out hazardous inspections, emissions monitoring and incident response across land, sea and air, including use cases such as red‑zone and confined‑space operations. Together, these capabilities embed safety into day‑to‑day execution and continue to expand the value ADNOC is delivering through advanced robotics and AI at scale.
The two companies will collaborate on solutions that convert flared and stranded gas into power. Image source: Aggreko
Aggreko and Inowatti partner on Oman flare gas to power solutions
Aggreko (Middle East) Limited and Czech energy technology company InoWatti a.s., signed an agreement at the Oman Petroleum & Energy Show (OPES) 2026 to collaborate on solutions that convert flared and stranded gas into power for high-density computing and other industrial uses.
The agreement outlines a joint framework for deploying modular gas‑to‑power systems at flare‑gas sites across Oman. Under the MoU, Aggreko will provide gas‑to‑power generation and engineered energy solutions, while InoWatti will manage commercial development, including site identification, operator engagement, and integration of mobile high‑density computing infrastructure.
Together, the partners will focus on flare‑gas environments where permanent infrastructure is not economically viable, including early‑stage production sites, remote fields, and locations with intermittent or low‑volume gas streams.
“This agreement strengthens our commitment to helping operators reduce flaring through practical, scalable energy solutions. By pairing Aggreko’s gas‑to‑power capabilities with InoWatti’s commercial and flexible computing infrastructure, we see a clear opportunity to turn previously wasted gas into productive power that supports operational performance and emissions reduction,” commented James Smith, business development manager, Projects & Gas, at Aggreko Middle East.
The partnership supports national objectives under Oman Vision 2040, which prioritises emissions reduction, improved resource efficiency, and the adoption of technologies that enhance operational sustainability in the oil and gas sector.
“InoWatti's expertise in flare gas monetisation, combined with Aggreko's world-class power generation expertise, creates a compelling proposition for oil and gas operators looking to eliminate flaring and unlock new revenue streams,” added Jakub Hlavenka, CEO at InoWatti a.s.
Gas flaring wastes natural gas that could be used for productive purposes, such as power generation, as well as contributing to climate change through the emission of CO2; at current levels, global flaring is estimated to result in about 400 million tons of CO2e emissions annually, according to the World Bank. The World Bank’s latest Global Gas Flaring Tracker reveals that global gas flaring volumes rose to 151 bcm in 2024 from 148 bcm in 2023, the highest level since 2007.
InoWatti’s mission is to eliminate routine gas flaring by converting wasted associated gas into a productive energy source, turning an environmental liability into a profitable asset for oil and gas operators. By deploying modular gas-to-power units directly at the flare site, InoWatti enables operators to generate new revenue streams, improve ESG performance, achieve regulatory compliance, and power co-located data centre operations.
Casper Herzog, CEO of AVEVA, addressing the conference. (Image source: Alain Charles Publishing)
Powering the possible at AVEVA World 2026
At the opening of AVEVA World 2026 in Milan on 19 May, AVEVA’s chief executive officer Caspar Herzberg highlighted how industrial intelligence breakthroughs can spark fresh possibilities at a time of a new operational reality
Addressing the packed gathering, the CEO of the leading global industrial software company addressed the challenges posed by increasing geopolitical volatility and unpredicatability, multiple paradigm shifts and a multipolar world of conflicts, economic warfare, trade disputes, tariffs and changing supply chains.
“Energy systems are being rewired not just to have electrification but to have resilience and redundancy as core motifs of this rewiring,” he said, citing the renewed focus on hydrocarbons, nuclear and coal. “So we have multiple build outs of generation assets all over the world.”
This trend will be intensified as generation assets are now strategic targets, making it all the more important to have multiple options.
“At the same time we are seeing the rise of generative, agentic and physical AI upending work, creating promises but also challenges in making those promises work in the industrial world we live in.”
As a result of all these pressures there is a “race to resilience”.
“What all these conflicts, these wars and trade disputes have reinforced is that those countries that diversify or have diversified their supply chains and their energy systems withstand these shocks better,” Herzberg said, adding that policies supporting resilience and multiple options will become a national imperative.
“This is not all doom and gloom, because hand in hand with these industrial policies and this need to diversify come infrastructure and digital capability investments, as not only companies but also states rebuild their value chain for redundancy and resilience. Our customers are powering this next generation of industrial infrastructure.”
Wood, for example is using AVEVA unified engineering, PI system, unified supply chain and CONNECT all together to create digital twins that reduce rework, improve collaboration, and preserve lifecycle continuity.
Going on to discuss innovation, Herzberg drew parallels with the Italian Renaissance, and the idea that humanity has to be at the centre of science and progress. “Today we face a lot of the same pressures, we have some amazing technological capabilities, we have the power of AI, but we must keep humanity, people at the centre of decision making.
“So this moment that I would call powering possibility is defined not only by volatility but by new possibilities, positive possibilities. Imagination is meeting digital capability. There are challenges, with the bottom line and increasing complexity, but there is a large positive opportunity that we can now access at a much faster pace than in the past. To seize that opportunity means creating scale, and creating scale requires integrated software. Intelligence means optimising performance, and that requires intelligent software, and empowering people requires intuitive software.
“That brings us to AVEVA and our quest to deliver software that is integrated, intelligent and intuitive.”
Herzberg charted AVEVA’s progress since the launch of its multi-year technology strategy in 2024. Highlighting some recent developments, he said,
“In the first quarter of this year our generative design assistant brought AI capabilities in unified engineering to our customers for the very first time, where predictive design models surface issues much earlier, and where automated point cloud intelligence reduces manual effort.”
The company also announced a lifecycle digital twin for the data centres of the future with Schneider and NVIDIA, which brought unified engineering process simulation and the PI System together in one capability via the NVIDIA Omniverse viewport.
New collaborations
Key to enhancing AVEVA’s capabilities has been its strong partner ecosystem.
“We’re all about the open partner-powered ecosystem. We believe in bringing everybody together for the benefit of industry and the customers we serve,” Herzberg said.
Herzberg announced several new partnerships to strengthen AVEVA’s innovation roadmap, including an agreement (subject to regulatory approval) to acquire Twinthread, a leading provider of predictive analytics, of digital twins and AI for industrial end markets. This will add an advanced AI layer to AVEVA’s data and analytics foundation on CONNECT, AVEVA’s industrial intelligence platform.
“It’s a super powerful capability that enables engineers to improve quality, throughput, asset life and energy efficiency much more rapidly,” Herzberg said.
AVEVA also announced a strategic collaboration with SnowFlake, the AI Data Cloud company, which establishes a direct, zero-copy integration between CONNECT and Snowflake’s AI Data Cloud. It expands AVEVA’s cloud scale intelligence capabilities and enables data to be accessed and used without duplication, helping organisations to move from fragmented IT and OT systems to a governed, enterprise-wide data foundation.
Another strategic partnership between AVEVA and Amazon Web Services (AWS) will accelerate the delivery of industrial intelligence in the cloud, seeing AVEVA expand its CONNECT platform on AWS as part of its broader move to a multi-cloud architecture. By bring CONNECT and the broader AVEVA portfolio to AWS, the two companies aim to give industrial customers a faster, more scalable path to cloud-native operations, reducing the complexity and cost of managing on-premises infrastructure while enabling new AI-driven capabilities that were previously impractical at scale.
Further embodying the spirit of radical collaboration, AVEVA announced a new partnership with IFS, a global leader in industrial AI, to advance AI-powered Continuous Asset Decision Intelligence. The new solution is designed to turn real-time operational and asset data into smarter maintenance, investment and execution decisions across the integrated asset lifecycle, unifying operational intelligence, enterprise execution and strategic capital planning and creating one connected decision flow where every participant in the value chain has the information and AI-enriched insight they need to act with speed and confidence.
“Our partnership with IFS connects data and insights in powerful new ways, from sensor to boardroom,” Herzberg said.
2026 will be a year of acceleration for AVEVA, as AI increasingly transforms industry.
“First we‘re going to double down on industrial AI, and CONNECT is the backbone that enables that. There will be much more investment in those capabilities,” Herzberg said.
“Second, we are increasingly focused on cloud native analytics, AI and digital twins and applications.” AVEVA leaders expanded on the details in following sessions.
New solutions and features will include a digital twin builder that publishes engineering content all the way to CONNECT; an intelligent industrial knowledge graph that contextualises data to PI; enhanced capabilities for PI and PI Vision; a new intuitive UX for CONNECT; and unified engineering and unified visualisation by HMI SCADA on CONNECT.
The opening session of AVEVA World also saw AVEVA customers share their insights and experiences of harnessing the power of digital innovation to open new possibilities. The USA’s TC Energy is using AVEVA software to optimise power supplies to customers across the US market; Porsche MotorSport is using data-driven insights to drive winning performance; and Italy’s Saipem is blending industrial AI and AVEVA Unified Engineering in the cloud, enabling teams to optimise design efficiency, carbon footprint and speed to market.
AVEVA World 2026 is the largest ever edition of AVEVA’s annual flagship conference, bringing together around 4,000 industry leaders, innovators and engineers including 200 students from local universities.