webcam-b

twitter linkedinfacebookacp contact us

Top Stories

Grid List

QatarEnergy to make its debut in Algeria

Exploration & Production

QatarEnergy lands first onshore Algeria block

QatarEnergy has landed a stake in its first onshore exploration license in Algeria, expanding the group’s upstream footprint in North Africa

The company secured the Ahara block as part of Algeria’s 2025 bid round, marking its first entry into the country’s upstream sector.

“We are delighted to be awarded the Ahara block, which marks our first entry into Algeria’s upstream sector and further and expands our footprint in Africa,” said Saad Sherida Al-Kaabi, Qatar’s Minister of State for Energy Affairs, and president and CEO of QatarEnergy.

Located in eastern Algeria, at the intersection of the prolific Berkine and Illizi Basins, Ahara covers an area of approximately 14,900 square km.

QatarEnergy will work as part of a consortium, alongside operator TotalEnergies and Algeria’s national state-owned oil company Sonatrach.

TotalEnergies and QatarEnergy will each hold an effective interest of 24.5% during the exploration phase, while Sonatrach will hold 51%.

The results of the competitive bid process were announced by The National Agency for the Valorisation of Hydrocarbon Resources (ALNAFT).

“I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate and thank the Algerian Ministry of Energy, Mines, and Renewable Energies and ALNAFT on the successful management of this bid round,” said Al-Kaabi.

“We look forward to a successful and collaborative exploration endeavour with the Ministry alongside ALNAFT, Sonatrach and TotalEnergies.”

Read more: 

Rystad whitepaper highlights Middle East NOCs resilience

Strong growth forecast for MENA land drilling rig demand

QatarEnergy most active explorer in 2025: Westwood

Oil prices remain under pressure.

Industry

Oil prices under pressure following OPEC+ cuts rewind

Oil prices remain under pressure in the face of potential oversupply and uncertain demand, as OPEC+ rolls back output cuts

The eight OPEC + countries which previously announced additional voluntary adjustments (ie Saudi Arabia, Russia, Iraq, UAE, Kuwait, Kazakhstan, Algeria, and Oman) will implement a production adjustment of 548,000 bpd per day in August 2025 from the July 2025 required production level, in accordance with the decision agreed upon on 5 December 2024 to start a gradual and flexible return of the 2.2mn bpd voluntary adjustments starting from 1 April 2025. This is higher than the last three rollbacks of 411,000 bpd and means that OPEC+ is on track to fully unwind 2.2mn bpd of cuts nearly a year ahead of schedule.

“The gradual increases may be paused or reversed subject to evolving market conditions. This flexibility will allow the group to continue to support oil market stability,” said OPEC in a statement, noting “steady global economic outlook and current healthy market fundamentals, as reflected in the low oil inventories”. The eight countries will meet on 3 August 2025 to decide on September production levels.

“Investors remain cautious, especially as seasonal demand typically softens later in the year and US trade tensions intensify. President Trump’s upcoming tariffs, including a fresh threat targeting BRICS-aligned nations, added to the markets cautious tone,” commented global financial group MUFG, adding that the move marks a sharp shift from OPEC+’s past restraint.

“Opec+ keeps surprising the market,” said Jorge León, head of geopolitical analysis and senior vice president at energy consultancy Rystad. “This sends a clear message, for anyone still in doubt, that the group is firmly shifting towards a market share strategy.”

“It was pointless to maintain these voluntary cuts once the strategy became market share rather than price defence. But for the sake of appearances, and perhaps with the hope of managing market expectations, they have to go through the motions anyway, notionally unwinding the cuts at an incremental pace,” said Harry Tchilinguirian, group head of research at Onyx Capital Group in a LinkedIn post.

The two companies will collaborate on AI-powere autonomous operations. (Image source: Borouge)

Petrochemicals

Borouge and Honeywell to collaborate on autonomous operations

Abu Dhabi-based petrochemicals company Borouge is collaborating with Honeywell to conduct a proof of concept for AI-powered autonomous operations, which is  is set to deliver the petrochemical industry’s first AI-driven control room designed for full-scale, real-time operation

The initiative aims to deploy the proof-of-concept technologies to enhance Borouge’s operations across its Ruwais facilities in the UAE. Autonomous operations will enable Borouge to optimise production, reduce energy use, and enhance safety while reducing costs at what will be the single largest petrochemical site in the world. Both companies will leverage their expertise in process technology and autonomous control capabilities to identify new opportunities to deploy Agentic AI solutions and advanced machine learning algorithms.

The project is a key component of Borouge's companywide AIDT programme, which is projected to generate US$575mn in value this year. In 2024, Borouge’s portfolio of over 200 AIDT initiatives—spanning operations, health and safety, sales, sustainability, and product innovation—generated $573mn in value

Borouge has already installed the world’s largest Real-Time Optimisation (RTO) system across three large-scale ethane crackers and 20 furnaces. The initiative analyses over 2,500 parameters per minute, enabling instant data-driven decisions, significantly enhancing productivity, optimising energy consumption and reducing emissions. The unique system minimises ethane dumping and optimises resource use, in line with Borouge's commitment to sustainable growth and operational excellence.

Borouge has invested in its state-of-the-art Innovation Centre located in Abu Dhabi and is now using advanced AI-powered tools to accelerate innovation, enabling the company to bring new grades of advanced polymers to market quicker. In collaboration with ADNOC AI Lab, Borouge has completed its first “Polymer Optimisation” programme, achieving a 97% accuracy, enabling Borouge to reduce its development timeline from months to weeks.

Hazeem Sultan Al Suwaidi, chief executive officer of Borouge, said, “Borouge's AI, Digitalisation, and Technology (AIDT) transformation programme is setting new standards in operations, innovation and business performance. By collaborating with global AI leaders such as Honeywell, we are accelerating growth, driving efficiency, and enhancing shareholder value. This project further strengthens Borouge’s competitive edge as we continue to deliver on our ambitious AIDT roadmap.”

George Bou Mitri, president of Honeywell Industrial Automation, Middle East, Turkey, Africa, Central Asia, said, “By integrating AI and automation technologies into core operations, we are helping unlock new levels of efficiency, safety, and performance. This agreement shows how advanced technologies, applied with purpose, can reshape industrial operations at scale.”

The Sequestri is part of SLB's full suite of complementary CCS solutions. (Image source:SLB)

Technology

SLB's Sequestri allows improved decision-making

Energy technology company, SLB has launched Sequestri carbon storage solutions for the most effective project delivery 

Since long-term carbon storage demands a calculated approach, the new portfolio gives customised hardware and digital workflows for improved decision-making across the full carbon storage value chain, from site selection and planning to development, operations and monitoring.

“Advanced technology solutions have a crucial role to play in shifting the economics and safeguarding the integrity of carbon storage projects,” said Katherine Rojas, SLB’s senior vice president of Industrial Decarbonisation. “The Sequestri portfolio offers a comprehensive suite of solutions that provide the precision, reliability and efficiency needed to advance carbon storage projects at every stage of their lifecycle — driving meaningful progress toward industrial decarbonisation at scale.”

The Sequestri portfolio is anchored by a network of interconnected digital technologies and services for carbon storage that provide a robust foundation for analysis and prediction. These end-to-end digital technologies harness more than 25 years of carbon capture and storage (CCS) project experience to help developers screen, rank, design, model, simulate and analyse every phase of the project lifecycle. The portfolio also includes a range of technologies which have been specifically engineered and qualified for carbon storage applications, from subsurface safety valves and measurement tools to cementing systems, including SLB’s EverCRETE CO2-resistant cement system.

The Sequestri portfolio of carbon storage solutions, together with the SLB Capturi standard, modular carbon capture solutions, provide emitters and project developers with a full suite of complementary CCS solutions to enable decarbonisation at scale from point of capture to permanent carbon storage.

 

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

Webinar

SAFEEN Group webinar addresses future of offshore operations

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 UAE has launched its first initiative to inject CO₂ into deep saline aquifers for permanent geological sequestration.

Energy Transition

Advanced tracer technology for CCS monitoring

Sven Kristian Hartvig, chief technology officer, RESMAN Energy Technology explains how the company’s advanced tracer technology is being used for CCS monitoring in Abu Dhabi’s saline aquifers

The UAE has launched its first initiative to inject CO₂ into deep saline aquifers for permanent geological sequestration. This inaugural industrial-scale Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) project involves storing captured CO₂ emissions in deep saline aquifers, leveraging a geological solution suited to the region’s unique subsurface characteristics. One of the central innovations lies in its leak-detection capabilities, integrating RESMAN’s chemical tracer technology deployed for the first time in the UAE to monitor storage integrity and swiftly pinpoint any leaks.

A comprehensive monitoring framework with Measurement, Monitoring and Verification (MMV) capabilities provides the sensitivity, diagnostic capability, and economic viability required for large-scale CCS deployment. The system is built to last—operational for 30 years post-injection, covering every phase from active storage to long-term verification, delivering real-time insights to verify caprock integrity, quantify leaks, and trace their sources.

The monitoring solution

The monitoring solution centers on RESMAN’s High Integrity Detection System (HIDS), deployed across a network of shallow soil sampling boreholes surrounding the injection site. The system’s defining technical characteristic is its 0.1 parts per trillion (ppt) tracer detection threshold for CO₂ leakage events, enabled by capillary adsorption tubes (CAT) that undergo scheduled retrieval and laboratory analysis.

Tracer monitoring delivers multi-layered verification of storage integrity through three core functions. Continuous surface soil monitoring assesses caprock integrity and simultaneously verifying integrity of legacy wells for leaks to the atmosphere. During post-injection phases, the system maintains active surveillance of stored CO2 utilising the same principles. Advanced diagnostics provide precise leakage quantification and source identification, particularly crucial for multi-injector configurations, where determining CO₂ migration origins is essential.

Shallow boreholes positioned near injection wells monitor any effects the CO₂ injection might have on the geological structure, through surface gas and tracer detection across all operational phases. Radially distributed soil monitoring arrays track potential caprock breaches, with diagnostic algorithms distinguishing between multiple potential leakage sources. The 30-year monitoring protocol spans active injection through post-operational stewardship.

Implementation involves scheduled tracer injection into the CO₂ stream with periodic CAT sample retrieval for laboratory analysis. The system's integrated architecture correlates surface measurements with downhole data, providing leak quantification and source identification capabilities that surpass conventional pressure-based monitoring methods.

The system’s 0.1 ppt tracer detection sensitivity permits early identification of containment breaches at scales previously undetectable. Economic efficiency is achieved through optimized tracer volumes that reduce material requirements without compromising monitoring fidelity. The technology’s eighteen-year track record in continuous monitoring applications demonstrates long-term reliability under field conditions. These attributes collectively ensure compliance with stringent MMV requirements for industrial-scale CCS deployments.

Project implications

This initiative establishes several important technical precedents for regional CCS development. It demonstrates the viability of saline aquifers as secure storage reservoirs while providing a practical template for long-term MMV framework implementation. The cost-efficiency of the monitoring solution addresses a key barrier to CCS scalability in the Middle East. Furthermore, the project’s thirty-year monitoring horizon sets a benchmark for stewardship accountability in geological carbon storage.

This article is based on two recently published scientific papers:
SPE-222348-MS: Chemical Tracer for Soil CCS Monitoring Application: Monitoring CO2 Storage in Saline Aquifers Using Advanced Chemical Tracer and Detection Technology
SPE222367 -MS: Falaha CCS Project - Pioneering Low Carbon Solutions with CO2 Sequestration in Deep Carbonate Saline Aquifers

RESMAN delivers proven tracer-based MMV technology for CCS projects, with over 18 years of continuous carbon storage monitoring experience. For more information, please visit www.resmanenergy.com 

 

Latest news