What’s being said at ADIPEC 2023?

“As the Middle East showcases technological advancements at the ADIPEC conference, the spotlight is on the transformative role of digital twins in the offshore sector. Akselos is leading this revolution, providing detailed and accurate simulations of assets that significantly improve process efficiency, increase throughput and enhance designs. For instance, in a partnership with Lamprell, the company demonstrated that digital twins can reduce the steel weight and associated costs of offshore wind jacket foundations by up to 30%.

Digital twins are not merely technological marvels; they are safety enhancers, offering real-time monitoring of critical components and systems, thus enabling the prediction and immediate detection of anomalies in the virtual replica. This approach is proving to be a game changer, potentially redefining operational standards and safety protocols in the offshore sector, marking a new era of innovation and resilience in the Middle East’s energy landscape.”

—John Bell, Senior Vice President, Akselos

Energy transformation at an intersection

“It’s evident while here at ADIPEC that the entire energy value chain is undergoing an unprecedented transformation. This transformation doesn’t come without challenges, however, and as highlighted by Dr Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber during the ADIPEC opening ceremony, the industry must embrace practical approaches to optimizing the overall energy system. Digitalization ultimately sits at the intersection of this transformation and provides a pathway to delivering performance improvements at the lowest cost. More specifically for offshore, it’s clear that the decades of experience from the oil and gas industry will play a critical role in supporting the energy transition as this expertise will help the industry accelerate new energy development such as wind energy and geothermal.”

—Damien Buie, Industry Lead for Renewables and New Energies, Amazon Web Services

Buie discusses more about wind energy optimization and generative AI for the energy industry in this recent ADIPEC article. AWS is exhibiting at booth 5354. 

Embracing new engineering approaches and collaboration

"ADIPEC 2023 comes at a hugely exciting time for the Middle East. The region is a vital driver of the global energy sector and now, as we embrace the global energy transition, is pivoting to continue its role as an energy superpower.

We see huge opportunities, both from supporting the roll out of renewables and new technologies, like CCS and green hydrogen, but also from decarbonizing existing oil and gas operations. These shifts have opened the door for new engineering approaches and collaboration across global regions, and we have seen a major uptick in our project wins in the Middle East in recent years.

At the event, we expect to discuss a wide range of topics including CCS, brownfield engineering, green hydrogen, platforms and offshore wind, showing the vibrancy and excitement of the energy sector within the region."

—James Larnder, Managing Director, Aquaterra Energy

What offshore energy industry executive management leaders need to know 

"In the coming years, the upstream market forecast is quite positive. However, the energy transition pressures will increase, and we will see more environmental regulations across the globe. Operators will need to accelerate their low-carbon transitions by adopting electrification where possible and increasing capex investments to adapt existing facilities and build new ones to operate at a lower carbon intensity and diversify their portfolio.

Digital technologies will play a critical role to speed up new processes, enhance connected workers with information and insights and new ways of work so offshore operators can align their business and sustainability goals."

—Rashesh Mody, Executive Vice President, Business Strategy & Realization, AVEVA

Rashesh Mody will be speaking at ADIPEC's Manufacturing & Industrialisation Strategic Conference on Oct. 2 (15:30 - 16:00) with the "Unlocking the full potential of AI in manufacturing" presentation. AVEVA is exhibiting in Hall 4 at booth 4410.

Sustainability through technology

“While the energy transition continues to ramp up, oil and gas will continue to be a key player in the energy mix for the foreseeable future. To support environmental objectives, the decarbonization of the sector remains a strong focus, and in the Middle East, we are seeing trends of operators increasingly seeking new methods to extract greater recovery from existing wells, with a lower carbon footprint. Technology is critical to support this objective, and mature fields present significant opportunities for the oil and gas industry to unlock greater commercial value. Aging wells are often highly complex and require innovative technology to revive them and enhance production. Expandable tubulars have been revolutionary in supporting this aim and driving greater recovery with reduced emissions, and Coretrax is well placed to deliver the advanced solutions required to accelerate activity in this sector.”

—Keith Bradford, Eastern Hemisphere President, Coretrax

Coretrax is exhibiting at booth 6331.

Leveling the regulatory playing field

“As we continue to embrace an ‘all of the above’ approach to energy generation, the offshore industry is experiencing dynamic changes. From wind production to carbon capture and storage, offshore production is innovating, leading the charge to meet future energy needs. While we are no strangers to the changing dynamics of oil and gas, as an industry, we must continue to lead the charge in implementing groundbreaking technology and creating more efficient production.  

While the industry continues to thrive, much of our economic outlook is determined by the policies and geopolitical environment that we operate under. As we see a rise in offshore energy, we must level the regulatory playing field, resume offshore lease sales, and increase our investment in workforce development. The future of offshore energy is bright, and our workforce must be ready to embrace an integrated approach to energy production.”

—Molly Determan, President, Energy Workforce & Technology Council

'Huge opportunity' for tech in the Middle East

"We are extremely excited by the opportunities presented across the Middle East at ADIPEC this year. There is a lot of ambition in the region, both in terms of oil and gas and the energy transition, and a real feeling of momentum right now.

To meet this ambition, it is vital that the region has access to technology that enables the most efficient and effective operations possible. The directional drilling technology, which has been deployed in the region for decades, is generally not suited to higher temperature wells seen in the Middle East and fails to enable in-country maintenance, which is vital for meeting national development strategies.

We see huge opportunities for innovation in this space to empower companies to meet those ambitions. Our SABER Tool has recently undergone field testing to validate its effectiveness and represents a significant step change in drilling technology. It is purpose-built for simple maintenance and operations in high-temperature and geothermal wells, offering an alternative that simply hasn’t been available until now. We look forward to speaking with national oil companies and independent service companies to discuss the need for innovative, low-cost RSS [rotary steerable system] technology with easy repair and maintenance."

—Andrew Law, CEO, Enteq

Enteq is exhibiting at booth 8431. 

Unlocking energy security with digital tech

“With decarbonization high on the agenda, offshore energy is facing several challenges as it looks to protect energy security needs whilst reducing the environmental impact of its operations.

But by adopting digital technologies, the industry can balance the scales between these two pressing needs, supercharging its production levels, maximizing efficiency of maintenance schedules and empowering decision makers. All of these play a crucial role in unlocking energy security and reducing unnecessary emissions in the value chain. With greater digital monitoring, issues like leaks can be caught early, decarbonizing production and maintaining maximum output.

And beyond this, lots of the benefits to the oil and gas industry can be replicated in the growth of renewables, such as integrating data silos, improved predictive maintenance and more streamlined workflow."

—Adeshina Adebusuyi, Business Development Manager, James Fisher AIS

James Fisher Asset Information Services (James Fisher AIS) is exhibiting at booth 15013 in Hall 15.

Time to act on methane reduction/elimination plans

“Methane represents about half of our industry’s emissions and has 84 times the warming potential of carbon dioxide over a 20-year period. Not only is there a clear environmental benefit to addressing methane, there’s also a business case to be made as methane abatement, in many instances, can be a profitable endeavor. As the industry strives to produce the energy the world needs in a more sustainable way, technology-driven solutions for reducing and eliminating methane will play an increasingly crucial role. The good thing is many of the technologies to address methane already exist, so it’s really a matter of operators making a plan and acting on it.”

—Kahina Abdeli-Galinier, Emissions Business Director, SLB

SLB launched two new technologies at ADIPEC: it’s next-generation methane point instrument and its carbon storage screening and ranking solution. SLB is exhibiting at booth 4330.

The Middle East is taking strides in its decarbonization journey

"Decarbonization continues to be a dominant discussion point at ADIPEC this year as operators prioritize cutting carbon emissions across their operations. The UAE has set a target of net zero by 2050, which has inspired several key conversations throughout ADIPEC thus far, which seek to identify how this can be achieved without a high-end price point. Since launching our new RotoMill 2.0 technology last month, we have engaged in several conversations with Middle East operators who are increasingly recognizing the importance of low-carbon drilling.

Following a recent significant contract award in the UAE, we are set to double our headcount in the region to over 400 personnel to meet this growing demand for more sustainable drilling waste management solutions. RotoMill 2.0 is at the forefront of enabling this, offering operators significant emissions reductions to support their project's wider decarbonization goals."

—Pierre-Marie Hinden, UAE General Manager, TWMA

TWMA is exhibiting at booth 8410.

Leveraging the best of oil and gas to accelerate the energy transition

“The energy industry is increasingly aligned in its aims for decarbonization and energy transition, and to that end we must fully utilize our collective knowledge and expertise to continue producing new solutions designed within the core principles of efficiency and optimization.   

The industry not only needs to develop new energy segments, but also to continue improving the efficiency of current upstream regimes to ensure energy security and support the transition while making the smallest possible footprint, and this can be more easily achieved through collaboration where high-end solutions from different companies are combined. 

At Welltec, we feel very well aligned with the focus of this year’s ADIPEC event and are pleased to take the opportunity to fully unveil new completion technology in the form of the Welltec Expandable Anchor (WEA).”

—Wai Hoe Chum, Vice President of Completions, Welltec

Welltec is exhibiting at booth 320.

Achieving an energy transformation

“The Middle East is perfectly placed to lead the way in decarbonization with its wealth of natural resources, abundant human capital, and experience in the oil and gas and petrochemical sectors. Collaboration across government and industry, which is fostered at events like ADIPEC, will prove critical in accelerating the move to a lower carbon future. Ensuring we are all aligned will allow us to leverage the resources in the region, appropriately allocate risk and achieve transformation of the industry.”

—Dan Carter, President of Decarbonisation, Wood

Wood executives are presenting several times this week during ADIPEC. Wood also is the official ADIPEC podcast host of the conference (all the podcasts are recorded on the show floor). See the company's podcast and technical conference sessions schedule here. Wood is exhibiting at booth 7152.

Editor's note: Check back for more commentary and updates throughout the week!