APRIL 2026 • VOL. 78, NO. 4
View the issue page for April 2026 JPT here
Features
Energizing Tomorrow: SPE’s Value Proposition
What makes SPE membership truly worthwhile? Technical resources, professional development, global networking, and industry recognition—SPE membership offers more than meets the eye. In this month’s column, discover how SPE benefits members at every career stage—and why investing in your membership (or your team’s) pays off long-term.
Comments: How AI’s Power Appetite Is Opening a New Market for Natural Gas
Data centers could add up to 6 Bcf/D of US gas demand by 2030, creating a new opportunity for producers and reshaping how oil companies think about electricity supply.
Guest Editorial: Guyana Then and Now—How Energy Is Reshaping Its Future
The chair of the SPE Georgetown Section outlines how balanced, apolitical dialogue can support development amid rapid energy expansion.
Faster, Smoother, Longer: Higher Standards for Daily Drilling Performance
Improved bit and bottomhole-assembly technologies and designs have helped turn what used to be record-breaking drilling runs into routine expectations.
New Answers to Tight Rock’s Biggest Mystery: What Do Hydraulic Fractures Really Look Like?
Findings from two new SPE papers argue that the tight-rock sector needs to rethink longstanding assumptions about how hydraulic fractures form underground.
SPE Board Announces Nominees for 2028 President and 2027 Directors
Ian Phillips is the nominee for 2028 SPE President. He and six others make up the new slate of nominees recommended for positions open on the SPE International Board of Directors.
Q&A With a Legend of Hydraulic Fracturing: Bob Barree Opens Up on His Journey
The newest recipient of the title SPE Legend of Hydraulic Fracturing talks about his career, the evolution of fracture stimulation, the development of increasingly useful simulators, and the future of the oil and gas industry. The honor was given at the 2026 SPE Hydraulic Fracturing Technology Conference and Exhibition.
Case Study: An Agentic AI Framework for Large-Scale Well Modeling of Offshore Field Developments
Two examples from ONGC show how supervised AI-driven automation scaled well modeling across hundreds of offshore wells, saving more than 1,000 engineering hours.
Case Study: Field Deployments of AI-Based IOCaaS Advancing Artificial Lift and Flow Assurance
Examples demonstrate how an Integrated Operations Center as a Service (IOCaaS) model, powered by artificial intelligence, reduced costs by 5% and increased production by 6% in Canada.
E&P Notes
Updates about global exploration and production activities and developments.
People
This section lists with regret SPE members who recently passed away.
Technology Focus Synopses
Natural Gas Processing and Handling
Adaobi Stephenie Nwosi-Anele, SPE, Senior Lecturer, Rivers State University
Emissions Reduced, Recovery Enhanced From Permeate Stream Using Integrated Process
Tax Incentives for CO2 Storage Alter Midstream Operations in the Permian Basin
Field-Proven Mobile LNG Technology Shifts From Flaring to Power Generation
Completions
Shahril Mokhtar, Head of Technology and Digital, Malaysia Petroleum Management, Petronas
Engineer-Centered Process Creates Digital Twin of Completions Operations
Well Completions Optimized by Agentic Conversational Analytics
AI-Enhanced Multiphysics Imaging Advances Perforation-Erosion Analysis
Heavy Oil
Sahar Ghannadi, President, Ashaw Energy
Steam-Sensitive Flow-Control Device Implemented in Surmont SAGD Project
SAGD Performance at Blowdown Phase Optimized With Autonomous Inflow Control Valves
Dynamic Gas Separation Integrated Into SAGD for Improved ESP Performance
History Matching and Forecasting
Zhenzhen Wang, Lead Research Scientist, Chevron
Adjoint Gradient, Commercial Simulator Combine for Efficient History-Matching
Embed-to-Control Reservoir Surrogate Used To History-Match Geological Models
Near-Real-Time CO2-Plume Monitoring, Visualization Approach Considers Geologic Uncertainty
SPE Technical Papers Available for Download — March–April 2026
The complete SPE technical papers—synopsized in each monthly issue of JPT—are available for download for SPE members for 2 months.