Equinor

Hundreds of rod-lift wells in North Dakota are about to get a big upgrade.

Venture groups spend their time evaluating hundreds of companies each year to only make a handful of investments. These two cover interesting ends of the upstream spectrum: aerial drones and downhole artificial lift.

These balls have the potential to alter how pipeline inspections are done, and a consortium of pipeline operators and industry experts in North Dakota is examining just how well this emerging technology can handle the small-diameter pipelines in the area.

Just 2 months after issuing more than a hundred licenses, the Oil and Gas Authority begins the process again for a whole new set of blocks.

As operators look for cost-efficient ways to address the challenges in facility maintenance and deepwater exploration, autonomous underwater vehicles are being developed for complex data gathering and advanced tasks.

Equinor has grabbed seven new licenses in the Barents and Norwegian Seas, the latest in a flurry of offshore activity in which the firm has added acreage off the UK and Brazil, gained approval for a big Arctic project, and awarded billions of dollars in service contracts.

By transitioning from gas turbines to land-based electrical power for various platforms, the company hopes to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by more than 600,000 tonnes/year.

Equinor and ExxonMobil continued their aggressive pursuit of acreage offshore Brazil, collecting more blocks in the country's 4th pre-salt bid round.

UK’s active 30th Licensing Round resulted in the award of 123 licenses to a diverse set of 61 companies—an outcome that UK government officials hailed as more proof that interest is picking up in the aging North Sea.

Shareholders in Norway’s largest company, Statoil, approve the board’s proposal to drop “oil” from its name as its seeks to diversify its business and attract young talent concerned about fossil fuels’ impact on climate change.