SPE event

Saudi Aramco, BP, and Schlumberger pride themselves on staying at the forefront of digital technology development and deployment. But an equally daunting challenge for the industry heavyweights is keeping their ever-expanding digital systems secure.

Artificial intelligence tools present many opportunities for the energy industry, and, as technological concepts leave the realm of science fiction, companies have started to grasp what is possible. What roles do culture and ethics play in helping companies understand the digital revolution?

The Oil & Gas Technology Centre has announced it will create, in partnership with industry, a Net Zero Solution Centre to accelerate the development and deployment of technologies to decarbonize offshore operations and develop the UK continental shelf as the first net zero oil and gas basin.

Recent exploration success in the North Sea has motivated Total to invest some $10 billion in the basin over the next 5 years.

Drilling change requires training drillers. Leadership matters, as does motivation, engaging displays, and understanding office politics. Four different looks at the human side of drilling productivity improvement.

Among the awards to be presented at SPE’s 2019 Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition is the inaugural Sustainability and Stewardship in the Oil and Gas Industry Award, which was earned by Karen Olson with Southwestern Energy.

The 2020 SPE International Conference on Health, Safety, the Environment, and Sustainability, which is set for 17­–19 March in Bogotá, Colombia, is seeking papers. The theme of the conference is “Generating Pride and Enabling Engagement,” and the deadline for submissions is 18 June.

Executives from two of Asia’s largest national oil companies declared China’s Belt and Road Initiative project a driving force behind their shifting priorities to diversify the world’s energy mix.

Oil companies generate an enormous amount of data but are reluctant to share it. But more sharing of information may be required in the future to keep up with a rapidly changing energy landscape.

The struggle to overcome the challenge of frac hits has led to a critical dialogue about which pathway the shale sector should take. One idea is to simply put the problem at the center of every major decision.