Using renewable energy can help the oil and gas industry to reduce emissions while getting a stable, high-quality power supply. The renewable energy system can even be used to help the oil and gas facilities with enhanced oil recovery (EOR). These are the results from a project Floating Power Plant (FPP) has just finished with Lundin Energy Norway, NOV-APL, Semco Maritime, Cefront Technologies, and Aalborg University using floating wind and wave power to support an offshore oil and gas facility. The project developed three different designs to see if the concepts set up by the partners were usable solutions from an engineering point of view and as a commercial business case. Intermittent direct power—a simple integration of floating wind and wave power into an oil and gas facility Baseload power—based on the intermittent direct power design, energy storage in the form of batteries, and diesel generators that have been integrated to provide baseload or partial baseload power EOR—integration of a full EOR-system placed on FPP's platform, enabling 10,000 m3 processed water injection per day with a minimum injection rate of 5,000 m3 "All three designs proved to be viable and promising from both a technical and a business point of view, and they can be used in different commercial situations."

Aberdeen Renewable Energy Group (AREG) and the European Space Agency (ESA) have signed a memorandum of intent (MOI) to analyze, develop, and implement space-enabled technology and services to support the renewable energy sector. The organizations will work together to foster the development of space-utilizing applications to support technical and business innovation in the renewables sector. The organizations also will evaluate environmental sustainability of energy production and safety of operations. Rita Rinaldo, the head of the Partner-Led and Thematic Initiatives Section at, added, “ESA is strongly positioned to support the implementation of innovative services relying on space assets to support the renewable sector in Europe and beyond. This is not the first reported connection between the energy industry and the space industry.

Digital technologies such as artificial intelligence, the Internet of things, and blockchain can play a key role in creating a more sustainable and resilient low-carbon energy system. But first, what is blockchain exactly? Think of it as a decentralized digital ledger that records transactions and stores information such as financial transactions, medical records, and assets. Traditionally, transactional information is stored in one central ledger or database. A blockchain is a ledger, too, but one that stores data in encrypted blocks across a distributed network of computers.

Having the support of other actors from both the private sector and civil society will be essential to do so. So, in turn, companies have responded by starting to design strategies that align with the SDGs at a corporate and global level. But the SDG priorities of host governments can vary greatly between countries of operation. Navigating this at a local level can be challenging. To support companies in their efforts, in 2019, IPIECA commissioned a research project with Earth Security Group to help companies identify country-level issues, priorities, and opportunities and enable them to align their SDG initiatives with a host country’s priorities.

Having established itself as a player in the wind-power industry, Equinor is now turning to solar as an area to develop new business. This illustration shows what the pilot plant may look like. Equinor’s announcement of plans to build the world’s first pilot plant for floating solar power in rough water near the island of Frøya comes one day after the Norwegian energy major announced its selection as BP’s partner to supply offshore wind power to New York. Hailed as one of the largest renewable-energy procurements in the US, the award by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) seeks to transform the South Brooklyn Marine Terminal and the Port of Albany into large-scale offshore wind-working industrial facilities, thus positioning New York as an offshore wind-industry hub. While Equinor already is positioned as a player in wind energy, the Norwegian major is only taking its first steps in solar.

The Society of Petroleum Engineers is accepting nominations for its annual awards, including international and regional Health, Safety, and Environments awards and Sustainability and Stewardship awards. The deadline for international award nominations is 15 February, and the deadline for regional award nominations is 1 March. SPE’s international awards recognize individuals who make significant technical and professional contributions to the petroleum engineering profession and to the worldwide oil and gas industry. These award recipients are announced in July, and the awards are presented during SPE’s Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition. The regional awards recognize members who contribute exceptional service and leadership within SPE, as well as those who make significant professional contributions within their technical disciplines at the SPE regional level.

Gender diversity and inclusion in the oil and gas industry has been widely promoted in the last decade to advance women in leadership roles. Following this, the SPE Java Section launched an initiative to encourage and empower women in the industry. The section held a webinar in November, which was moderated by Niesharsa Triaswari from BP Indonesia. In the webinar four high-profile women discussed and shared their leadership and experience in the oil and industry: Shauna Noonan, 2020 SPE president and director of artificial lift engineering at Oxy; Evita H. Legowo, general director of Oil and Gas Government of Indonesia (2008-2012) and professor at Swiss German University; Melanie Cook, president of ExxonMobil Indonesia; and Dian Andyasuri, president of Shell Indonesia. The opening session was led by Shauna Noonan, who shared her experience and first steps in the industry when she first came to Indonesia working for Chevron.

Should Oil and Gas Companies Move Full-Speed Ahead With Energy Transition Plans? Within the race for renewables, oil and gas companies are finding themselves in a proverbial rut as they reassess existing profitable models with future energy transition plans. The nature and magnitude of this shift has set new strategic parameters for the sector. What adds more difficulty is the question of speed in which companies pursue this conundrum. Should oil and gas companies be more aggressive in their energy transition plans?

As part of its strategic plans, Vintage Petroleum Boliviana (VPB), a wholly owned subsidiary of Occidental, has developed and implemented a social responsibility (SR) program that supports company business objectives and positively affects and adds value for all stakeholders—employees, contractors, national oil company, communities, and the environment. VPB’s SR program achieves a balance between its oil and gas exploration and production (E&P) interests and communities’ expectations and needs. The SR program carried out through an extensive engagement process has served as the model for the company’s operational excellence and resulted in alliances between VPB and the communities in the areas of influence and at large. The objective of this paper is to share the methodology, approach, and processes that VPB has implemented to improve the quality of life of society as a whole and to be a shared-value partner with the communities. This paper addresses both tangible and intangible benefits that communities have received and quality-of-life enhancements in the communities, as well as the key performance indicators used to measure performance for operational excellence, community development, and project/program evaluation.

Accurate Wellbore Placement: Why It’s a Critical Skill for the Evolving Industry If a well is placed in a hydrocarbon production zone accurately the first time, there is less risk to personnel, less impact to the environment, and a better return over the life of the well for the operator. Do You Really Need Steel Pipe? A partnership between Saudi Aramco and Baker Hughes will build a plant where they will work to expand the uses of nonmetallic oilfield hardware, beginning with high-performance reinforced plastic pipe. Do You Really Need Steel Pipe? Santos Seals Deal With Mitsubishi for Barossa’s LNG The agreement has Santos selling 80% of its share of expected gas from the project to Mitsubishi’s Diamond Gas International. Pioneer Becomes Latest Permian Giant To Set Low-Carbon Targets What is to become the largest shale producer in the Permian Basin is stepping up its efforts to curb emissions and has shared new details in its annual sustainability report.