That's a wrap from Energy Projects Conf & Expo 2026

The Energy Projects Conference & Expo 2026 concluded on Wednesday with further discussions on AI solutions aimed at delivering next generation of projects. 

Delegates heard how generative engineering was slashing design-to-groundbreaking cycles by 50% through automated layout optimisation and AI-driven simulation.

Later in the afternoon, Lindsay See, Commissioner, US Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, said the authority was working toward fair and predictable permitting as project sponsors and regulators confront grid infrastructure and supply costs. 

Away from the plenaries, the Oilholic took time out to head to the event's expo where over 400-plus exhibitors were out in full force courting business in the EPC sphere and displaying their state of the art solutions for the industry. 

Overall, the conference and expo saw over 7,000 attendees, and more than 250 speakers - present company included - who spoke across five content streams. Yours truly also took time out to record the next Schneider Electric insight video while out here in America's energy capital. 

Hany Fouda, Senior Vice President, Process, Discrete & Hybrid Automation Industrial Automation Business and André Marino, SVP Industrial Automation North America, Schneider Electric, discussed some of the biggest shifts they are currently seeing in how EPCs are approaching automation and digitalisation. 

We also discussed the company's EcoStruxure Foxboro Software-Defined Automation products - the industry’s first open, software-defined Distributed Control System. It was launched by Schneider Electric earlier this year. Watch this space, details and the video coming soon! 

And that's a wrap from the Energy Projects Conference & Expo 2026. It's almost time to head back home to London from Houston folks! More market musings to follow soon. Keep reading, keep it here, keep it 'crude'! 

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To email: journalist_gsharma@yahoo.co.uk  

© Gaurav Sharma 2026. Photo I: Energy analyst Gaurav Sharma at the Energy Projects Conference & Expo 2026 in Houston, Texas, US on June 16, 2026. © Gaurav Sharma, June 2026. Photo II: (L to R) Energy analyst Gaurav Sharma, Hany Fouda, Senior Vice President, Process, Discrete & Hybrid Automation Industrial Automation Business, and André Marino, SVP Industrial Automation North America, Schneider Electric, speak at the Energy Projects Conference & Expo 2026 in Houston, Texas, US on June 16, 2026. © Schneider Electric, June 2026.

Talking "co-innovation" & energy investment at EPC26

The Energy Projects Conference & Expo 2026 got underway in Houston, US on Tuesday incorporating dialogues on engineering, construction, commissioning, operations and maintenance across LNG, power, midstream, downstream and emerging energy segment under the theme "Where Energy Projects Get Built."

The Oilholic got straight into proceedings on the opening morning with an executive fireside briefing on the topic "Resilience by design: Building adaptive, digital operations now" at the event's main plenary stage.  

The panellists included André Marino, SVP Industrial Automation North America, Schneider Electric, Chris Scheefer, EVP Global AI, Energy & Chemicals at Capgemini, and William Barrett, VP Product Development, Oxy subsidiary 1PointFive.

The timing and the setting for such a discussion couldn't have been more ideal. By some estimates, the US is in the middle of the largest energy buildout in a generation stretching from major LNG projects to offshore exploration, utility-scale renewables to nuclear. 

Industry projections suggest the US is committing $9.1 trillion to energy infrastructure through to 2038. With the proliferation of hyperscale datacenters profoundly altering power (water and cooling solutions) demand scenarios, this need not come as a surprise. 

In the face of this, the industry can no longer rely on legacy delivery and operating models to service a US economy premised on digitization and automation, twin facets in turn underpinned by electrification.

Under these new pressures, the panel discussed how project sponsors, EPCs and their industrial & software partners need to build smart, agile and resilient foundations, or shall we say “co-innovate.”

It was a great discussion with the panellists offering pragmatic solutions, some reality checks and learnings from their respective experience. 

We also discussed how the change required isn't incremental but architectural, as well how the industry’s contracting and governance structures that were built for a previous era need to be revisited in the age of digital automation and AI. 

To quote Schneider Electric's Marino, the next era of US energy infrastructure will not be won by organisations that build the most but by those that build differently — unifying electrification, automation, and digital intelligence from day one, designing resilience in rather than bolting it on, and turning every hour of operational continuity into margin. That investment window is indeed open now. 

Elsewhere, away from the plenary stage, leadership sessions kicked-off along several different content silos including LNG Engineering & Construction, LNG Investment & Finance, Midstream Engineering & Construction, Nuclear EPC, Petrochemicals, Refining & SAF and Power Generation EPC over the course of an engaging opening day of proceedings. 

Never far away from the conference halls were discussions among delegates on the currently  falling oil price and speculative details of the deal between Washington and Tehran to hopefully conclude the Iran War. 

Both Brent and WTI were down by 11% on Monday, over the previous week as the market awaits formal details of the agreement. Then begins the long march toward market normalisation which may take better parts of six to seven months. That's all for now folks! More market musings to follow soon. Keep reading, keep it here, keep it 'crude'! 

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To email: journalist_gsharma@yahoo.co.uk  

© Gaurav Sharma 2026. Photo I: Energy analyst Gaurav Sharma at the Energy Projects Conference & Expo 2026 in Houston, Texas, US on June 16, 2026. © Gaurav Sharma, June 2026. Photo II: (L to R) Energy analyst Gaurav Sharma, André Marino, SVP Industrial Automation North America, Schneider Electric, Chris Scheefer, EVP Global AI, Energy & Chemicals at Capgemini and William Barrett, VP Product Development, Oxy subsidiary 1PointFive speak at an Energy Projects Conference & Expo 2026 panel in Houston, Texas, US on June 16, 2026. © Schneider Electric, June 2026.

Speaking at Energy Projects Conference & Expo 2026

Delighted to announce that yours truly be speaking and moderating at the Energy Projects Conference & Expo 2026, headline sponsored by Schneider Electric. It is due to be held in Houston, Texas, US from June 16 to 17.

This vital industry event incorporates dialogues on engineering, construction, commissioning, operations and maintenance across LNG, power, midstream, downstream and emerging energy under the theme "Where Energy Projects Get Built."

The Oilholic's engagements will include industry dialogues and executive firesides held as part of the event's plenary programme.

For more details on the event and its exciting agenda click here.

Really looking forward to the deliberations, meeting thought leaders and friends. Join, if you can, for some fantastic industry exchanges and networking in Houston.

Keep reading, keep it here, keep it 'crude'! 

To follow The Oilholic on Twitter click here.

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To follow The Oilholic on Energy Connects click here.

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To email: journalist_gsharma@yahoo.co.uk  

© Gaurav Sharma 2026. Photo: Energy Projects Conference & Expo 2026 / Easyfairs.

Speaking and moderating at OPTIMIZE 26

Delighted to announce that yours truly be speaking and moderating at OPTIMIZE 26 - the flagship event of Emerson's Aspen Technology business - due to be held in Houston, US from May 11 to 14.

The theme for the event is "Powering Performance."

The Oilholic's engagements will include panels and executive dialogues held as part of OPTIMIZE 26's process industries and executive tracks.

Explore the event's exciting agenda here. 

Really looking forward to the deliberations, meeting thought leaders and friends. Join, if you can, for some fantastic industry exchanges and networking in Houston.

Keep reading, keep it here, keep it 'crude'! 

To follow The Oilholic on Twitter click here.

To follow The Oilholic on Forbes click here.

To follow The Oilholic on Energy Connects click here.

To email: journalist_gsharma@yahoo.co.uk  

© Gaurav Sharma 2026. Photo © OPTIMIZE 26.

Speaking and moderating at ADIPEC 2025

Delighted to announce that yours truly will be moderating and speaking at ADIPEC 2025 - the world's largest energy conference and exhibition - in Abu Dhabi, UAE, from November 3 to 6, on a number of panels and executive dialogues. Explore the event's agenda touching on critical energy issues, latest technological developments, and energy transition through innovation, visionary leadership and action here.

And more on the Oilholic's panels and sessions here.

Looking forward to the deliberations, meeting thought leaders, fellow industry professionals and colleagues. Join, if you can, for some fantastic industry exchanges and networking in Abu Dhabi.

Keep reading, keep it here, keep it 'crude'! 

To follow The Oilholic on Twitter click here.

To follow The Oilholic on Forbes click here.

To follow The Oilholic on Energy Connects click here.

To email: journalist_gsharma@yahoo.co.uk  

© Gaurav Sharma 2025. Digital event banner courtesy of dmgevents.

On datacentres & smart cities at SE Innovation Summit

As Schneider Electric's Innovation Summit entered its home stretch on day two of the event, the Oilholic touched on two key energy consumption segments - datacenters and smart cities. 

Starting with the latter, as urban centres expand, so does their power demand. 

It has led many to envision digitally-premised 'smart' cities with efficient energy and communications systems, dwellings, offices, and, a whole new way of urban living in the digital age. 

Among the many things that Schneider Electric is attempting in this space, are what the company describes as "Impact Buildings" - spaces that are digitally intelligent, energy efficient, and "designed with people in mind." 

For the company these building projects showcase how technology, sustainability, and innovation can come together to create spaces that are not only high performing and low carbon, but also serve as real world examples of what is possible today. 

They typically deploy digital energy solutions and have smart sensors for data gathering for management, maintenance and efficient day-to-day running of the building from workspace management to lighting and temperature control.

The first of these from Schneider Electric - NEST impact building - was launched in Dubai in May. It was great discussing NEST's potential with the key leadership team behind it all - Frederic Godemel, EVP Energy Management at Schneider Electric and Manish Kumar, EVP Digital Energy at Schneider Electric. 

While Godemel and Kumar outlined the headline case and technologies underpinning the move, it was fascinating listening to Matthew Proctor, Global Sales Lead, Enterprise Software, at Schneider Electric, offer a glimpse into the live-feed visual display of the digital footprint of the building. 

This blogger is also grateful to Martin Jensen, EMEA WD Division President at global real estate and property management firm JLL (who are partnering with Schneider Electric on the impact buildings), for discussing their commercial future. 

Away from smart buildings and smart cities, yours truly also took time out explore what Sebastian Bøtcher, Sales Director, Secure Power at Schneider Electric Denmark, described as addressing the "chip to chilling" aspect of hyperscale datacentres, supercomputers and AI. 

By that token, Bøtcher's team is providing solutions to the Danish Centre for AI Innovation or DCAI, a company established to run and operate Gefion, Denmark’s first AI supercomputer. It's named after a goddess in the country's mythology.

DCAI is funded by the Novo Nordisk Foundation and by EIFO. During a visit to the site, on the sidelines of the summit, the Oilholic met Nadia Carlsten, CEO of DCAI, her colleague Ali Syed, who's the SVP of Infrastructure, and, of course Bøtcher himself.

Carlsten said DCAI's work offers a testament to the seriousness with which Denmark is approaching the potential, premise and deployment of AI solutions and services and their growing role in the Danish economy. 

"Our mission is to lower the barrier to access the most advanced computing capabilities in Denmark in particular, and the region in general. We work with customers from academia, startups, and enterprise to accelerate AI research and innovation," Carlsten said.

Syed added that the facility is not just a deployment hub for AI in Demark, but also a mission critical learning and testing ground as hyperscale datacentres proliferate globally. 

"It is as much about the direction of travel, as it is about recognising the power of AI in step with our partners and end users," he added.

And Bøtcher brought Schneider Electric's "electrify, automate & digitalize" everything message into the mix, noting that: "We are  part of that learning and collaborating ecosystem, as AI rises in prominence, and there is a growing clamour for the solutions we offer." 

"We hope to extrapolate our infrastructural and digital learnings from DCAI to our wider business, and bring our global expertise in the sphere to them. Real two-way synergies are in play here."

Elsewhere at the summit, several dignitaries joined the Schneider Electric leadership in offering their perspectives on the road ahead and the energy transition. 

They included Dr Fatih Birol, Executive Director of International Energy Agency. It was a pleasure to reconnect with Dr Birol, however briefly, as both him and yours truly were entering / exiting the plenary stage. 

Earlier, Dr Birol offered views on the unfolding energy transition, and how balancing traditional and renewable forms of energy is a tough and ever evolving challenge. 

He was followed by Nicolai Wammen, Minister of Finance of Denmark, who discussed the pressing need for investment in innovation, and managing the energy trilemma - i.e. balancing affordability, security and sustainability. 

Lastly, yours truly also took to his public engagements on day two, speaking at the event with industry experts from around the world. Overall, around 5,000 global attendees were at the summit for two insightful days in Copenhagen.

Several deployment cases for EcoStruxure - Schneider Electric's open, AI-powered platform that creates what the company describes as "intelligent ecosystems to drive real-time insights, resilience, and efficiency" - were also visited, often accompanied by real-time demonstrations. 

Well that's a wrap from the Innovation Summit this year. Until next time folks. More musings to follow soon. Keep reading, keep it here, keep it 'crude'!

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To email: journalist_gsharma@yahoo.co.uk  

© Gaurav Sharma 2025. Photo I: Exhibition floor of Schneider Electric Innovation Summit, October 23, 2025. Photo II: (L to R) Frederic Godemel, EVP Energy Management at Schneider Electric, Martin Jensen, EMEA WD Division President, JLL, Energy Analyst Gaurav Sharma, Manish Kumar, EVP Digital Energy at Schneider Electric and Matthew Proctor, Global Sales Lead, Enterprise Software at Schneider Electric. Photo III: (L to R) Ali Syed, SVP of Infrastructure, DCAI, Energy Analyst Gaurav Sharma, Nadia Carlsten, CEO of DCAI, Sebastian Bøtcher, Sales Director, Secure Power at Schneider Electric Denmark. Photos IV & V: Energy Analyst Gaurav Sharma speaks at the Schneider Electric Innovation Summit 2025. 

SE Innovation Summit: 'Electrify, automate & digitalize'

The Oilholic concluded a fascinating and insightful day one of Schneider Electric's Innovation Summit 2025 in Copenhagen, Denmark last evening with a heavy emphasis on "electrifying, automating and digitizing" everything by the energy management and automation company. 

That's buildings, data centres, heavy industries, grids, infrastructure and all else in between. 

Through its longstanding and ever evolving EcoStruxure platform, the company offers to embed intelligence at every level. It's grounded in the company's belief that electricity will come to dominate the global energy mix and in the fullness of time demonstrate its ultimate value in terms of transition economics, as said by the company's CEO Olivier Blum in what was his first keynote since taking over as the company's boss. (Read all about it in the Oilholic's latest Forbes missive here).

The company also took the opportunity for a widely expected launch of SE Advisory Services that would combine its company-wide consulting offering under one specialist business unit. 

It adds specialised software, AI and project implementation to its existing suite of consulting services. 

Schneider Electric also published a new report noting that electrification could save Europe €250 billion (£217 billion, $290 billion) per year by 2040 through accelerated electrification. 

The report observed that currently the electrification rate in Europe is just 21%, a figure that hasn’t changed in the last decade and is 10% behind China where rapid electrification is taking place. 

At the same time, the cost of residential energy use in the EU is 0.27 euro per kWh. In the US, that figure is 0.15, and China comes in at 0.08 euro per kWh. 

This puts the price of everyday activity for every EU citizen three times higher than those in China. 

The report titled - Europe energy security and competitiveness – supercharging electrification - suggests that accelerated electrification could alter the dynamic and result in huge continent-wide savings. 

Have a read here, and let the Oilholic know what you make of the findings. That's all for the moment folks. More musings to follow soon from Copenhagen. Keep reading, keep it here, keep it 'crude'!

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To email: journalist_gsharma@yahoo.co.uk  

© Gaurav Sharma 2025. Photo I: Energy analyst Gaurav Sharma at Schneider Electric's Innovation Summit on October 22, 2025. Photo II: Schneider Electric CEO Olivier Blum speaks at the Innovation Summit. Photo III: Innovation Summit crowds on day one of the event. © Gaurav Sharma, October, 2025.

Speaking and moderating at Gastech 2025

Delighted to announce that yours truly will be speaking and moderating at Gastech 2025 in Milan, Italy, from September 9 to 12, one of the world's largest natural gas industry event. 

Explore this global event's critical conference agenda that is driving the energy transition through groundbreaking innovation, visionary leadership and action here.

Further details on the Oilholic's panels and sessions to follow here over the coming weeks.

Entering its 53rd year this September, Gastech will champion the role of natural gas in delivering affordable, reliable, low carbon energy to meet rising global energy demands. 

Over four days, Gastech will convene 50,000 attendees from over 150 countries, 1,000 exhibitors and 21,000 expert speakers, present company included, uniting the world’s leading energy professionals to power the sustainable energy ecosystem of tomorrow. 

Looking forward to the deliberations, meeting thought leaders and friends. Join, if you can, for some fantastic industry exchanges and networking in Milan. 

Keep reading, keep it here, keep it 'crude'! 

To follow The Oilholic on Twitter click here.

To follow The Oilholic on Forbes click here.

To follow The Oilholic on Energy Connects click here.

To email: journalist_gsharma@yahoo.co.uk  

© Gaurav Sharma 2025. Digital event banner courtesy of dmgevents, August 2025.

Media missives from Emerson Exchange 2025

With Emerson Exchange 2025 - the thought leadership event of global engineering services, industrial automation and technology giant Emerson - drawing to a close on May 22, the Oilholic enjoyed a fascinating and engaging week out in San Antonio, Texas, US. 

An action-packed week included insightful 1-on-1 discussions, panel chats, a product launch and wider interactions on the global energy and industry mix, and, where it is heading to with the "plant or factory of the future." 

All of The Oilholic's blog entries for Emerson Exchange may be found here. Yours truly also provided insight and an exclusive interview to Forbes from the event as detailed below. 

• Emerson To Seamlessly Integrate Its Industrial Automation Tech Stack, May 20, 2025
• $40 Billion Of Asset Deals In 4 Years, Room For More, Says Emerson COO, May 22, 2025

That's all for the moment folks. More musings to follow soon. Keep reading, keep it here, keep it 'crude'! 

To follow The Oilholic on Twitter click here.

To follow The Oilholic on Forbes click here.

To follow The Oilholic on Energy Connects click here.

To email: journalist_gsharma@yahoo.co.uk  

© Gaurav Sharma 2025. Photo: Emerson Exchange 2025 held at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center, San Antonio, Texas, US. © Gaurav Sharma, May 2025. 

On AI and more at Emerson Exchange 2025

As the week progressed, Emerson Exchange 2025 came into its element sparking discussions under the event's core them of accelerating innovation. 

Over 300 presentations, client engagements and panels took place covering AI, automation, IIoT, predictive analytics, smart industrial equipment and more. 

The industrial sectors covered included traditional energy, renewables, power and utilities, chemicals, mining, pharmaceuticals, automotive, and food and beverage, but to name a few. 

Speaking of AI, the Oilholic moderated a TechTalk session titled - Industrial AI: Driving Smarter, Safer, and More Sustainable Operations. Subject matter experts on the panel included: Heiko Claussen, Chief Technologist, Emerson, Nate Harris, Global AI Sales Lead, Data & AI, Microsoft, Lynn Comp, Global Head of Sales for the AI Center of Excellence, Intel, and Clint Schneider, VP of Technology at Emerson's Final Control Business.

The panel touched on how AI is rapidly reshaping industrial operations, enabling predictive insights, process optimization and greater sustainability. At the heart of the discussions was AI deployment across the global industrial and manufacturing complex to enhance decision-making, improve efficiency and address complex operational challenges.

Cybersecurity and a re-skilling of the workforce - key facets of the ongoing industrial
transformation - also came under scrutiny, with a discussion on the workforce of the future and zero trust security architecture. 

Whichever way you look at it dear readers, in the quest for improved throughput and a lower carbon footprint (which are joined at the hip in the Oilholic's opinion) - an embedding of AI with safeguards into process systems, turning information and data into actionable insights, and a shift toward optimized autonomous operations are all but inevitable. 

Emerson is eyeing massive opportunities in this sphere and has been repositioning its business via acquisitions, divestments and bolt-on transactions worth $40bn in just the past four years alone. Here's this blogger's exclusive interview on the subject for Forbes with the company's Chief Operating Officer Ram Krishnan. 

The logic slots in particularly well in the case of the global oil and gas industry that's constantly learning to do more with less, at a time of cyclical volatility and lower oil prices.

And if you happened to tour the technology exhibits at Emerson Exchange, various solutions being showcased pointed to exactly that. 

Elsewhere, yours truly also hosted leadership conversations for Emerson on the sidelines of the event. Over a dozen members of the company's divisional and corporate leadership team kindly took part in the conversations to share their invaluable industry insight. 

As a teaser they included, Emerson COO Ram Krishnan, CSO Mike Train, CTO Peter Zornio, CMO Vidya Ramnath, and Emerson's AspenTech business CTO Claudio Fayad among others. The recordings will be published in due course by the Emerson team, and the Oilholic will alert you when they are online. So, watch this space. 

Well, that's a wrap from Emerson Exchange 2025 until next time. Its been a memorable, insightful and exciting week here in San Antonio. More musings to follow soon. Keep reading, keep it here, keep it 'crude'! 

To follow The Oilholic on Twitter click here.

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To email: journalist_gsharma@yahoo.co.uk  

© Gaurav Sharma 2025. Photo I: AI TechTalk at Emerson Exchange 2025. © Denise Clarke, May 2025. Photo II: Behind the scenes at the recording of Leadership Conversations with Emerson at Emerson Exchange 2025 hosted by Gaurav Sharma © Scott Leech / Brandspeak Communications, May 2025. 

Boundless automation at Emerson Exchange 2025

While the doors of Emerson Exchange 2025 opened on Monday, formal proceedings got underway on Tuesday morning with a keynote from Emerson CEO Lal Karsanbhai.

The global industrial technology and software vendor's boss said his industry is facing dynamic markets in an evolving industrial landscape. 

"Emerson is moving in the right direction with purpose, conviction and agility in automation, shaping what's next for global industries," he noted.

Flagging $40 billion worth of transactions from Emerson over the last four years, Karsanbhai said the company was also displaying remarkable agility from within via "boundless automation", and an ever improving offer of software premised integrated solutions that both the markets and his company's customers have come to expect of it. 

The Emerson CEO also lauded his company's acquisition of industrial software leader AspenTech for $7.2 billion because it supported "a software driven approach to shape the future direction of travel for Emerson."

To that end, Karsanbhai also delivered a teaser of 'Project Beyond' - Emerson's new product suite that seamlessly integrates its entire industrial automation technology stack. 

Following the keynotes came the formal launch of Project Beyond, hosted by yours truly alongside Peter Zornio, CTO of Emerson, Claudio Fayad, CTO of AspenTech, Nina Schwalb, Head of AspenTech DataWorks inmation, and Dave Denison, Vice President of Software Applications at Emerson Automation Solutions. 

The quartet described how Project Beyond brings industrial AI together with contextualized data across a diverse set of automation environments – embedded, edge and cloud – to "unlock flexibility, safety, sustainability and performance" to facilitate "boundless automation." 

For more details on the actual launch itself, here's this blogger's report for Forbes. At the launch, a statement by COO Ram Krishnan noted that Emerson was looking for an increased take-up of its integrated product offer from energy, power and utilities, chemicals, mining and pharmaceuticals. 

“Companies are eager to modernize automation and keep pace with the promise of new technologies like AI without ripping and replacing their existing infrastructure or dealing with the pain and costs of integrating new applications and millions of fragmented data points,” Krishnan added.

“Project Beyond will use the power of software-defined control to introduce an entirely new, scalable, seamlessly integrated infrastructure with automated data contextualization to turn trapped data into powerful operational efficiencies.”

Following the product launch, and the commencement of the conference program, the event's technology exhibition also opened its doors to visitors showcasing Emerson's hardware and software solutions based on the six "building blocks" of Project Beyond. 

They include - computing power, networking and connectivity, data operations, app marketplace, AI orchestration and a zero-trust security architecture for industries. Overall, an exciting day's outing with plenty more to follow soon. 

On that note, its time to say goodbye for now. Keep reading, keep it here, keep it 'crude'! 

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To email: journalist_gsharma@yahoo.co.uk  

© Gaurav Sharma 2025. Photo I: Lal Karsanbhai, CEO of Emerson delivers his keynote at Emerson Exchange 2025. © Gaurav Sharma, May 2025. Photo II: Launch of Emerson's 'Project Beyond' on May 20, 2025. © Keith Larson / Endeavor Business Media. Photo III: Glimpses of the technology exhibition at Emerson Exchange 2025 © Gaurav Sharma, May 2025. 

Getting started at Emerson Exchange 2025

The Oilholic has arrived in San Antonio, Texas, US for the week-long Emerson Exchange 2025. It is the thought leadership event of engineering services, industrial automation and software giant Emerson. 

The event - being held at the city's Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center - is expected to draw in nearly 4,000 attendees from over 50 countries, representing 300-plus companies integral to the global industrial and manufacturing complex. 

The theme for this year's event is Accelerating Innovation. Over the course of the week, attendees can expect around 300 presentations as part of a varied content program. 

Yours truly will also take part in the program, including a panel on industrial AI on Wednesday, details of which will follow soon. While this blogger's interest is in the energy segment, over a dozen industries would be represented here from pharmaceuticals to food and beverage. 

Emerson Exchange 2025 will also hold an exhibition spread over a 130,000 square foot exhibition hall with nearly 100 exhibitors showcasing over 500 industrial solutions. Expect a few product launches too. Looking forward to an exciting action packed week out in Texas. 

More soon as the week progresses! Keep reading, keep it here, keep it 'crude'! 

To follow The Oilholic on Twitter click here.

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To email: journalist_gsharma@yahoo.co.uk  

© Gaurav Sharma 2025. Photo: Gaurav Sharma at Emerson Exchange 2025 © Gaurav Sharma, May 2025. 

Speaking and moderating at Emerson Exchange 2025

Delighted to announce that yours truly has partnered with global technology, engineering and industrial software giant Emerson to speak and moderate at the company's upcoming thought leadership event - Emerson Exchange 2025. 

This year's theme for the event - due to be held in San Antonio, Texas, US, from May 19 to 22, 2025 - is "accelerating innovation." Explore its groundbreaking agenda here.

The event aspires to empower change in the sphere of industrial automation by exploring advanced technologies, strategies, collaborative approaches and best practices. To attend, register here: 

Really looking forward to the deliberations, meeting thought leaders and friends. Join, if you can, for some fantastic industry exchanges and networking in San Antonio.

Keep reading, keep it here, keep it 'crude'! 

To follow The Oilholic on Twitter click here.

To follow The Oilholic on Forbes click here.

To follow The Oilholic on Motley Fool click here.

To email: journalist_gsharma@yahoo.co.uk  

© Gaurav Sharma 2025. Photo: Speaker profile of Gaurav Sharma for Emerson Exchange 2025 © Emerson / Emerson Exchange, May 2025. 

Visiting a 'sustainability lighthouse' factory

Earlier this year The Oilholic headed to Le Vaudreuil in Normandy, France, some 115 km northwest of Paris, to get up close to Schneider Electric's ongoing smart factories drive. 

Its plant in the French commune is one of 11 such sites around the world where digitalisation and automation are in full swing to improve throughput, and, of course, to demonstrate the efficacy of Schneider Electric's solutions to existing as well as potential customers. 

Essentially, the global energy management and automation vendor has converted a 50-year-old brownfield site - of around 14,000 square meters that produces its hardware - into a fully functional staging post for automation solutions banking on EcoStruxure - its IIoT solutions suite. 

Here is yours truly's feature for Forbes on the site visit and the company's motivation for the exercise that Le Vaudreuil is an integral part of. The said transformation was several years in the making.

Schneider Electric embarked on the journey in 2018, and now in 2025, a fully automated Le Vaudreuil is yielding some impressive results. Power consumption is down by 36% and CO2 emissions lower by over 80%. Furthermore, the delivery lead time has improved by 70%.

As the battle for a slice of the industrial automation market heats up, such sites will prove invaluable for the company as showcases for live action demonstrations if one may use the expression - something it happily flags. 

What's more, the drive has seen Schneider Electric bag accolades from the World Economic Forum (WEF) which has designated the Le Vaudreuil plant as a "sustainability lighthouse" - i.e. a leader in sustainable industrial processes. Six other such manufacturing sites owned and operated by the company have also bagged the WEF badge. 

Overall, this blogger was delighted to have gotten up close to view how AI, IIoT, predictive analytics, robotics, machine learning, and more, keep the factory of the future going. So, here's a big shout out to Schneider Electric's team at Le Vaudreuil who spared their time to show The Oilholic around, demonstrate the plant's kit and processes, answer queries and provide the necessary data for research purposes.

That's all for now folks, more musings to follow soon. Keep reading, keep it here, keep it 'crude'! 

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To email: journalist_gsharma@yahoo.co.uk  

© Gaurav Sharma 2025. Photo I: Gaurav Sharma, energy analyst, Oilholics Synonymous (third from right in high visibility jacket) with the team at Schneider Electric's 'sustainability lighthouse' factory in Le Vaudreuil, Normandy, France © Nicole Love Lloyd / Schneider Electric, 2025. Photo II: Gaurav Sharma outside Schneider Electric's Le Vaudreuil factory in Normandy, France.

Speaking and moderating at ADIPEC 2024

Delighted to announce that yours truly will be moderating and speaking at ADIPEC 2024 - the world's largest energy conference and exhibition - in Abu Dhabi, UAE, from November 4 to 7. Explore the event's program touching on critical energy issues, latest technological developments, and energy transition through groundbreaking innovation, visionary leadership and action here.

And more on the Oilholic's panels and sessions here. 

Looking forward to the deliberations, meeting thought leaders, fellow industry professionals and colleagues. Join, if you can, for some fantastic industry exchanges and networking in Abu Dhabi.

Keep reading, keep it here, keep it 'crude'! 

To follow The Oilholic on Twitter click here.

To follow The Oilholic on Forbes click here.

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To email: journalist_gsharma@yahoo.co.uk  

© Gaurav Sharma 2024. Digital event banner courtesy of dmgevents.

Speaking and moderating at Gastech 2024

Delighted to announce that yours truly will be moderating and speaking at Gastech 2024 in Houston, Texas, US, from September 17 to 20. Explore the global event's critical conference agenda that is driving the energy transition through groundbreaking innovation, visionary leadership, and action here.

And more on the Oilholic's panels and sessions here.

Looking forward to the deliberations, meeting thought leaders and friends. Join, if you can, for some fantastic industry exchanges and networking in H-Town.

Keep reading, keep it here, keep it 'crude'! 

To follow The Oilholic on Twitter click here.

To follow The Oilholic on Forbes click here.

To follow The Oilholic on Motley Fool click here.

To email: journalist_gsharma@yahoo.co.uk  

© Gaurav Sharma 2024. Digital event banner courtesy of dmgevents.

The challenge of producing more industrially with less

Last week The Oilholic had a hectic, but fruitful and amazing trip to AVEVA World 2023 in San Francisco. Much of the discussion at the event was about one profound question - how to do more with less for the energy and industrials complex, and finding answers via the deployment of technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), industrial internet of things (IIoT), digital twins and enhanced data analytics. 

From the standpoint of the hosts - industrial software solutions and consulting firm AVEVA - the pathway forward is all about creating a connected industrial ecosystem. One that offers a gateway to an unlimited world of data analytics, including third party analytics, with everything focused on one key priority - how to efficiently, safely and diligently improve throughput whilst using less energy and resources.

AVEVA's corporate take goes along the lines of "working to build a new industrial ecosystem, defined by agility, resilience and sustainability. By connecting [clients'] teams with trusted information and insights, powered by the cloud, and finding new ways to deliver life’s essentials – while driving responsible use of the world’s resources."

You deploy solutions to do that, and by default you lower your carbon footprint - a mantra this blogger saw repeated often by the company executives from the exhibition floor to the main auditorium, from keynotes to panel discussions, and much else in between. 

While AVEVA's age-old business mainstay may well have been in the oil and gas business, today it provides software solutions for most segments of the global commerce and industry all of which are under pressure to lower their carbon footprint. In keeping with this, the event had several breakout streams and content on a range of subjects. 

These included sessions for process industries (chemicals, pulp and paper, manufacturing, etc.), infrastructure, power and utilities, and of course oil, gas and energy. Each of these touched on advanced solutions and practices for improving efficiencies and finding that low to zero carbon horizon. And if numbers are your thing, we're talking more than a dozen industry tracks, keynotes, and an immersive expo.

There was also plenty of chatter on deriving multifaceted value from AI, and viewing it as an ally or enabler rather than a threat. Both AVEVA and its customers, including the likes of Mitsubishi Power, Yinson and Henkel, appeared to be pretty candid about the constructive deployment of AI. Read more about it in The Oilholic's latest Forbes post here. 

In summation, to quote AVEVA CEO Caspar Herzberg (pictured here at an analysts' briefing on October 25, seated third from left): "The true benefits go beyond the numbers: connected digital insight and technologies enable you to turn volatility into commercial opportunity by transforming industrial production into digital insights, so you can boost efficiency, resilience, and sustainable impact, and realize your boldest aspirations."

Part of being bold or having bold aspirations - especially for the energy, oil and gas sector - is embracing the technological solutions of our age provided by the likes of AVEVA, and of course, its peers. Going by the interest AVEVA's software products suite generated in San Francisco and the number of energy players in town, The Oilholic reckons that the message is cutting through big time. Well that's all for now folks. Keep reading, keep it here, keep it 'crude'!

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To email: journalist_gsharma@yahoo.co.uk  

© Gaurav Sharma 2023. Photo 1: AVEVA logo at the AVEVA World 2023 Conference, Moscone Center, San Francisco, US. Photo 2: AVEVA World 2023 Expo Floor. Photo 3: AVEVA CEO Caspar Herzberg (third from left) speaking at an analysts' briefing at AVEVA World 2023. © Gaurav Sharma October 24-25, 2023.