Convening ministers, CEOs, policymakers, investors, technologists and myriad industry movers and shakers, Gastech's multiple conference streams will address the partnerships, investments and strategic actions required to enhance resilience, secure supply and drive sustainable economic growth.
Thursday, August 06, 2026
Speaking and moderating at Gastech 2026
Convening ministers, CEOs, policymakers, investors, technologists and myriad industry movers and shakers, Gastech's multiple conference streams will address the partnerships, investments and strategic actions required to enhance resilience, secure supply and drive sustainable economic growth.
Tuesday, November 11, 2025
Media missives from ADIPEC 2025
This blogger also hit the airwaves to discuss the wider energy market, quarterly results of BP and Aramco, oil supply and demand scenarios for 2026, investment by the energy sector in automation and AI, and some of the soundbites coming out of this year's ADIPEC.
These included broadcasting calls with the BBC, France 24, and more, with the Oilholic's week also peppered with plenty of missives via the keyboard for Forbes, and of course this blog.
This year, yours truly also partnered with Schneider Electric for a global research project on the adoption of automation in the energy sector, the first phase of which - on the Middle East - was released at the event. Further details are here.
All blog entries for ADIPEC 2025 may be found here. And here are selected Forbes copies in chronological order based on soundbites and insights from just before, during, and immediately after the event:
- AI Is Reshaping How Industries Run, Compete, And Grow, October 26, 2025
- Energy CEOs Warn More Investment Is Needed As Demand Continues To Rise, November 3, 2025
- Big Oil Earnings Season Marks A Return To Basics With Lower Profits, November 10, 2025
- Big Oil Is Pairing Up With Big Tech For An Opportunity Worth Billions, November 11, 2025
That's a wrap for this year's ADIPEC. Keep reading, keep it here, keep it 'crude'!
Thursday, November 06, 2025
ADIPEC Days III & IV: Energy. Intelligence. Impact.
To this effect, ADIPEC saw ministers, CEOs, ultra high net worth investors, innovators and leading academics call for strong partnerships between public and private sectors, aligning targeted investment with innovation, and accelerate the technologies needed to deliver affordable, sustainable and secure energy for all.
Afterall as many leaders put it - energy equals jobs, growth and prosperity - which is why getting it right in the transition era matters. The Oilholic entered the homestretch of ADIPEC 2025 with three panel sessions at a cantor. On Wednesday, yours truly moderated a session titled 'Driving hydrogen forward: technology, standards and a level playing field.'
Panellists included Nobuo Tanaka, CEO, Tanaka Global & Executive Director Emeritus, International Energy Agency (IEA), Raphaël Tilot, CEO, John Cockerill Hydrogen, Koji Yamamoto, CTO, JOGMEC, Michèle Azalbert, Chief Hydrogen Officer, Gentari and Lionel Sinaï-Sinelnikoff, Strategic Advisor, Beyond Aero.
We all know that hydrogen’s success as a global energy carrier will depend not only on technological breakthroughs but also on the creation of a stable, transparent, and equitable framework that allows those technologies to thrive.
The panellists discussed establishing internationally recognised definitions of "clean" hydrogen, common life-cycle carbon accounting methodologies, and compatible certification schemes deemed vital to building investor confidence and facilitating cross-border trade.
They also explored how learnings from the LNG trade can potentially help unlock hydrogen markets, enable global trade, and accelerate the path to affordability and sustainability.
Next up for this blogger on Wednesday was a panel on the 'The future of refining: decarbonisation, demand disruption, and strategic direction.'The panellists included Sultan Albigishi , CEO, ADNOC Refining, Arvinder Singh Sahney, Chairman, Indian Oil Corporation, Dr. Mumuni Dagazau, EVP Downstream, NNPC Limited, Anibor Kragha, Executive Secretary, African Refiners and Distributors Association (ARDA) and Sylvain Cabalery, SVP Sustainable Fuels, Chemicals and Circularity, Technip Energies.
In a lively discussion, the panellists offered their perspectives on how refining strategies are evolving to balance decarbonisation targets with structural market pressures, including overcapacity, shifting demand, and long-term competitiveness.
And on Thursday - ADIPEC's final day - the Oilholic turned his attention to financial innovation, chairing an open forum discussion with full audience participation, on 'Building the future energy system through infrastructure investment.'
The speakers, who also directly engaged with members of the audience included Rajarshi Gupta, MD & CEO, ONGC Videsh Ltd and Jamil Asfour, Head of the Energy & Utilities Sector, Contango.Both offered their takes on innovative financing models such as infrastructure funds and public-private partnerships that address the complexities associated with critical projects will be crucial to unlocking the necessary investment to build the energy systems of the future.
The audience members and speakers also discussed how investors, policymakers, energy executives and technology developers are planning to finance the infrastructure required for energy security and sustainability to thrive together, and what the future holds.
Tuesday, November 04, 2025
ADIPEC Days I & II: Upscaling energy AI & automation
And by the look of things at ADIPEC 2025, the energy industry isn't waiting for an invitation. In whichever direction you turn at ADIPEC's venue ADNEC, you'll see robots roaming, predictive maintenance solutions demos, AR/VR equipment for health and safety training, cloud computing offerings, and so they go.
What's more, even the exhibition space allocated to the event's AI zone went up this year to 3,150 sq. m. from last year’s 2,275 sq. m. It offers a sense of the profound changes that are afoot in the industry and its direction of travel.Speaking of which, over the last few months yours truly has been privileged to provide insights for Schneider Electric's energy automation report.
It will eventually take the shape of a global piece of research on the progression of automation in the energy sector.
The report's first section - on the Middle East - was published on Tuesday morning at ADIPEC. The Oilholic was delighted to join Devan Pillay, President Heavy Industries at Schneider Electric for the launch.
The reporting team's fascinating findings from the Middle East signal a profound shift - autonomous technologies that boost efficiency and reduce emissions are now a strategic priority for one of the world's most prominent energy hubs and a bid for operational excellence by GCC energy majors.
Nearly 80% of Middle Eastern energy sector leaders reported advanced operational readiness, highlighting the region’s strong ambition toward autonomous operations. And they're just getting started. More on stage I of the report's findings here.
As Pillay noted: "Autonomous operations are increasingly seen as a strategic enabler across industries, driving gains in efficiency, scalability, and resilience.
"In the energy sector, where safety, reliability, and sustainability are critical, autonomous systems can monitor and respond in real time, reduce manual intervention in hazardous environments, and support smarter, data-driven decision-making. Crucially, they also support both onshore and remote operations, reducing offsite travel and improving work-life balance."
The panellists included Maurits van Tol, Chief Executive, Catalyst Technologies, Johnson Matthey, Marc-Xavier Joubert, Corporate Strategy Officer, SUEZ, and S. Bharathan, Member of the Board of Directors, Refineries, Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited. We discussed how downstream players are reshaping sourcing models, processing capabilities and risk strategies to unlock value across an increasingly complex feedstock landscape.
The panellists offered a steer on how forward-thinking refineries and petrochemical plants should attempt to align their sourcing strategy with infrastructure adaptability, harnessing technological leaps and innovative solutions to unlock both commercial advantage and long-term sustainability. And the Oilholic rounded up an interesting first two days at ADIPEC over a round of drinks with none other than the inimitable Nobuo Tanaka, Executive Director Emeritus of the International Energy Agency (IEA).It was a privilege to unwind after a hectic but rewarding first two days at ADIPEC and hear Tanaka's views on the evolving energy mix, his faith in the potential of hydrogen (that's still intact) and prevailing geopolitics. Well that's all for the moment from ADIPEC folks. More musings to follow real soon. Keep reading, keep it here, keep it 'crude'!
Friday, October 24, 2025
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.
Thursday, August 07, 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'!Friday, November 08, 2024
ADIPEC Days III & IV: Connecting minds. Transforming Energy
It was acknowledged that a blend of human ingenuity, finance and technology, with conducive inter-governmental policies would go a long way.
Hence, event participants got to grips with how to make it happen along with flagging some tangible examples of successful private investments, public-private partnerships and international collaboration.
Familiar industry subjects were also under the microscope on both days - including but not limited to - stepping up efforts on achieving global carbon neutrality, crucial role of natural gas in a future energy mix, infrastructure for alternative fuels for transportation at ports and airports, tackling methane emissions, and emerging hydrogen energy solutions.
Speaking of hydrogen, yours truly hosted a panel on Day III titled 'Asia's role in defining the hydrogen market' with panellists - The Right Honourable Abang Johari Tun Openg, Premier of Sarawak, Malaysia, Hiroshi Matsuda, Chief Regional Officer, EMEA, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Koji Yamamoto, SVP, JOGMEC, Shoichi Kaganoi, SVP, Hydrogen & CCUS Development, INPEX and Karine Boissy-Rousseau, VP Green Gases, TotalEnergies.
We discussed how Asian countries are positioning themselves within the global hydrogen economy, focusing on their advances in production technologies and infrastructure, and the geopolitical implications of their evolving roles as both importers and exporters in the hydrogen market.Afterall, as Asian nations start to configure their hydrogen markets, the region provides a compelling case for the development of new technologies to produce lower cost hydrogen, as well as investments in a rapid expansion of enabling infrastructure for international hydrogen trade.
And the Oilholic brought his ADIPEC 2024 engagements to a close with a panel on the 'strategic role of NGOs in unlocking energy investment for emerging economies' on the final day of the event.
Eminent panellists for this session included Maha Attia, Head of the Strategic Planning Committee and Assistant Vice-Chairman for Foreign Trade at the Egyptian Natural Gas Holding Company (EGAS), Madadh MacLaine, Secretary General, Zero Emissions Ship Technology Association, Huda Al Houqani, Director, Abu Dhabi Sustainability Group (ADSG) and Michel Abi Saab, General Manager, Emerge.We discussed how non-governmental organisations (NGOs) are fostering energy sector growth in developing countries by overcoming regulatory and infrastructural barriers, and how strategic collaboration with NGOs can unlock significant investment potential in emerging markets.By collaborating with governments and industry, NGOs help to refine policies and showcase scalable clean energy projects, making emerging markets more attractive to energy companies and financial institutions. These strategic partnerships not only advance sustainable development but also enable organisations to navigate complex regulations, secure funding, and confidently enter high-growth markets.
Finally, global events like ADIPEC cannot of operate in isolation from international developments, none bigger than the 2024 US presidential election that saw Donald Trump reelected. News of the return of Trump reverberated midway through the week-long event.
Goes without saying, his presidency will likely have a profound impact on global energy markets, as summed up by yours truly in a Forbes piece. And on that note its time to bid goodbye to Abu Dhabi folks, until next year. So keep reading, keep it here, keep it 'crude'!
Sunday, November 03, 2024
ADIPEC 2024 sessions to be hosted by yours truly
The Oilholic is delighted to be back in Abu Dhabi, UAE for ADIPEC 2024, the world's largest energy conference and exhibition of its kind, being held here from November 4 to 7. Yours truly will be holding four panel sessions at the event with distinguished industry thought leaders.
Please do join if you can for some fantastic and insightful industry dialogues. Here are the details of the sessions:
Monday, November 4, 2024 @ 15:30 GST
Climate finance: the role of the energy and finance sectors
Sunday, October 27, 2024
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'!
Wednesday, August 21, 2024
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.
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'!
Wednesday, May 01, 2024
'Partnering for the future' at OPTIMIZE24
All that remains is to thank the wonderful Team AspenTech for putting on a fabulous and insightful event in Houston, and for their warm hospitality. Here's to the next installment in the very near future. More musings to follow soon after the flight home to London. Keep reading, keep it here, keep it 'crude'!









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