Saudi Aramco & SLB: Creating Tools to Reduce Emissions

In the face of escalating pressure to curtail greenhouse gas emissions in across the manufacturing industry, Aramco and SLB are embracing digitalisation to turn this vision into reality.

This joint venture is a testament to the broader energy sector's resolve to ramp up sustainability measures and combat climate change with sophisticated, data-oriented approaches.

In a move that builds upon their previous pact announced a couple of years back, Aramco and SLB are once again joining hands. This time, they're focusing on co-creating, commercialising, and implementing digital answers to curtail greenhouse gas emissions plaguing the industrial sphere, notoriously known for its hefty environmental footprint. These groundbreaking solutions are set to be integrated into SLB's digital sustainability platform.

Tackling emissions head-on

“Data is essential to support increasing calls for emissions transparency and taking decisive actions on decarbonisation investments,” Rakesh Jaggi, President of Digital and Integration at SLB says.

“The digital sustainability platform provides the means to leverage data at scale to drive emission reduction outcomes. We aim to expand the SLB suite of solutions with Aramco’s innovative technologies.”

A structured approach has been adopted by both giants to produce digital solutions on SLB's digital sustainability platform, which is poised to make a tangible environmental difference.

This collaboration will spotlight Aramco's proprietary Combined Heat Power (CHP) optimisation solution, designed to ramp up energy efficiency. Likewise, the Flare Monitoring System (FMS) is expected to curtail field emissions.

SLB and Aramco have also collaboratively invented a novel decarbonisation planning solution that will aid in predicting emissions and crafting scenarios to pinpoint the most effective routes to minimise greenhouse gas emissions.

“For several years, Aramco has been working towards mitigating greenhouse gas emissions from its operations with its own internally developed technologies." says Walid A. Al Naeem, Aramco Engineering VP & Chief Engineer.

A deep dive into emission statistics

Recent findings by the International Energy Agency (IEA) reveal a disturbing trend: in 2022, global energy-related CO2 emissions breached previous records, hitting 36.8Gt — marking a 0.9% uptick from the preceding year, with the power and transport sectors as key contributors.

Furthermore, the IEA underscores the industrial sector's sizeable share in global greenhouse gas emissions. In 2021, emissions from industrial activities bounced back to levels observed in 2019, propelled by the cement, steel, and chemicals industries.

According to the agency, manufacturing and construction are among the top emitters, trailing only behind electricity and transport.

cybersecurity threats loom large

In the wake of the energy sector's digital transformation, the spectre of cyber threats looms larger.

Tackling this, SLB and Palo Alto Networks are banding together to address the upsurge in cyber threats, blending cloud prowess with AI-enabled cybersecurity measures to fortify the energy arena.

This digitally-focused strategy enables SLB to enhance operational efficiency and foster industry-wide collaboration towards a sustainable energy landscape.

SLB’s CEO Olivier Le Peuch says his role is to “enable our people to deliver their best — innovation, creativity and performance — to respond to the needs of an evolving energy industry”.

Meanwhile Aramco, the petroleum and natural gas leader that's ranked as the world's biggest energy company, is propelling research and development (R&D) forward through a strategic decade-long alliance with King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST).

This partnership entails a generous injection of US$100m by Aramco into KAUST over ten years, marking a significant milestone in their joint venture.

Aramco’s President and CEO Amin H. Nasser said the investment reflects “our firm belief in the importance of innovation across industries and applications." 

****** 

Make sure you check out the latest edition of Manufacturing Digital and also sign up to our global conference series - Procurement & Supply Chain 2024 & Sustainability LIVE 2024
******
Manufacturing Digital is a BizClik brand.