Inside Energy December 2024

Sector analysis

Electrofuels: an emerging solution that could pave the way for a greener future

Electrofuels, also known as e-fuels or synthetic fuels, are an emerging category of carbon-neutral drop-in replacement fuels that can be utilised to decarbonise hard-to-abate sectors such as the aviation and maritime industries. E-fuels are synthesised from green hydrogen derived via electrolysis using renewable energy sources, together with captured carbon dioxide or nitrogen. The production pathways of e-fuels differ based on the desired final product that includes e-kerosene, e-diesel, e-gasoline, e-methane, e-methanol and e-ammonia. E-fuels are compatible with conventional internal combustion engines, whereby they can be used directly or blended with the conventional fuel. Apart from this, the synthetically produced liquid hydrocarbons can have a quick access to the market though the possibility of being seamlessly integrated into the pre-existing fuel delivery infrastructure, encompassing pipelines and refuelling stations. One of the major e-fuels’ scalability challenges is the cost of production, mainly influenced by the high price of electrolysers for green hydrogen production and access to carbon dioxide which could involve the utilisation of direct air capture (DAC) technologies that currently pose a higher cost.

The potential of e-fuels as a decarbonisation solution has gained recognition from policymakers in many markets and has fostered policy support notably in the aviation and maritime sectors. While there are only some measures that include specifically set targets for low-emission e-fuels, most of the existing regulations aimed at enhancing the development and use of low-emission transport fuel often incorporate e-fuels to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

In 2022, the United States Congress adopted the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) that could lead to a quicker market adoption of e-fuels, offering tax relief on most of the core elements required in the production process that includes renewable electricity, green hydrogen and carbon capture.

Currently, Europe has positioned itself as a frontrunner in the development of policy measures that include targets, incentives and penalties supportive of e-fuels adoption.

The European Union has established specific e-fuel targets to be achieved by 2030 through its ReFuelEU Aviation and FuelEU Maritime regulations. The ReFuelEU Aviation regulatory framework promotes ramping up sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) usage and has introduced a SAF blending mandate at 2% in 2025, increasing progressively to 70% in 2050. E-fuels have sub-targets for its shares in the supplied SAF at EU airports, from 1.2% in 2030 and will increase to 5% in 2035 and 35% in 2050. In the maritime sector, the FuelEU Maritime sets to reduce the greenhouse gas intensity of fuels used in the sector, starting from a 2% reduction in 2025 and up to 80% in 2050.

The regulation also promotes the utilisation of e-fuels by having sub-targets of 2% by 2034, with double counting until 2034. Additionally, the Renewable Energy Directive (RED III) sets targets for e-fuels to at least account for 1% share of the transport energy mix by 2030. To contribute to these targets, the e-fuels will have to achieve at least 70% greenhouse gas emissions savings compared to fossil fuels. The policy also recommends that, starting in 2030, the member states with maritime ports should aim to ensure e-fuels make up at least 1.2% of the total amount of energy supplied to the sector.

The policies in place have been key drivers that led to the recent growth in investment, notably in Europe, for the utilisation of low-emission fuels in aviation and emissions regulations in shipping. In 2023, Cepsa and C2X announced a joint venture for the development of an e-methanol plant in the port of Huelva, southern Spain, entailing an investment of €1bn. The facility will utilise green hydrogen from the Andalusian Green Hydrogen Valley and once operational, it will have an annual production capacity of 300,000 tonnes of e-methanol, which at the time was considered as one of the five largest green methanol plants in the world. Other major investment in Spain includes a €250m El Musel e-methanol plant by WSC’s Hyfive, capable of producing 100,000 tonnes of e-methanol and is expected to begin construction in 2025 for a 2027 startup.

Another major player spearheading e-fuels deployment, Infinium, has added a new commercial advanced e-fuels project into its global projects pipeline. The new investment in the project at the Mo Industrial Park in Mo i Rana, Norway will have the capacity to produce an initial 2,000 barrels per day (bpd) of e-fuels including e-SAF, e-diesel and e-naphtha with the capacity to expand. In the UK, OXCCU has announced an innovative approach to produce e-SAF, utilising cutting-edge technological processes and catalysts that simplifies a multi-step process to a single step. The First-of-aKind (FOAK) demonstration plant will be built at px Group’s Saltend Chemicals Park, with operation planned for 2026.

E-fuels are certainly a promising solution, with many countries adopting policies supportive of e-fuels development, anticipating a more prominent role in the 2030s and beyond in decarbonisation of the transport sector. Considering the expected reduction in the cost of renewable electricity, electrolysers and carbon dioxide sourcing, companies will have to focus on determining the optimal blend of these aspects and this will depend on selecting the most favourable location.

Santheeban Srimurugan, Energy Analyst, CIS & Downstream – Europe and Sub-Saharan Africa santheeban.s@the-eic.com

Inside this issue...

It’s been another amazing year for all of us at the EIC: we launched our first Net Zero Jeopardy and the eighth Survive & Thrive reports; successfully delivered our largest awards programme so far, which was part of a larger 160 face-to-face and online events schedule; concluded substantial expansions to our databases, including EICAssetMap’s global reach and much more. This, of course, wouldn’t be possible without our membership base and the partnership we have with colleagues across the industry and the globe. For this reason, we would like to thank all of you who have been part of our journey in 2024 and we hope to keep in touch in 2025.

It’s a pleasure to present to you this year’s last Inside Energy edition. This month’s sector analysis comes from Santheeban Srimurugan, energy analyst at the EIC and explores the role that electrofuels could play in the energy transition, especially in the transport sector. According to Santheeban, electrofuels will gain more traction in the next decade, with several countries already adopting policies that will stimulate their development in the coming years.

We’re also glad to welcome two guest editorials. Authored by Paul Mudd, business development director at TRS Workforce Solutions, the first of them delves into five key areas to take into account when working in recruitment in 2025. The second one comes from Thomas Aas Saethre, CEO at Vysus Group, who talked to us about his plans for the company after taking the role in May this year.

The magazine also features WSG in member’s news, TÜV Rheinland in spotlight on technology and a case study from asset55.

Finally, as always, readers can also keep up with the latest industry movements globally thanks to members news and regional comments from our directors in Europe, the MENA region, Asia Pacific and the Americas. We hope you have a good read and, of course, happy holidays ahead. See you in the new year.

DataStream

AUSTRALIA

Gove Green Ammonia Project

Operator: Allied Green Ammonia Pty Ltd

Value: US$8.5bn

AFRY has been awarded an engineering services contract for the project. The contract includes the design of renewable power and distribution system for the plant, review the basic engineering design of the solar farm, its electrical systems and the integration of the battery units.

For information on these and more than 15,000 other current and future projects we are tracking please visit EICDataStream

ICELAND

Helguvik eSAF Facility

Operator: Idunn H2

Value: US$500m

Haffner is to provide its technology for the facility utilising its patented technology for onsite gasification of biocarbon, also known as biochar, to produce SAF. The SAF will be blended onsite with traditional jet fuel and used on existing fleets and infrastructure. The site’s commissioning is targeted for 2028.

Global opportunities

BRAZIL

Mauriti Solar PV Project

Operator: PowerChina Value: US$400m

BNDES has approved a R$1.14bn (US$202m) loan for 402MW of solar projects in Sao Paulo and Ceara. EDP has received R$805m (US$142.9m) for the Novo Oriente complex, while PowerChina has been granted R$339m (US$60.17m) for three solar parks totalling 147.33MW.

EGYPT

Onshore Wind Farm

Gabal El Zeit

Operator: ACWA Power

Value: US$1.5bn

ACWA Power is raising US$1.5bn for a wind energy project in Egypt’s Gulf of Suez. The project will have a capacity of up to 1.1GW and feature 138 8MW turbines. The project will be implemented in two phases, each with a capacity of 550MW.

QATAR North Field Expansion Project

Operator: QatarEnergy Value: US$4bn

McDermott has been awarded an EPCI contract from QatarEnergy LNG for the North Field South (NFS) Offshore Pipelines and Cables Project. The contract encompasses the EPCI of approximately 250km of offshore and onshore gas pipelines, linking five new offshore wellhead platforms to two new onshore LNG trains.

US Rome Offshore Oil Pipeline

Operator: Shell Value: US$200m

Shell has announced a positive Final Investment Decision (FID) for the project. Stretching for approximately 161km, the pipeline will follow the path of existing corridor pipelines, starting from Shell’s GC-19 hub and linking to major crude oil markets in Texas and Louisiana. The pipeline is expected to begin operations in 2028.

THE VOICE OF THE ENERGY SUPPLY CHAIN

DataStream

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SupplyMap

EICSupplyMap maps the capabilities of supply chain companies that operate across all energy industries. These industries cover renewables, oil and gas, power, nuclear and energy transition technologies like energy storage, carbon capture and hydrogen.

• Identify the supply chain local to your region, giving you the opportunity to engage with potential new clients.

• Find the supply chain capability in eight regions, now covering the UK, Germany, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, Singapore, US (Texas/Louisiana) and Brazil.

• An in-depth look at profiles of more than 8,800 energy sector supply chain companies.

• Make smarter decisions by targeting your offering to international developers/operators and contractors matching your capability with international energy projects.

RIO

KUALA LUMPUR

EIC guest editorial

by Paul Mudd Business Development Director, TRS Workforce Solutions

Aligning your workforce supply chain to projects

Five key development areas that will support your recruitment efforts during 2025

The increasing global demand for talent underscores the importance of a flexible workforce for growth. Technology is reshaping workforce delivery models, offering unprecedented flexibility for projects. However, companies are still grappling with cost reduction, digital process adoption and refocusing on value delivery.

In the face of recent disruptions and uncertainties, understanding how these demands shape the pathways to top project talent and future skills can be challenging, especially in scarcesupply specialisms like engineering. Here are some predictions on how the global talent landscape might evolve in the coming years.

1. Technology broadening access to talent communities

Global human resources (HR) teams are dealing with escalating complexity and risk, compounded by demands from management, finance departments, business units and regulatory bodies for more information within tighter deadlines. This new reality necessitates a future-proof approach to managing external risks from local, domestic and international regulations. Consequently, an increasing number of companies are turning to technology for a comprehensive data intelligence that serves as a ‘single source of truth’ and covers the entire spectrum of supply management in the recruitment lifecycle.

As part of this digital transformation focus, organisations are exploring how to introduce further innovations into their workforce planning.

They aim to enhance their current flexible workforce and gain a tactical advantage through access to wider talent communities. According to KPMG’s GAPP Survey report, participants showed particular interest in workforce related automation solutions, project cost projections and risk factor identification.

Introducing a managed service provider (MSP), like TRS Workforce Solutions (TRSWFS), allows organisations to leverage artificial intelligence to automate repetitive tasks confidently, improve efficiency and reduce operating costs. More importantly, organisations can redirect internal resourcing teams to higher-value tasks, offering more rewarding challenges and improving retention. Automation will expedite administrative and transactional processes, enhancing the experience for workers, hiring managers and those responsible for onboarding and financial duties.

2. Emphasis on global talent mapping and predictive intelligence

Organisations are heavily investing in digital transformation, aiming for easier access to higher-quality data. Access to wider talent occupies a unique intersection within the organisation, connecting HR, finance, procurement and compliance. For access to wider talent, this rich repository of current and historical data can power predictive workforce analytics to support programme success and measure assignee experiences. This enables evidence-based decisions and ensures that access to wider talent and internal human capital align with broader organisational goals.

32% of respondents from the same survey reported using analytics to guide their global skills access to wider talent policy and decision-making. The top three metrics that respondents believe bring the most value to internal stakeholders are assignment costs (91%), employee satisfaction (64%) and budget versus actual costs (62%).

As digital transformation continues to expand, the use of analytic techniques to predict wider patterns, trends and irregularities will contribute significantly more value by delivering strategic insights into areas such as assignment spend, cost control, budgeting, root cause analysis of rising costs, worker attrition statistics and outliers, real-time reporting for instant access to actionable insights, wider access to skilled, diverse contingent workers and risk-free, cross-border compliance through your external worker base. These insights can promote higher-quality, strategic business decisions and help elevate the profile of teams across organisations as strategic business partners who create value.

3. Managed service solutions becoming essential to the delivery landscape

With fewer traditional relocations, more assignment flexibility and a focus on cost savings, many companies may consider outsourcing more of their staffing and payroll programmes. This could be particularly true for organisations that had to downsize their internal teams in recent years.

We predict a transformative approach with a greater focus on talent, not transactions. Agile companies do not want to be bogged down in single transactions and typically outsource high-volume complex work like payroll, regional vendor chains, compliance and off-boarding activity so they can focus on their own employee’s experience, participate in talent planning and workforce shaping with HR and propel the company forward.

In fact, one of the key benefits of managed services is the ability to rely on the provider to adjust resources in pace with service demands. Other key reasons why companies opt for managed services models include opportunities to streamline resource activities and tasks to achieve system and process efficiencies, often via technology enhancements available through a tech-enabled MSP, lower headcounts, less need to invest in developing and maintaining homegrown software solutions, improved processes that eliminate redundant efforts and enhance the use of technology interfaces between vendor and company systems and access to global resources, leading practices and proven expertise of vendor management.

From immigration and logistical relocation support to payroll and compliance, organisations can choose to outsource some or all the tactical functions for their complex engineering projects while retaining ownership and accountability for the programme. In the GAPP Survey, immigration services (92%) and relocation management services (84%) were the activities most outsourced to support logistical or global compliance for a skilled project workforce.

Engaging a third-party provider not only potentially secures greater programme cost efficiencies and faster, more consistent service delivery but also creates a more satisfying environment for leaner, more tactically focused project teams. Instead of spending time on day-to-day administration, teams are freed to play a more strategic role in supporting core business initiatives.

4. Embedding diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) in your project workforce

Many global organisations are pursuing strategies to improve DEI. DEI and HR leaders are each looking to attract the best talent and critical new skills for the future; fill talent gaps temporarily or permanently and provide innovative opportunities to engage, develop and retain their most valuable employees.

A formal DEI initiative embedded in an organisation’s values and culture can also create an innovative, productive environment that is better positioned to meet organisational goals. Diverse workplaces produce diverse thinking, ideas and skills.

Where access to wider talent is concerned, organisations have much to gain by aligning recruitment programmes with their DEI agenda. With strategies that address both access to wider talent and broader talent management needs, competitive advantages can be achieved. For example, this can be achieved by reviewing programme demographics, designing strategies for broader talent pools and creating broader educational and communication plans for audience talent expansion.

Some leading practices for embedding DEI into access to wider talent programmes include linking the company’s general recruitment strategy to the selection of prospective access to wider talent candidates, using diverse candidate slates for international assignments, visibly targeting diverse groups for international assignment opportunities, including women, racial and ethnic minorities and LGBTQ candidates and factoring in more lead times for diverse workers, as they may require more time for pre-assignment activities.

The clear overlap between DEI and access to wider talent creates strong synergies for formally aligning international assignment programmes with the broader DEI agenda. Access to wider talent leaders can contribute significant insights, knowledge and experience in mobilising and supporting the growth, development and retention of a diverse pool of talent.

5. Smaller, more intimate programmes offering immediate and continual benefit as they mature One of the primary challenges when considering an outsourced approach to contingent worker management programmes is the implementation costs and disruption to operations during the integration.

We predict a shift in the way MSPs are set up and managed. Starting in an individual location or project, with an emphasis on quick deployment, instant results and data insights that support a tactical approach to a broader programme that mitigates the historical challenges around cost and stakeholder buy-in from the outset. Focusing on a single project helps the provider to understand internal processes, company ethos on a personal level, making the MSP a more integral part of the day-to-day activity. Once outcomes have been achieved, the programme can move into phase two, capturing more of the business and starting to standardise the approach, supported by advocates from the initial phase.

By the time the focused and strategic elements of the maturity model take place, the business is seeing added value throughout the recruitment lifecycle, vendors, workforce planning, DEI and so on. This approach ensures that we can support organisations with their finding of scarce skills in renewable projects.

TRS Workforce Solutions delivers cost-efficient, compliant workforce solutions that give you visibility and control over your talent needs.

TRS Workforce Solutions is a division of TRS Staffing Solutions, formed with the specific purpose of helping clients to save cost, stay compliant, maintain control and visibility of their contingent workforces.

Member’s news

https://wsgenergyservices.com/

Azoto deal confirms WSG as major Canadian nitrogen services provider

WSG Energy Services (WSG) is now one of Canada’s largest nitrogen services providers to energy production and transmission clients throughout Western Canada, following the acquisition of Azoto Energy Services (Azoto).

WSG has a strong track record of providing nitrogen services in the world’s major energy hubs and the Azoto acquisition extends the company’s reach in a strategically important market. The transaction also provides WSG with a competitive advantage as one of the few Canadian service providers which can offer packaged services.

WSG Canada has been providing a wide range of precommissioning, commissioning, general mechanical and electrical and instrumentation services to significant projects such as the LNG Canada development in Kitimat, BC, for almost four years.

The company will now also be adding a number of its innovative services used in other global locations to further enhance its customer solutions focus.

WSG’s facilities in Alberta and British Columbia have been strengthened with three additional bases in North Eastern BC and the greater Edmonton area. The company is well-placed to expand its client base in Canada and to pursue opportunities in the US.

For employees, this acquisition opens a new chapter of career development and growth opportunities, with WSG committed to nurturing a dynamic, inclusive work environment, ensuring job security and fostering professional advancement.

The Azoto transaction underlines WSG’s ambitious drive to expand operations in North America, following on from its acquisition in August 2023 of British Columbia’s Servco Industrial Contractors which is active in multiple industrial sectors.

This acquisition is a testament to our commitment to enhance our presence as leading service provider in North America. In addition to a strong Canadian team combined with our wide group knowledge base, we are investing significantly in both new equipment and an extensive refurbishment programme for current equipment to further enhance Azoto’s capabilities and offer additional customer value. Azoto has an excellent track record in service delivery and safety and combined with WSG’s international network and resources, we are cementing our position as the leading specialist service provider in Western Canada.

Andrew

Burrell, Group CEO, WSG Energy Services

This deal puts one of Canada’s largest nitrogen fleets at the disposal of our customers and with our ability to provide packaged services and end to end service solutions, it offers a compelling one-stop-shop solution to the pipeline and process sector. The reaction we have experienced since concluding the deal has been very positive, with the industry welcoming a viable, experienced and innovative provider who can offer flexible solutions and quick response times.

John Gordon, WSG President, Canada

Spotlight on technology

TÜV Rheinland is one of the first testing companies to be approved to assess manufacturers and suppliers in the photovoltaic (PV) industry according to the ESG standards of the Solar Stewardship Initiative (SSI). The Solar Stewardship Initiative is an internal industry initiative with the aim of ensuring sustainability in the supply chain of the photovoltaic industry and its customers. The ESG standard developed by the SSI is specifically tailored to the needs of the photovoltaic industry and its customers.

The newly developed ESG standard takes into account both international standards and expertise from the PV industry. It assesses a company’s performance in the areas of governance, business ethics, the environment and human and labour rights (environmental, social, governance, ESG). Member companies of the SSI are obliged to have two of their sites assessed in accordance with the ESG standard by an authorised body such as TÜV Rheinland within twelve months.

The aim of the ESG standard is to contribute to a more responsible, transparent and sustainable solar value chain. We are honoured to be recognised as an assessment body by the Solar Stewardship Initiative.

This partnership aligns with our mission to support sustainable development and innovation in the solar industry. We look forward to contributing our expertise to drive forward the goals of the SSI.

Frank Dorssers, responsible for the global Customised Services business at TÜV Rheinland

Safety and quality in almost all areas of business and life: that’s what TÜV Rheinland stands for. The company has been active for more than 150 years and is one of the world’s leading testing service providers. TÜV Rheinland has more than 22,000 employees in over 50 countries and generates annual sales of more than €2.4bn.

TÜV Rheinland’s highly qualified experts test technical systems and products around the globe, accompany innovations in technology and business, train people in numerous professions and certify management systems according to international standards. In this way, the independent experts ensure trust along global flows of goods and value chains. Since 2006, TÜV Rheinland has been a member of the United Nations Global Compact for more sustainability and against corruption.

EIC guest editorial

with Thomas Aas Saethre CEO, Vysus Group

Thomas Aas Saethre became Vysus Group’s CEO in May this year after supporting the strategic restructuring of the global energy consultancy. We spoke to him about his new role and his plans for the company.

You’re six months into your new role as CEO of Vysus Group. What has been your primary focus?

If I had to sum that up in one word it would be connectivity. I came into the role at a point where we had divested several business streams to enable us to become a business with a single purpose which is consultancy. We now need to ensure that our expert teams across all our services and geographies are working together as just that, one team, with a single focus on being a leading energy consultancy company.

What that means in practice is that there has been a lot of travelling during the last six months to meet the teams and really take stock of the challenges our customers are facing across the full energy spectrum, from supporting oil and gas businesses and energy security to supporting the energy transition to renewables and nuclear as well as Power to X (hydrogen, methane), battery storage and processing industries.

The energy industry, in particular, is becoming ever more integrated, complex and regulated. By further strengthening our connected offering we can help our energy customers and those in other complex industries to realise their investment decisions faster or get past key decision gates. Whether that’s securing a license to operate from a regulatory perspective or to continue operating, passing internal compliance audits or navigating critical decision gates such as connecting new power to the grid.

These initial months have further cemented the view that our breadth of expertise puts us in a unique position to support our customers in their journeys, be it in conventional energy sources or new ones. We completed the restructuring of our business earlier this year to further support that by aligning our teams around regional locations rather than services to ensure we can provide that connected approach to all our customers across the globe.

Where do you see the greatest market drivers and challenges for Vysus Group?

Politically, there is still a clear motivation to ‘go green’, however, we are seeing some push-back on the ‘hype’ of the energy transition. We also see that this takes different forms depending on each economy.

In Europe, in particular, we are seeing an accelerated move away from oil and gas as countries move to protect their energy security after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. We have seen countries powered for more than multiple days purely from renewable energy. This, coupled with the increased development of new smaller nuclear units, is creating increased opportunities for us.

We are actively expanding our European team, particularly in Barcelona and Rotterdam, where we are establishing a new European power systems team and a European nuclear team respectively. In each of those locations, these competencies will be co-located with our risk management and asset management services, allowing our European customers to access connected services from Vysus Group.

Beyond the political drive to net zero, we are also seeing movement in the investor community with a clear swing to supporting projects that align with environment, sustainability and governance (ESG) goals. This provides a clear opportunity for us to support our customers to build their case for investment. Furthermore, the increasing demand for electric transport and computing power, arising from the use of AI, is creating significant opportunities for our power systems teams globally.

Vysus Group has actively reduced its focus on hydrocarbon production in favour of expanding into other energy markets such as renewables and nuclear. Will that reduction continue under your leadership?

Oil and gas still form a key part of our portfolio and from a competency perspective, it is where we started our journey. The sector currently makes up about 30% of our revenue globally. In many of the geographies we serve, responsible hydrocarbon production is recognised as a critical component in a successful transition to net zero. We are committed to supporting our oil and gas customers to manage their projects, operations and decommissioning.

In parallel, we are focusing on ensuring that the energy industry can make a smooth and effective transition to low-carbon energy and it is essential that we are at the forefront of that move providing the best guidance and assurance to our customers. We have already reduced our reliance on revenue from hydrocarbon projects and expect further reductions as we achieve our aim of supporting customers in the transition.

This year has seen the rise of AI and further digitalisation of the energy sector. How important is technology development to your offering?

In our space we see significant opportunities for applying technology in two areas. The first is about us as a company. Artificial intelligence (AI) enables us to reduce time spent on repetitive tasks and processing, which will allow us to spend more time on the actual customer pain points.

Secondly, we see some areas where AI, combined with other technologies, can solve specific problems. In both instances, what is important for us and our customers is that this also leads to tangible improvements in the business models.

Picking up on my first point, applying AI to generic or repetitive tasks, we are already seeing this used in areas such as reporting and internal training. We believe this will evolve continuously in the coming years. As I said earlier, key for us here is to relieve our very competent staff of less valueadd work and spend more time solving our clients’ problems.

We are applying technology to solve customer problems such as our inhouse AI-assisted HAZOP tool that we offer commercially to customers which uses explainable AI to reduce the time required for HAZOP studies while improving the quality and analysis of data to produce consistent and unbiased outcomes.

Quantitative risk assessments (QRAs) is another area of risk management where we work closely with our customers.

We are currently about halfway into a project with a key customer where the end product will be a fully digital QRA. This will be groundbreaking as it will allow operators and owners to have a real-time understanding of the total risk of their operation.

What is in store for the next six to 18 months of your leadership?

We recently held a senior leadership team meeting to discuss just this. Our focus remains on strengthening the connectivity across our business and translating that into delivering greater value for our customers.

We are expanding our global teams and are especially looking to recruit talent within risk management in Norway, senior power systems specialists in Australia, Europe and India and nuclear consultants in Sweden, Europe and the US.

We’re in a fortunate position where we not only want people to join us for the breadth of projects that they will be exposed to but also for the opportunity to work with some of our senior team members who are respected by their peers for both their practical experience and their academic achievements. It is this combination that enables us to make things happen for our customers even on the most complex of projects.

Looking ahead into 2025 is there a piece of advice or an insight that you would share with our readers?

That’s a big question, so I’ll try to narrow it down – bearing in mind that the world is changing fast and there is significant geopolitical uncertainty.

There are a few things that stand out. As the world continues the energy transition, there will be shortages of raw materials and manpower. Everybody speaks about technology – especially AI. If you look at those challenges having strong domain expertise is going to be key to unlocking the benefits of technology, including AI.

Most of our consultants have strong backgrounds in process systems, electrical engineering, chemistry etc, these areas remain key to solving the world’s energy challenges. I believe we need to think about technology as a tool we use and not necessarily the solution to each problem in and of itself. A hammer has no value without someone to apply it in the right way.

Going back to connectivity, we also see the complexity of owners/ operators working in multiple energy streams (eg both oil and gas and renewables) experience and the need for multi-skilled support becoming ever more evident. This is not just true for the project phases, but for the lifecycles, these assets go through, potentially with the change of ownership as they progress. Navigating this complexity will be key for the owners if they are to get strong returns on their investments.

Vysus Group is a leading engineering and technical consultancy offering specialist asset performance, risk management and project management expertise across complex industrial assets, energy assets (oil and gas, nuclear, renewables) and the energy transition.

New EIC members

NEW PRIMARY MEMBER

AlSuwaiket & AlBusaiyes

Lawyers and Legal Consultants

2882, Al Salah Tower, Unit 806 PO Box 4732

Al Khobar 31952 KSA

Contact

Dr Bader AlBusaiyes, Founder and Managing Partner

Telephone +966 13 8877512

Email dr.bader@sbsaudilawyers.com

Web www.sbsaudilawyers.com

AlSuwaiket and AlBusaiyes

Lawyers and Legal Consultants is a professional firm practicing in the legal consultancy sector of Saudi Arabia. Since 2006, the firm has amassed a wealth of experience and rose to prominence as one of the leading legal services providers in Saudi Arabia. The firm has broad knowledge of the prevailing laws and regulations in the Kingdom.

The company provides high quality legal services to topnotch corporate companies, SMEs and individuals. Its clients include multinational companies from different industries like oil and gas, energy, banking and finance, maritime, construction, insurance, hospitality, real estate, retail, commercial, industrial, pharmaceutical and IT.

The company’s values are defined as professionalism and transparency which set it apart from competitors. With the objective of broadening its network, expertise and hassle-free handling of clients’ cross-border needs, AlSuwaiket and AlBusaiyes

Lawyers and Legal Consultants maintains constant contacts with similar expert firms and actively participates in international legal seminars and conferences.

NEW GLOBAL MEMBER CR3 Pte Ltd

9 Raffles Place

#26-01 Republic Plaza Singapore 048619

Contact Olivia Goay, Group Registration and Data Analyst

Telephone +65 6268 0255

Email

olivia.goay@cr3.group

Web

https://cr3.group/

Established in 1991, CR3 provides energy engineering solutions to customers through its permanent facilities in Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, India and the Middle East. Currently, the company employs a regular workforce of over 6,000 staff.

CR3 has strong onshore and offshore capabilities, a proven track record of successful project delivery and continual investment in new technology to improve safety and generate more value for customers.

CR3 prides itself on delivering safer, faster and more efficient results. With each operational success, the experience and knowledge gained is channelled into the next generation of solutions.

NEW PRIMARY MEMBER

Daly Middle East LLC

Plot No 598-353

Warehouse #3, Haya 2 Dubai Investment Park-1

Dubai

Contact

Hakim Kagalwala, Marketing Manager

Telephone +971 4 887 2049

Email hakim@daly-me.com

Web

https://daly-me.com/

Daly Middle East LLC offers a comprehensive range of products and services specifically designed to support the smooth operation and safety of rigs, including:

• Explosion proof lighting and industrial lighting (hazardous area solutions).

• Fluid systems and solutions (high-pressure applications).

• Instrumentation (monitoring and control equipment).

• Ultraviolet/ozone disinfection (water treatment systems).

• Safety and security products (ensuring crew and rig well-being).

TUESDAY 3 JUNE WEDNESDAY 4 JUNE

NEW PRIMARY MEMBER

Khimji Ramdas Shipping

PO Box 19

Postal Code 100 Muscat Oman

Contact

Chacko Jose, Business Development Manager

Telephone +969 2 477 5330

Direct dial +968 9 320 6140

Web https://shipping.khimji.com/

Khimji Ramdas Shipping is the vessel agency and logistics division of the Khimji Ramdas Group. Its skilled and experienced team specialises in mobilising cargo from any point worldwide to Oman or the UAE.

As an industry leader, the company proudly maintains the highest number of trained Omani nationals who expertly manage vessel and cargo operations across all Omani ports. With a growing presence in the UAE and soon in Saudi Arabia, Khimji Ramdas Shipping is positioned to deliver seamless logistics services across the region.

Khimji Ramdas Shipping’s deep industry experience and familiarity with all commercial and legal formalities make it a trusted partner for comprehensive shipping and logistics solutions.

Services include: vessel agency, ship chandelling, customs clearance, cargo haulage, chartering (air/sea), relocations and freight management.

Why choose Khimji Ramdas Shipping? Trust. Expertise. Professionalism. Personalised Service. Quality. With extensive experience and a strong market presence, Khimji Ramdas Shipping is an industry leader ready to meet any logistics challenge. Your onestop solution for all logistics needs.

NEW PRIMARY MEMBER

Mustafa Sultan Enterprises LLC

PO Box 3340

Postal Code 112

Ruwi

Oman

Contact

Abdulredha Mustafa A Sultan, Managing Director

Telephone +968 2 463 6006

Email

redha-office@mustafasultan.com

Web www.mustafasultan.com

Committed to perfection, Mustafa Sultan Enterprises has emerged as a premier group in the Sultanate of Oman. It has a glorious entrepreneurial history spurred by the dreams and ambitions of its founder chairman, the late Mr Mustafa A Sultan.

Drawing its lineage from the Mustafa & Jawad Trading Co LLC, which was envisioned in 1972, Mustafa Sultan Enterprises group is recognised as one of the premier business houses in the Sultanate of Oman today.

With a turnover of more than US$200m and employee strength of over 600 employees, the group has interests in businesses across diverse sectors: technology, infrastructure, retail, financial services, hospitality and entertainment and logistics.

The group also has presence across Oman with offices, showrooms, channel partners, service centres, distribution partners and warehouses.

The group is sufficiently invested in information systems including SAP. And finally, well-developed HR practices with emphasis on learning and development.

NEW PRIMARY

MEMBER

See Kwong Electric (KL) Sdn Bhd

14 & 16, Jalan TPP 5/2 Taman Perindustrain 47100 Puchong, Selangor

Malaysia

Contact

Mah Chee Weng , Sales Engineer

Telephone +603 8062 1111

Email weng@seekwong.com.my

Web www.seekwong.com.my

Since 1982, See Kwong Electric (KL) Sdn Bhd has been a manufacturer’s representative, importer, distributor and stockist of electrical safety and explosion-proof products.

The company distributes genuine explosion-proof and electrical safety products certified by international bodies such as ATEX, IECEx, IEC, CSA, etc.

The product range includes industrial fuses (LV, MV and HV), explosionproof and industrial cable glands and accessories, explosion-proof and industrial plugs and sockets, explosion-proof light fittings and IEC61914 specialised cable cleats and hangers. The company’s brands include Hawke, Hubbell Killark, Eaton Bussmann, Eaton Raxton and Redapt, Eaton Crouse-Hinds, Scame, Ellis Patents and others.

See Kwong Electric (KL) strives to deliver its customers genuine quality safety-plus products always. As it keeps stock of most of its products, express delivery or same day collection is possible for any customers’ urgent needs.

Securing a robust data foundation for Vår

Energi’s Balder X project. with asset55 Validate

Overview

In 2022, our data validation software, Validate, was implemented on the Vår Energi operated Jotun FPSO Balder X project in the North Sea. Balder X project is one of the largest projects on the Norwegian Continental Shelf (NCS), and key to future growth and production for the region. Our Validate software was deployed to ensure data integrity throughout the project lifecycle for existing, refurbished and new asset equipment.

Notable Outcomes

After a complex configuration and set up phase combining brownfield, greenfield and refurbished tags into one environment, our Validate software has provided data integrity assurance through consistent validation checks and a strategic approach to findings.

Working within an integrated task force consisting of Vår Energi, Rosenberg, and asset55 resources, we collaborated cross functionally with leaders, departments and disciplines to achieve our collective goals.

In the last 18 x months, Validate has supported various initiatives across the project organisation.

Project Schedule

Our Validate software was implemented in August of 2022 and will support the FPSO Balder X project through engineering and field execution until all required tag metadata for operations is secured.

Key Objectives

• Establish an integrated data system.

• Define data specification as per project requirements & specifications.

• Configure Validate for both Greenfield & Brownfield requirements.

• Provide real time data quality insights across all tags responsible.

• Metadata priority driven by scheduled sub-system requirements.

• Project resources securing metadata against a meaningful schedule.

• Establish a trusted data foundation for controlled project execution.

• Secure quality and efficient delivery of life cycle information

We leveraged our task force skills to find solutions to both common and unique challenges by working together in an integrated data system. Validate has proven that it is the right tool to manage big data!

Securing a robust data foundation for Vår Energi’s Balder X project.

Validate

Case study

Data Configuration

800 unique tag types

8,200 unique tag attributes

asset55 Value Creation

Data Analysis

2.5 million attribute combinations

15 million validation checks daily

A primary cause of poor data quality is a lack of integrated systems. A reliance on resource heavy manual processes has a direct impact on cost and project schedule.

Validate has improved project performance by providing a true integrated data system for the Balder X project. Compliance, consistency, and confidence in metadata maturity ensures data integrity throughout the project lifecycle.

Validate provides holistic and detailed insights to visualise data inconsistencies and provide a robust data strategy to support optimal organisational performance.

A primary outcome at the end of a Validate assignment is, ensuring that an operating asset can realise digital initiatives with reduced cost and increased efficiency with high quality asset metadata.

Member news

Amarinth delivers vertical in-line centrifugal pumps to the Hertfordshire Oil Storage Terminal

Amarinth, a world-leading, net zero designer and manufacturer of low lifecycle cost centrifugal pumps and associated equipment, primarily for the offshore and onshore oil and gas industries; nuclear and renewable energy generation; defence; desalination; process and industrial markets, has delivered four ISO 5199 vertical in-line centrifugal pumps to a primary fuel terminal, the Hertfordshire Oil Storage Terminal in the UK.

The Hertfordshire Oil Storage Terminal (also known as the Buncefield oil depot) is located on the edge of Hemel Hempstead to the north of London and operates bulk storage and supply of fuel. Amarinth was approached, as an approved supplier, for two ISO 5199 vertical in-line centrifugal pumps for loading duties at the depot. The pumps were specified to operate safely in an explosive atmosphere, certified for ATEX Zone 1. The order also called for the pumps to be designed so that variable speed drives could be added later as their operational use was planned to change.

Eight weeks after the initial order however, Amarinth was again approached by the client for a further two of the same vertical in-line centrifugal pumps but on the same delivery schedule as the original order.

Amarinth was able to replan the project, drawing on its renowned agility to meet the original deadline for all four of the pumps. Leveraging its close relationship with the foundry in the UK, the castings for the four pumps were completed together, rather than in pairs, ensuring assembly and testing could be completed on schedule, achieving the original delivery dates requested. The pumps were commissioned by Amarinth’s site services team in 2023 at the Hertfordshire Oil Storage Terminal.

We have supplied centrifugal pumps for this super-major client for numerous projects over many years, often on short lead times, and are pleased that we could once again fulfil this latest order on time, despite the additional pumps required.

Oliver Brigginshaw, Managing Director, Amarinth

Amarinth is a carbon net zero organisation delivering world-leading expertise in the design, application and manufacture of centrifugal pumps and associated equipment for critical applications in many of the most arduous and hostile environments.

The company’s innovative approach, business agility and use of sophisticated computer applications enables it to deliver robust, reliable and sustainable pumping solutions on the shortest lead times in the industry.

Arup joins the Aramis project to deliver flagship CCS system

Global engineering and sustainable development firm, Arup, has undertaken front-end-engineering design (FEED) for technical tunnelling work on the Aramis project.

Petrofac, a leading energy services company, is taking overall responsibility for the FEED for the 32” CO2 trunkline, including onshore, landfall and offshore sections, together with the offshore CO2 distribution hub platform.

The Aramis project offers an essential new route to decarbonisation for hardto-abate industries across Europe. The new carbon capture and storage hub will provide the infrastructure needed to transport captured industrial carbon emissions for safe and permanent storage in depleted gas fields in the Dutch North Sea.

The Aramis project is part of an emerging global infrastructure system for capture and storage of CO2, with significant growth in CCS now taking place across mainland Europe as a result of new EU regulations on industrial emissions.

Arup’s work on the Aramis project provided in-depth design definition to enable the tendering of an engineering, procurement and construction contract to deliver the project’s pipeline landfall tunnel and had to overcome several construction and ground condition challenges, including how to retrieve the tunnel boring machine once construction of the tunnel is complete.

The project represents the Netherlands’ flagship carbon transport and storage (CCS) system and marks its commitment to achieving the European Union’s decarbonisation targets announced in the European Green Deal and the Dutch Climate Agreement.

Avantis partners with AMS to bolster Hong Kong maritime market presence

Avantis Group, a global leader in turn-key engineering solutions and regulatory compliance, has announced a strategic partnership with AMS Docking Repairs (HK) Ltd, a fully owned and subsidiary of AMS International Group. This collaboration aims to strengthen Avantis Group’s presence in the Hong Kong maritime market, with a focus on green technology retrofits, alternative fuel conversions and comprehensive marine maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) services.

Hong Kong is a vital global maritime hub, renowned for its strategic location, robust infrastructure and comprehensive maritime services. AMS, known for its excellence in drydocking repairs, conversion, harbour and voyage repairs and marine services, will now extend Avantis’ solutions to its clients in Hong Kong.

The deal with ICA is the latest in Avantis Group’s growth journey. In July 2024 the company announced a strategic partnership with Industrial Coatings and Access (ICA) Australia. In June 2024 the company announced a strategic co-operation with TJ Giavridis Marine Services, an organisation renowned for its comprehensive services for the shipping sector. This partnership is already providing enhanced support and services to Greek shipowners, strengthening their capabilities in repair, retrofits and upgrades worldwide.

In May 2024 Avantis announced a strategic collaboration with Zamakona Yards aimed at enhancing yard stay solutions for the marine and drilling contracting industry. This partnership is redefining service offerings by combining Avantis’ engineering prowess with Zamakona’s stateof-the-art facilities, catering to the evolving needs of global clients.

Belzona: polymeric protection extends lifespan of wind turbine blades

Given the important role wind power plays in the transition to net zero, it is absolutely critical that wind farms are maintained to an excellent standard. Otherwise, damaged wind power assets may needlessly be decommissioned and replaced; the process of which comes with a hefty carbon footprint as well as considerable financial expenditure.

As such, asset owners are investing in a simple yet extremely beneficial (both from a cost and environmental perspective) solution to extend the lifespan of wind turbines. This solution involves the use of polymeric repair composites and high-performance protective coatings to repair and protect key assets in the wind industry. This includes turbine blades, nacelles and generating components, turbine bases, towers and transformers, amongst other assets.

The use of this technology is based on a circular economic business model: repairing damaged assets rather than replacing them. In turn, not only does this mitigate the carbon footprint incurred during the replacement process, but it is also enables the asset owner to make significant financial savings as well.

At an onshore wind farm in Denmark, 42 wind turbine blades were exhibiting signs of severe erosion on the leading edges. Previously, the customer had used pre-formed shells that were bonded onto the substrate to provide leading edge protection. However, this process proved to be extremely timeconsuming and expensive.

Therefore, the customer was seeking an alternative solution which would be financially viable and also ensure optimal operation for many years to come.

Based on test results, the ease of application as well as the high-quality finish that can be achieved, the customer decided to repair and protect the leading edges with a combination of Belzona 5711 and Belzona 5721.

The thixotropic paste, Belzona 5711, which is now supplied in a larger unit and more robust side-by-side cartridge, is specially designed to be applied in conjunction with the Belzona 5721 protective coating. This solvent-free LEP system is formulated for the in-situ repair and rebuilding of leading edge erosion and impact damage on wind turbine blades.

As the polymeric systems were applied in situ without the need for specialist tools or equipment, this ensured that a fast and seamless application was carried out. This enabled the customer to make considerable financial savings as it mitigated the profit loss that can be incurred through lengthy periods of downtime.

The scaling up of the wind power industry is absolutely critical in order to support the transition to renewable energy, in keeping with the net zero by 2050 pathway. By safeguarding key assets within this industry through the use of polymeric technology, asset owners can successfully bypass the environmental and financial costs associated with asset replacement. Therefore, it could be argued that polymeric technology plays an intrinsic role in supporting this energy transition.

Belzona 5711 is now available in a new, more robust cartridge

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bp and Iberdrola announce FID for green hydrogen plant in Spain

bp and Iberdrola have given the green light for construction of a 25MW green hydrogen project at bp’s Castellón refinery which is expected to be operational in the second half of 2026. This is the first hydrogen project jointly undertaken by bp and Iberdrola through Castellón Green Hydrogen SL, a joint venture equally owned by both companies.

This initiative, which includes the participation of the Technology Institute of Energy (ITE), has been awarded funding of €15m from the Innovative Value Chain and Renewable Hydrogen Knowledge call of the Spanish Recovery, Transformation, and Resilience Plan, with funding allocated by NextGenerationEU of the European Union.

The 25MW electrolyser will be powered by renewable electricity through a power purchase agreement (PPA) signed with Iberdrola that will supply 200GWh/year coming from Iberdrola’s photovoltaic and wind projects. The electrolyser will include 5 modules of 5MW containerised proton exchange membrane (PEM) technology, which will be supplied by Plug Power, a leading manufacturer of green hydrogen solutions.

The green hydrogen produced by the electrolysis of water powered by renewable electricity will comply with European requirements to produce green hydrogen (renewable fuels of non-biological origin, RFNBO) and will support the transition of bp’s Castellón refinery into an integrated energy hub. It’s expected around 2,800 annual tons of green hydrogen could substitute part of the grey hydrogen currently used by the refinery – currently produced from natural gas – and as such is expected to result in avoiding the emission of 23,000 tons of CO2 per year, equivalent to the emissions of 5,000 cars over the same period. This plant could create up to 500 new direct jobs during its construction.

In parallel to this initial 25MW project, bp continues to assess opportunities to increase capacity in the coming years. In subsequent phases of the project, the green hydrogen produced could also be used in key hard-to-abate industries in the Valencia region, such as the ceramics sector replacing natural gas used in its processes, in chemical industries and in heavy transport.

The launch of this project has been announced just weeks after bp signed a letter of intent with the Valencian government to reinforce the region’s position as a leader in the energy transition.

The letter has materialised in the creation of a joint working committee that will serve as a platform for dialogue and collaboration between both parties and will oversee the transformation of bp’s refinery in Castellón into an integrated energy hub.

In recent months, Iberdrola has closed several long-term alliances to promote the decarbonisation of the economy. Further to the joint venture with bp to accelerate the electric mobility in Spain and Portugal, Iberdrola has entered into a number of long-term partnerships with Norges Bank Investment Management, Masdar, Mapfre and Energy Infrastructure Partners to further advance the development of renewable energy, and with GIC to expand transmission networks in Brazil.

bp’s first investment decision for an industrial scale project is an important step forward for our hydrogen business. We are focused on value, progressing only the best projects in our portfolio that can create additional value through integration and fully meet our investment hurdles.

Felipe Arbelaez, Senior Vice President, Hydrogen & CCS, bp

As part of its low carbon hydrogen plans, bp is currently developing a 100MW green hydrogen project in Germany, located next to bp’s Lingen refinery, which has received funding under the European IPCEI. And bp Aberdeen Hydrogen Energy Limited, a joint venture between bp and Aberdeen City Council, has already announced that is has taken the final investment decision for the Aberdeen Hydrogen Hub, a scalable green hydrogen production, storage and distribution facility powered by renewable energy.

Photo © 2024

Iberdrola SA

Costain to support study into green energy alternatives for its customers

Costain, the infrastructure solutions company, has been selected by Wales & West Utilities (WWU) to support its industrial and commercial (I&C) gas users to switch to low carbon solutions like hydrogen.

Costain will lead a study examining how WWU’s I&C customers – many of whom are connected to the natural gas network – could transition to a lower carbon network through a hydrogen blend or conversion.

Many I&C customers are considered hard-to-decarbonise due to the high temperatures and energy demands needed to carry out their operations, which cannot be met through electrification alone.

Research into the role of hydrogen, and the potential for blending solutions in the gas network, is a key part of providing the evidence to drive forward the UK’s net zero ambitions and reaching national targets of generating 10GW of hydrogen production capacity by 2030.

Qualitative and quantitative data will be collected to establish the market’s current level of understanding around hydrogen refuelling plans and users’ preferred means of decarbonisation, such as through the deployment of carbon capture, usage and storage solutions or utilising a hydrogen network.

The research will also geographically map users and help WWU understand which customers will need additional support to ensure that the transition to hydrogen blending does not impact their operations.

Costain is providing a range of support to WWU’s decarbonisation activity, including conducting a separate study exploring how hydrogen refuelling stations can be integrated into the UK’s existing gas network.

DNV launches new service to respond to climate change-driven hail risk for solar pv

DNV has launched a new service to provide solar photovoltaic developers actionable, verified assessments of large hail risk across North America. DNV has partnered with Jupiter Intelligence, the trusted leader in climate risk analytics, to leverage its gold standard climate science for a first of its kind, robust statistical approach to evaluating hail risk due to climate change, both today and in the future. Extreme hail events have caused hundreds of millions of dollars of damage at solar PV projects in North America, even in areas historically less prone to hailstorms. It is estimated that in Texas alone there has been more than US$600m of damage due to hail in the past two to three years. The increase in resulting damage, as well as new uncertainty about hail-prone areas, has precipitated changes to insurance policies and threatens the financial viability of solar projects in these regions.

A leading scientific viewpoint expects hailstorm severity will increase with further climate change. Relying on historical data no longer provides an accurate assessment of hail risk, especially when it comes to the size of the hail and the location.

Understanding hailstorm risk will enable the solar industry to take its place as a major source of energy in the future.

Recent research on hail patterns indicates that over the last several decades severe hail events are shifting northward in the central and eastern US, areas with a high density of installed solar PV. DNV will help the solar industry understand actual hail risk now and over the course of project lifetimes, up to 30 years into the future. It will provide the probability of a hail event for a specific location within the contiguous US as well as the probability of the size of the hail itself, enabling project owners and developers to better anticipate and mitigate risks to their projects.

DNV’s new service will empower solar developers to make informed decisions that protect their investments and ensure long-term viability.

Photo Copyright © DNV AS 2024

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Hydrogen refuelling station

Richard S Barnes, Region President, DNV

Ellis celebrates with spotlight on rising star design engineer Adam Sweeting

Ellis Patents is highlighting the remarkable journey of design engineer Adam Sweeting. From a childhood fascination with video games to becoming a key member of the engineering team, Adam’s story reflects passion, perseverance and the entrepreneurial spirit that drives the future of British manufacturing.

Adam’s love for engineering began at just 13 when he saved up £500 from his paper route to buy a 3D printer and start building things –an ambitious step that would later shape his career. Today, as a qualified design engineer at Ellis Patents, Adam plays an integral role in designing innovative solutions that impact cable management throughout the energy sector, worldwide.

Starting as an apprentice mechanical engineer in 2020, Adam quickly made his mark with his creativity, passion for CAD design and problem-solving mindset. Now a fully fledged member of Ellis’ engineering team, Adam contributes to a variety of projects, from designing robotic parts for the factory to exploring new product innovations.

Adam’s story is a powerful reminder that the future of manufacturing lies in encouraging and developing young talent, like him, who bring fresh perspectives and innovative ideas to the table.

i For more information: www.ellispatents.co.uk

EthosEnergy awarded exclusive MSA by EDF

EthosEnergy, which specialises in services and solutions for rotating equipment in the energy and industrial sectors, has been awarded an exclusive three-year master service agreement (MSA) by major electricity provider, EDF, for the maintenance of 20 heavy duty gas turbines (HDGTs) across France and its overseas territories.

The MSA, which includes an option to extend for a further three years, will see the company repair capital parts, supply spare parts and provide turnkey onsite services to EDF’s fleet of gas turbines, to unlock value through increased efficiencies.

EthosEnergy’s local team in the region will service this MSA, which will enable enhanced communication and close collaboration between the two companies.

EDF is a world leader in lowcarbon electricity generation, with a consolidated group capacity of 117.3GW.

For more information: www.ethosenergygroup.com

Fulkrum opens new regional support centre in Abu Dhabi following growth

Fulkrum, a leader in inspection, expediting, auditing and technical staffing services, has announced the opening of its new regional support centre in Abu Dhabi. This expansion comes in response to several recent project awards and the resulting growth of the team in the Middle East region. The new office will support Fulkrum’s ongoing regional growth strategy and allow for further expansion over the next five years.

The decision to relocate to a larger office space follows a series of significant project wins, including major contracts in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Iraq and the UAE. As a result of these successes, the team in Abu Dhabi has grown to 19 members, with an additional four staff members who joined in October.

The new Abu Dhabi office will continue to drive Fulkrum’s strategic objectives in the Middle East, where significant achievements have already been made in 2024, including the establishment of an office in Iraq and a major project award from a leading operator in the country.

EthosEnergy personnel inspecting a gas turbine

This growing client base and strong pipeline of new work underscore the importance of Abu Dhabi as a critical hub for Fulkrum’s regional operations. With this new office, Fulkrum is wellpositioned to continue its rapid growth trajectory, enhance its local footprint and strengthen its relationships with clients throughout the Middle East.

Our growth in the Middle East has been tremendous, with a projected 50% increase this year following a 27% rise in 2023. The opening of our new regional support centre in Abu Dhabi reflects our commitment to supporting this momentum.

Muhammad Tayyab, Regional Manager, Fulkrum

Fulkrum provides comprehensive expertise in the provision of inspection, expediting, auditing and technical staffing services across the upstream, midstream and downstream oil and gas and new energy markets.

Established in 2011, Fulkrum operates in five key regions – the Americas, Europe, Africa, Asia Pacific, the Middle East and has a proven track record working with some of the world’s leading operators, EPC contractors and service providers.

GHD joins forces to accelerate ESG and net zero goals

In a significant step towards advancing environmental sustainability, GHD has formed a working relationship with The Decarbonisation Network (TDN). This collaborative approach aims to provide organisations with a comprehensive, streamlined approach to meeting their environmental, social and governance (ESG) and net zero goals.

GHD boasts an extensive global presence in 135 countries, a substantial revenue of US$1.6bn (£1.21bn) and a workforce of more than 11,000 professionals. By aligning with TDN’s specialised asset-management capabilities and a network of sector-specific associates, clients will receive customised solutions tailored to their unique decarbonisation requirements.

The network also emphasises the importance of emerging technologies and funding models, offering platforms for innovators like Re-Power Energy, Airgon and Ortus Energy to showcase their advancements in upcoming TDN webinars.

TDN and GHD work closely with TDN network organisations such as Galliford Try, Ortus, Gateley and clients to develop bespoke roadmaps that set achievable targets and ensure effective implementation.

These roadmaps cater to a range of needs, from achieving certification and enhancing ESG performance to improving investor relations and meeting ambitious net zero targets. The network is focused on delivering costeffective programmes through advanced modelling, suitable technologies and innovative funding mechanisms.

We are proud to support The Decarbonisation Network and welcome the pioneering individuals and their organisations that are dedicated to more sustainable operations and impactful change.

Ian Lloyd, Technical Director, GHD and Co-Founder of TDN

This flexible network structure allows for both short-term engagements and long-term collaborations, where both mandatory and voluntary targets are developed, managed and achieved. GHD is a professional services company operating in the global markets of water, energy and resources, environment, property and buildings and transportation. GHD delivers advisory, digital, engineering, architecture, environmental and construction solutions to public and private sector clients. i

The Fulkrum Middle East team in the new office

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© 2011-2024

HARTING reducing downtime in wind turbines

Installers and operators of wind turbines are under significant pressure to save time and money. A wind turbine that is out of operation produces no electricity and achieves no grid feed-in compensation.

Wind turbines are increasingly being designed with modular components and connectors, rather than hard wiring. This helps to increase construction flexibility and reduce maintenance downtime.

For example, drives for the rotor blade adjustment and wind tracking, as well as components such as slip ring assemblies and generator brakes can be easily connected and installed using connectors.

To optimise efficiency, wind turbines use a gearbox to match the speed and torque between the rotor and the generator. By using pre-assembled cables and connectors such as HanEco® and Han® HPR, the gear units can be connected quickly and safely.

Finally, power bus components for tower lighting can be pre-installed in the tower segments. The individual units are then assembled into a complete system once they reach the construction site.

If you’d like to learn more about modular connectors and how they can increase the efficiency of wind turbines and reduce CAPEX and OPEX, download the free Connectivity in Wind Turbines whitepaper www.harting. com/en-GB/wind-energy/increasedavailability-for-wind-turbines

Kent expands strategic presence in Houston, signalling commitment to the US market

Kent, a global leader in engineering, project management and energy services, is strengthening its presence in Houston, Texas, with significant strategic investments aimed at expanding its operations and capabilities in the region. Building on its 66-year legacy in the Americas, the company is doubling down on its commitment to the US market as a central hub for its global operations.

In the first half of 2024 alone, Kent secured US$1.2bn in new contract awards, a testament to the company’s robust capabilities and trusted reputation in delivering complex energy projects. The new investments in Houston are designed to further enhance Kent’s ability to serve its clients across North America, particularly in the areas of engineering, project delivery and digital transformation.

Recently appointed Scott Tanley, Vice President of Operations USA, will spearhead this expansion. With over three decades of industry experience, Tanley brings a deep understanding of the US energy landscape and a commitment to driving operational excellence across all of Kent’s projects in the region.

Kent’s Houston headquarters will continue to serve as the epicentre for the company’s operations in North America, providing consulting, engineering, project management and commissioning and start-up services across the energy sector, including oil and gas, offshore wind, hydrogen, carbon capture, utilisation, and storage (CCUS) and chemicals. The company’s end-to-end service offerings, combined with its agile and client-focused approach, position Kent as a key player in the energy transition and a leader in delivering sustainable energy solutions.

With over 100 years of frontline experience and a presence in 24 countries, Kent is uniquely positioned to lead the market in innovation and sustainability. The company’s track record includes involvement in some of the world’s most ambitious lowcarbon projects, such as the world’s largest integrated CO2 capture system at Boundary Dam in Canada and Project Greensand in the North Sea.

As Kent continues to grow its US footprint, it remains committed to investing in the people, technology and resources needed to meet the evolving needs of its clients. With a strong foundation in Houston and a global network to draw upon, Kent is poised to play a pivotal role in shaping the future of energy.

i For more information: https://kentplc.com/

Kent’s Houston office

Mott MacDonald to support landmark pumped hydro project in Australia

Mott MacDonald, in partnership with GHD and Stantec under the Water2Wire joint venture (JV), has been selected by Queensland Hydro as the dams designer delivery partner for the Borumba Pumped Hydro Project.

The Water2Wire JV was formed to accelerate the development of pumped hydro across Queensland and brings together significant Australian and international design capability, and has already delivered the 5GW Pioneer Burdekin FEED Design.

Pumped hydro plays a pivotal role in the energy transition and helps foster a more sustainable, reliable and resilient energy system. This landmark project will play a major role in supporting Queensland’s commitment to transitioning to 80% renewable energy by 2035.

Adrian Jones, Regional Managing Director, Mott MacDonald

As dams designer delivery partner, the Water2Wire JV will be responsible for leading the engineering and design for the project’s seven proposed dams: six new dams to form a new upper reservoir and one new dam wall and spillway immediately downstream from the existing Borumba Dam. The dam wall will see Lake Borumba increase its capacity providing security to the proposed energy storage scheme.

Mott MacDonald has worked on a number of key pumped hydro storage projects in Australia including Kidston, Pioneer-Burdekin and Muswellbrook.

Mott MacDonald is an employeeowned engineering, development and management consultancy, with nearly 20,000 people in 50 countries. It plans, designs, delivers and maintains the transportation, energy, water, buildings and wider infrastructure that is integral to people’s daily lives.

Mott MacDonald’s core strength is overcoming complex challenges through its unmatched technical expertise and digital innovation, always focused on delivering transformative outcomes for clients and the communities it serves.

NRL celebrates 1,000 Trustpilot reviews by planting 1,000 trees

NRL, a leading technical and engineering recruitment specialist, has announced reaching an outstanding milestone – 1,000 reviews on Trustpilot. Demonstrating consistent excellence, the company has secured an excellent TrustScore of 4.8 out of 5, reflecting the high level of satisfaction among the candidates NRL’s regional and international recruitment teams’ support.

Analysing the 1,000 reviews NRL’s recruitment business has received since launching their Trustpilot profile, 87% of feedback posted rated the service provided as 5 stars, with an overwhelming 96% posting either 4 or 5 star reviews. NRL’s dedication to providing exemplary recruitment services to candidates has been instrumental in earning such rewarding recognition.

In celebration of this achievement, NRL has chosen to plant 1,000 trees, part of its ongoing commitment to tackling climate change, underscoring its status as a carbon-neutral certified business. Engaging in carbon credit projects annually, NRL invests in global efforts that combat climate issues to offset any carbon emissions that cannot be eliminated. The 1,000 trees purchased to celebrate the Trustpilot milestone will contribute to the Mangroves Maroalika regeneration project in Madagascar. An ambitious undertaking focused on reforesting areas with mangrove trees, the project aims to help local communities restore much needed forestation while alleviating poverty.

The trees provide crucial storm surge protection as well as an important habitat for wildlife. With over 90% of forestation in Madagascar having been lost, reforestation projects are essential to help communities prosper.

Powering organisations by empowering people. At NRL Group, its experts make a positive impact in our societies by supporting some of the most innovative global companies, the people who power them and the major infrastructure projects they deliver.

It’s incredibly rewarding to consistently see such positive feedback on Trustpilot. These reviews serve as a testament to the personal approach our recruiters take when assisting candidates to find the right roles. It’s a reflection of our company ethos of transparency and integrity and it’s vital for us to capture feedback in a public forum where our commitment to these values is visible to all.

A huge thank you to everyone in our recruitment branches.

David Redmayne, CEO, NRL

From humble beginnings in 1983 providing NDT services at the Sellafield nuclear site, today’s diverse international Group provides a range of resourcing, outsourcing, nondestructive testing, rail contracting and consultancy services.

NRL’s expert recruitment teams have partnered with leading engineering companies since 1985. For the company, it’s about more than just filling job vacancies. NRL helps its clients to meet their future growth plans and deliver their projects with 100% compliance, knowing that this approach provides a wealth of opportunity for its candidates.

Peterson Energy Logistics to provide integrated logistics services to Perenco

Peterson Energy Logistics will support Perenco’s operations in the Southern North Sea (SNS) from the Port of Lowestoft.

Peterson has secured a contract to provide cargo operations, warehousing and road transport for a period of at least three years from its supply base at Town Quay following a successful trial in 2023. Up to 20 quayside and warehousing personnel will service the contract on a 24/7 basis.

Peterson has more than 850 personnel in the UK and Netherlands, with more than 30 in the East Anglia area. The company has a strong commitment and record in relation to safety and operational excellence and was one of the first energy logistics companies to secure carbon neutral PAS2060 status in 2022.

Peterson has been active at Associated British Port’s (ABP) Port of Lowestoft for more than five years and recently reached the milestone of conducting cargo operations on 1,000 vessels. The company’s supply base at Town Quay is well-equipped to support projects from across the energy spectrum including oil and gas, offshore wind and nuclear industries.

The recently opened Lowestoft Eastern Energy Facility (LEEF) allows ABP and Peterson to service larger platform supply vessels and walk-to-work vessels offering additional flexibility to Perenco and other operators in the SNS.

Peterson will provide an integrated end-to-end logistics service using its control tower methodology as a hub for the planning and co-ordination of critical resources. Its Lighthouse technology, which digitalises the process, will provide full visibility and control through realtime data for digital assurance at each stage of the cargo demand process.

Roxtec launches digital platform to help shipyards comply with IACS sealing safety

rules

Roxtec, a manufacturer of penetration sealing systems for the global marine industry, is launching a new software solution to help marine engineers comply with the International Association of Classification Societies (IACS) rules governing watertight cable transits.

Roxtec Marine & Offshore divisional manager Richard Keith said the IACS regulations are ‘kicking in’ now and apply to all ocean-going vessels commissioned after July 2021, with the first generation of ships to fall within the framework now being delivered to their owners.

He said the rules place new obligations on shipyards and ship owners to keep up-to-date records of a vessel’s cable transit sealing systems and are designed to raise standards of maintenance, quality and safety.

Richard reports that many ship owners are not aware of their obligations under the IACS regulations and more needs to be done to raise awareness.

Richard said the manufacturer is launching the Roxtec Software Suite after consultation with ship builders identified the need for an easy digitised platform which maintains up-to-date records of ship sealing systems.

The digital solution provides compliance with the new regulations and offers lifecycle support of the ship’s sealing systems, from build to ongoing management and inspection. Ship builders and owners can log and share detailed data relating to the vessel’s sealing system, including records of as-built condition, manuals, certificates and drawings, as well as descriptions and images of modifications made to individual seals.

We’ve developed this software to give builders and owners a convenient way of maintaining up-to-date records of the system that will satisfy the requirements of a CLASS inspection and improve quality and consistency across the industry.

Richard Keith, Marine & Offshore Divisional Manager, Roxtec

If a change required on board involves a seal, all the information is available on a handheld tablet or PC to make a good update and subsequently evidence it.

Roxtec has been a market-leading supplier of marine sealing products for over 30 years. Its mechanical cable and pipe transits are specified on thousands of ships around the world as a safety system to prevent the movement of fire, water or gas from one area of the vessel to another.

Roxtec’s software solution supports inspection regime and verification checks

Sonardyne:

marine robotics

gather data from the Gulf of Mexico Loop Current System

Important oceanographic data from Atlantic Ocean currents in the US Gulf of Mexico has been gathered fully remotely, thanks to Sonardyne technology and an uncrewed surface vehicle (USV) supplied by SeaTracSystems.

A number of Sonardyne Origin 65 Acoustic Doppler Current Profilers (ADCPs) and Current Pressure Inverted Echo Sounders (CPIES) are positioned on the seabed in the Gulf of Mexico gathering long term data on the Loop Current System (LCS).

Understanding the LCS is important for oceanographers as it has a wide-reaching impact on many areas including the disruption of subsea operations, hurricane intensity and changes to nutrient and food cycles important to marine life. However, sending manned vessels offshore to gather this LCS data incurs risk to crews and high operational costs, as well as generating greenhouse gas emissions.

SeaTrac recently launched its SP-48 USV from the Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium (LUMCON) in Cocodrie, Louisiana and remotely piloted it 580 nautical miles with an HPT 7000L transceiver onboard to acoustically gather the data from the ADCPs and CPIES.

The use of the solar and battery powered USV reduced the environmental impact and cost of sending a crewed vessel for the mission while allowing for 24 hour operations with no manual intervention or personnel onboard.

Three further sets of data will be gathered over the next 18 months using the same uncrewed methods before the project completes.

Social media round up

AEG Power Solutions introduces IGBT industrial UPS system Protect 8 PLUS

We want to use every opportunity to connect with our members, so please follow us on Twitter (@TheEICEnergy) and connect with us on LinkedIn –EIC (Energy Industries Council)

Below you’ll find a selection of some of the exciting EIC activities and useful industry information we’ve shared through our social media channels.

AEG Power Solutions (AEG PS), global provider of power systems and solutions for all types of critical and sustainable applications, has introduced a new range of uninterruptible power supply (UPS) systems, which feature a full IGBT architecture and industrial-grade build quality to provide a safe power backup to protect refining and petrochemical industries, transportation infrastructures, manufacturing and other critical businesses against all power disturbances.

EIC (Energy Industries Council)

Discover the latest trends in Asia’s dynamic energy sector: the region added 20GW of capacity in 2024, led by solar, wind and innovative floating solar farms. See https://lnkd.in/eTBksbGh

Protect 8 PLUS supports a standard three-phase input and is available as single-phase or three-phase output from 10 to 40 kVA, with 216 Vdc or 384 Vdc battery voltage. By the end of the year, it will also support 60 to 120 kVA in both configurations.

EIC (Energy Industries Council)

Read insights and access in-depth analysis of the operational portfolio across all energy sectors in the EIC Insight Report: South America OPEX. Full report here https://lnkd.in/eTBksbGh

Thanks to its IGBT rectifier, the system offers a high input power factor of up to 0,99 and very low harmonic current rejection on the input side (THDi) which makes it a perfect fit in situations where the UPS is supplied by a generator set or to avoid harmonic perturbations of loads connected to the upstream busbar.

EIC (Energy Industries Council)

Bankable Energies 2025: join industry leaders in February and be part of the conversation that will drive the next generation of energy projects forward https://lnkd.in/ev3Gdwj5

This results in substantial savings on the sizing of the upstream network. The bi-directional rectifier also enables several battery capacity tests feeding back into the grid without using the bypass line, requiring additional load banks or affecting the load.

With the Protect 8 PLUS, AEG Power

Events calendar

North America

GCC Energy Market and Project Update GotoWebinar

EIC APAC: Indonesia Country Update GotoWebinar

28 January LIVE e-vents

Africa Market and Project Update Webinar

28 January Overseas Exhibition

Hyvolution 2025

Porte de Versailles, France

30 January Business Presentation Breakfast in Rio with Seatrium Rio de Janeiro 5 February Regional Showcase

ETZ Offshore Wind Masterclass

Marcliffe Hotel and Spa, Aberdeen 6 February Business Presentation

Drilling Opportunities with Transocean

Macaé, Rio de Janeiro

11 February Overseas Exhibition

India Energy Week 2025

New Delhi

Bankable Energies Unlocking

26-27 February 2025

18 March Business Presentation

in Wave & Tidal Energy

UK news

A LOOK BACK AT 2024

I can’t quite believe that we are almost at the end of the year already, I think that confirms just how busy 2024 has been for the UK team. This year has seen our membership and events team join forces, to work together closer than ever before in support of our members. And together we have delivered a number of sessions to help members identify business opportunities and network with key industry contacts. As we continue our planning for 2025, we thought we’d take a look back and shine a light on some of the highlights from this year.

2024 UK IN NUMBERS

20 1879 135 61

events delegates speakers exhibitors

JANUARY

We kick started the year accepting applications for this year’s Survive & Thrive Insight Report, with members registering their interest to take part in the 8th edition. In total 134 businesses took part, 36% more than last year.

FEBRUARY

First up for our events team was our Teesside Cluster event, attracting over 170 guests – a sellout both in terms of attendees and the exhibition. It is clear to see there is great interest in the decarbonisation journey in this region.

MARCH

Our bespoke Event Solutions kicked off in earnest supporting long term partner ETZ and Scottish Enterprise to deliver a mini masterclass series on their behalf, sharing more about opportunities for the Scottish and North East supply chain.

APRIL – MAY

Kim Stephen

Before we knew it we were in full swing with the fourth annual North Sea Decarbonisation Conference, working once again with key partners Agoria, IRO and WFO. This year saw over 230 delegates join us for two days, learning from industry experts and meeting our 20+ exhibitors.

We welcomed new colleagues to the UK team – onboarding Brigitta Bara (Events & Office Co-ordinator), Hannah Wood (Events Partnership Manager, UK) and Daniel Kirmatzis (Membership Manager, London & South-East).

Our membership team was also out and about recognising members who have been in continuous membership for a number of years, ranging from five years to 70 years.

JUNE

A staple in the calendar each June, Energy Exports Conference is delivered by our Global Events & Campaigns department. The UK team is always happy to support being onsite to meet with members, helping logistically and this year chairing some of the contractor briefing sessions too. Our team was also delighted to catch up with members and talk to some new contacts at Global Offshore Wind.

In our commitment to diversity and inclusion, this year we have launched a new Women in Energy series shining a spotlight on females in our industry, and creating a new network of support and platform to share information and best practice. Open to all genders, the series kicked off welcoming new faces and names to the event in Aberdeen with really positive discussions in the room.

JULY

Following the announcement of Labour winning the UK general election, we delivered panel discussions in London and Aberdeen discussing what was next for the energy sector.

AUGUST

Another popular event saw us return to Hull, delivering our Humber Cluster event. The membership team continued to visit our long standing members.

SEPTEMBER

During 2024 our principal partnership with DNV has seen us work together to deliver a series of impactful events on key topics, sharing insights across the year and this month we looked at the five year vision for the North West region.

Our event diary continues to include a series of informative webinars which are available to all members to watch on EICTV. This month we worked with the Low Carbon Contracts Company to share more information on Sustainable Industry Reward (SIR).

We joined the International Trade team at OTC in Norway.

So many members have been with us for so many years – we welcomed a group into our London office to receive our certificates of appreciation with thanks.

OCTOBER

Before we knew it we were in October, recognising winners from the Survive & Thrive report process at our National Dinner in London, each company winning a coveted World Energy Supply Chain Award #WESCAs. 420 guests, 90 judges and 17 winners on the night – celebrating excellence in our sector.

Across the year we have been working hard on engaging members to join our relaunched UK regional committees and across the month we had our first in person meetings across Scotland, the North and the South – the latter managed to evade a group photo!

NOVEMBER

We regularly run sessions to remind members how to use the EIC databases and this month saw a focus on EICAssetMap and EICSupplyMap, sharing more about the OPEX opportunities and supply chain information available to relevant members.

DECEMBER

And while the year isn’t quite over, neither is our events calendar. Still to come you will find us at:

High Hopes for HyNet

Wednesday 4 December 2024

Manchester BOOKING NOW

AGM and Industry Round Up

Wednesday 4 December 2024

Webinar BOOKING NOW

Celtic Sea: Sustainable Horizons

Tuesday 10 December 2024

Cardiff BOOKING NOW

Kim Stephen, Regional Director, UK kim.stephen@the-eic.com

INTERNATIONAL TRADE

EXHIBITIONS AND DELEGATIONS

What a year 2024 has been for the International Trade team with nine UK and EIC pavilions and three trade delegations delivered at major energy events across Europe, North and South America, the Middle East and Asia.

2024 saw record exhibitor numbers at many events including the biggest UK pavilion at ADIPEC delivered to date, with 1,500 sq m of floorspace across three halls. We were also delighted to reintroduce the UK pavilion at ONS in Norway, which celebrated its 50th anniversary this year.

Due to the popularity of the trade delegation to Guyana that took place at the start of the year, we were thrilled to be able to offer companies another opportunity to visit this important hotspot for project activity in the oil and gas market, by ending the year with another sell-out trade delegation to the region.

Hyvolution

Thank you to all companies who exhibited, or travelled with us in 2024, and we look forward to seeing many more of you in 2025.

What’s coming up in 2025?

As we look to the year ahead, we are delighted to once again bring you a jam-packed schedule of events across the oil and gas and renewables sectors, including many shows that are brand new editions to the programme.

To register your interest or to find out what other events we have planned for 2025/2026 please contact internationaltrade@the-eic.com

Camilla Tew, Director, International Trade camilla.tew@the-eic.com

28-30 January Paris, France

Wind Expo Japan 19-21 February Tokyo, Japan

Trade Delegation to Namibia and South Africa 31 March-4 April Namibia and South Africa

Offshore Technology Conference (OTC) 5-8 May Houston, US

Trade Delegation to North-East USA 12-16 May North-East US

World Hydrogen Summit 21-23 May Rotterdam, Netherlands

Trade Delegation to Guyana 23-27 June Guyana

Hydrogen Technology Expo North America 25-26 June Houston, US

Oil & Gas Asia (OGA) 2-4 September Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Offshore Europe 2-5 September Aberdeen, UK

Gastech 9-12 September Milan, Italy

Saudi Maritime and Logistics Congress 1-2 October Dammam, Saudi Arabia

Hydrogen Technology Expo Europe 21-23 October Hamburg, Germany

Kormarine 21-24 October Busan, South Korea

All Energy Australia 22-24 October Perth, Australia

OTC Brasil

28-30 October Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

ADIPEC November Abu Dhabi, UAE

World Nuclear Exhibition (WNE) 4-6 November Paris, France

Trade Delegation to Colombia November Colombia

Middle East news

Regional update

As we approach the end of 2024, it’s hard to believe how quickly the year has flown by. I hope, like me, you can reflect on a year filled with more successes than challenges and that your business has thrived over the past 12 months. Looking ahead, there’s still much to look forward to, signalling the regions forward-thinking approach to future energy needs while maintaining a strong presence in traditional hydrocarbons, which have been echoed by several high-profile announcements.

On behalf of the entire team, we extend our warmest wishes to you and your families for a wonderful holiday season and a healthy, happy and prosperous 2025. We look forward to providing you with our continuous support, and hope to see you at our events in the New Year.

Ryan McPherson

Regional Director, Middle East, Africa, Russia & CIS ryan.mcpherson@the-eic.com

Regional news

Reflecting on the past year, I must extend heartfelt appreciation to the team for its exceptional work in delivering over 40 events, attracting nearly 2,000 attendees. Among the stand out moments was our first in-person EIC Connect KSA, hosted in partnership with the Asharqia Chamber, drawing over 350 participants. Our inaugural EIC Connect Kazakhstan showcased an impressive array of speakers, while the EIC Technology Showcase brought together 18 exhibiting companies, creating valuable industry connections.

Our Regional Awards continues to flourish, with 33 outstanding finalists competing for the prestigious World Energy Supply Chain Awards (WESCAs). The achievements of this year’s winners are truly remarkable, and we look forward to unveiling next year’s Survive & Thrive IX report, where applications will open in January.

Additionally, we marked a significant milestone with the 20th anniversary of the Dubai office – a momentous occasion I was privileged to celebrate. I would like to personally thank each and every one of you for your unwavering support throughout this journey

ADIPEC 2024 once again exceeded expectations, reaffirming its status as the premier event in the energy calendar. The exhibition showcased the vast scope of activity across the entire energy landscape, with the Middle East region playing a central role in several major projects that highlight the region’s growing significance in the global energy sector.

As we approach the end of the year, we still have a few spots available for our Christmas Cracker Golf Day, taking place on 12 December at the Abu Dhabi City Golf Club. Even if you’re not a golfer, we’d love for you to join us afterwards for some relaxed networking as we start winding down for the holiday season.

We will also announce an exciting programme of events to take you into the New Year including our EIC Connect KSA and UAE events.

Tripling investment urged in renewable energy

Dr Sultan Al Jaber, Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology and COP28 president, emphasised the need to triple global investment in renewable energy by 2030 to meet the 11,000GW capacity target and keep global warming within 1.5°C. Speaking at the Global Renewables Summit, he highlighted that although renewable energy has expanded eightfold and costs have dropped by over 80% in the past two decades, the transition is not happening quickly enough. Al Jaber called for increased investment in grid infrastructure, AI and support for developing countries to accelerate the pace of change.

Egypt targets 42% renewable energy in national energy mix

Egypt’s minister of electricity and renewable energy, Mahmoud Esmat, outlined the country’s ambitious goals for renewable energy, aiming for over 42% of its energy mix to come from renewables by 2040. Egypt also plans to capture 5-8% of the global green hydrogen trade. The country is focused on managing natural resources efficiently, reducing carbon emissions and promoting green energy. Egypt has approved AMEA Power to add 2GW of renewable capacity by 2025, including solar and wind projects.

Forthcoming events

Please go to page 30 to see upcoming events around the world

Ryan McPherson

Asia Pacific news

Regional update

As we near the end of a busy and eventful year, I’m incredibly proud of what the EIC APAC team has accomplished. Throughout the year, the team hosted over a dozen events and welcomed a significant number of new companies into the EIC family. I also deeply admire our members for their resilience and strategic navigation through the past couple of years, during which energy security has become a top priority. With activity in the region accelerating, I am already excited for what 2025 has to offer.

Looking ahead, we are already gearing up for two of our major annual events in 2025 – the Breakfast Networking event in January and EIC Connect Energy Borneo in February. In addition to these, we have a range of exciting events lined up for the year.

Lastly, on behalf of the entire EIC APAC team, I’d like to take this opportunity to wish you all a joyous holiday season filled with happiness and celebration, and a fantastic start to the new year.

Azman Nasir Head of Asia Pacific azman.nasir@the-eic.com

November 2024 was a particularly significant month for EIC APAC. We hosted an informative webinar titled Opportunities in Borneo. Presentations were given by EIC APAC market intelligence manager, Khairun Suffia, alongside energy analysts Lim Xiao Shuen and Azman Mohd, providing an in-depth analysis of the current energy market in Borneo. This webinar helped build interest and momentum ahead of one of our major 2025 events, EIC Connect Energy Borneo, which will offer participants key insights into the latest energy technologies and market trends in Borneo.

We were actively involved in the Offshore South East Asia Exhibition and Conference (OSEA), held from 19-21 November at the iconic Marina Bay Sands in Singapore. Recognised as one of Asia’s largest and most influential offshore and marine showcases, OSEA provided EIC APAC the honour of contributing to two key sessions: the Country Hotspot: Malaysia and the EIC Executive Networking session. As part of the Country Hotspot: Malaysia session, Khairun Suffia presented an overview of Malaysia’s market, including the current landscape of oil and gas, renewables and emerging sectors such as carbon capture and hydrogen. The EIC Executive Networking session began with a welcome speech by EIC APAC regional director, Azman Nasir, followed by a 40-minute panel discussion on Low Carbon Solutions and Best Practices for Decarbonising Offshore Operations. The panel featured representatives from Technip Energies, Cladtek Holdings and Hibiscus Petroleum.

Rounding off the month, the EIC APAC Regional Awards Gala Night 2024 took place on Friday 29 November, at the Pullman KLCC, with a Bollywood-themed evening that brought together EIC members and supporters to celebrate the year’s achievements in a festive and elegant atmosphere. Guests arrived dressed in their finest Bollywood attire and enjoyed a night filled with entertainment, live band performances, informal networking, an awards ceremony, themed games, a lucky draw and more. The highlight of the evening was the announcement of the EIC Regional Award winners, recognising excellence within the industry.

Sabah’s potential to lead in green hydrogen production

A marine survey has identified Sabah as the most promising region in Malaysia for OTEC development. The survey examined the underwater topography and temperature variations around Sabah’s waters, revealing a potential of 20,000MW of OTEC energy. The Energy Commission of Sabah (ECoS) has launched a two-year feasibility study on implementing the technology along the east coast. OTEC offers not only electricity generation but also supports water desalination for fresh water supply and facilitates electrolysis to produce green hydrogen.

KHNP to conduct feasibility study on revival of Bataan plant

Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to assess the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant’s condition and potential for refurbishment. The Philippines plans to increase its nuclear energy capacity to 4,800MWe by 2050. This study is part of efforts to revive nuclear power in the Philippines, which has been mothballed since the 1980s.

Azman Nasir

North and Central America news

Regional update

This fall season has provided the North and Central America region the opportunity to engage with the energy supply chain and network. During September, the EIC met at the much-anticipated Gastech 2024 bringing colleagues from Rio, Houston, Louisiana and the UK together to Houston’s George R Brown Conference Center. In addition to networking, I had the opportunity to moderate three panels: ‘Advancing energy transitions through resilient and sustainable supply chains’, ‘Procurement’s critical role in taking on its organisation’s scope three emissions’ and ‘The Procurement Balancing Act – globalisation vs localisation’. Following Gastech, beginning on 23 September 2024, I travelled to Brazil, met with the Rio based North and Central America team and attended Rio Oil & Gas (ROG.E) 2024 – the leading Latin American energy event in the oil and gas industry. Beyond meeting the Rio based North and Central America team, I was able to meet new and familiar faces from the ever growing and amazing EIC Rio team.

On 15 October EIC colleague Madison O’Malley and I attended the Gulf Coast Energy Forum hosted in Louisiana where I participated as a panellist in the session titled: ‘Midstream Infrastructure: Moving Gas to US Gulf Coast Markets. A Myriad of Options’, discussing current market conditions and pending projects from the US Gulf Coast infrastructure. Later in the month, from 15-17 October, EIC colleague Navied Sadeghi and I attended BreakBulk 2024 where I moderated the panels: ‘Energy Trends and Opportunities’ and ‘Energy Project Outlook: Competitive Positioning’, both of which provided the stage to discuss and further understand sector developments, supply chain constraints and the importance of competitive positioning.

I would like to express my gratitude to the fellow panellists who joined me throughout the conferences attended this fall: Rick Akerman, Head of Procurement, BW; Christina Chai, VP Global Supply Chain, Black & Veatch; Lisa Haley, VP Supply Chain, NET Power; Wonsik Cho, VP Sustainability Technology, Samsung E&A; Patrick Shearer, SVP – Supply Chain, Kent; Rajiv Agerwal, Technical Director, Engineers India; Paolo Albini, Chief Procurement Supply Chain –Digital & IT Officer, Saipem; Claire Marceaux, Senior Project Manager, Alliance Transportation Group LLC; Tarek Amine, Chief Supply Chain Officer, Bechtel; Giovanni Sola, VP Group Procurement, MAIRE; Juan Carlos Villalba, Global Director Supply Chain Relations and Global Functional Lead Corporate Procurement, Fluor; Carsten Bernstiel, VP Procurement OGC, Kiewit; Jamison Cocklin, Managing Editor, LNG, Natural Gas Intelligence; Vincent Morrissette, Senior Vice President – Commercial, Glenfarne Energy Transition;

Edmund Knolle, Chief Commercial Officer, Gulf Coast Midstream Partners LLC; Austin Spector, Director Logistics Strategy, GE Renewable Energy; Colin D’Abreo, Vice President and Director of Project Logistics – Global, Rhenus Logistics; and Henrik Hansen, General Manager, AAL Shipping.

VP & Regional Director, North & Central America amanda.duhon@the-eic.com

Regional news

Claudia Sheinbaum is sworn in as president of Mexico

The new president is a physicist with a PhD in Energy Engineering and a former member of the United Nations IPCC. Sheinbaum’s academic career places her in a unique position to advance energy transition and a more competitive energy market in Mexico. Nevertheless, one of the main questions surrounding the new president is how much she will be able to distance herself from the positions of her predecessor, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, without alienating her political support base. This applies particularly to the energy issue, where López Obrador had adopted controversial actions to undo previous reforms and to promote regulatory changes that favoured state-owned Pemex and CFE over private firms, also prioritising fossil fuels over alternative energy sources. Recently, AMLO has openly advised the new government leader against free market forces and emphasised the state role in the future of those companies. As a result, Claudia Sheinbaum will need to balance these directives while rebuilding trust with private investors to ensure Mexico’s energy stability.

Amanda Duhon

Amanda Duhon

Amanda Duhon and speakers at Gastech 2024

South America news

Regional update

On 5 December our last Breakfast in Rio of 2024 will focus on FPSO Opportunities and will feature Coordinator Lourenço Fróes as Petrobras’ guest speaker.

Petrobras plans to install 11 new platforms by 2027. Its two major projects are the second phase of Campo Sépia and the last phase of Campo Atapu, both important for the company’s long-term strategy. This development creates numerous opportunities for supply chain companies, especially in the areas of FPSO technologies, subsea systems and services, as well as sustainable energy solutions.

In October, we brought the Breakfast for the first time to the State of Minas Gerais, known for its mining. The event was hosted by member company Actemium in its facilities and speakers Marcos Duarte, maintenance manager at Petrobras refinery REGAP and João Vitor Silva Moreira, commercial vice president at PetroReconcavo. Founded in 1968, REGAP currently processes around 160,000 boe per day. Petrobras plans to spend 1.5bn reais on shutdowns between 2025 and 2028. It has plans to discontinue the production of diesel S-500 and to develop a pilot production unit for diesel R-5.

US$1bn funding for Brazil’s green hydrogen sector

In early October, Brazil’s Minister of Mines and Energy announced the launch of approximately US$1bn (R$6bn) in funds for the decarbonisation of the industry in Brazil through hydrogen hubs. This initiative is part of the recently approved Brazilian National Hydrogen Programme (PNH2) and will be conducted in partnership with the Climate Investment Funds (CIF), which will provide low-cost financing to boost projects in the sector. Selected projects will be eligible for financing if their investment scope is approved, aiming to integrate production, storage and transport stages across various sectors to foster Brazil’s global hydrogen competitiveness. The minister Alexandre Silveira highlighted the importance of international partnerships, especially with the UK and mentioned that a public call for low-carbon hydrogen projects in the country will be opened in the near future.

PetroReconcavo is the largest onshore oil producer in Brazil. By increasing the Potiguar Basin’s recovery factor by 1% it could produce more than 160,000 boe per day. The goal of Brazilian onshore producers is to invest 40bn reais and, by the end of the decade, reach production of 500,000 boe per day, a value three times greater compared to production in 2016.

The highlight of this year was bringing the whole energy industry together during ROG.e in September where EIC hosted the UK and EIC pavilion and the 10th edition of Rio Samba & Gas. Almost 300 professionals from different areas of the energy sector registered to exchange experiences and ideas in a relaxed and welcoming environment.

If you missed all of that, don’t forget to check our website to stay up to date with events for next year.

Clarisse Rocha, Director – Americas clarisse.rocha@the-eic.com

Government bill to promote changes in Brazilian local content policy

President Lula and the Minister of Mines and Energy have introduced a bill (PL 3337/24) to address changes in the existing local content policy in the Brazilian oil and gas sector. The amendment addresses the transfer of local content surplus between existing contracts, therefore if an oil consortium exceeds the mandatory minimum index for purchasing national products, the excess percentage can be transferred, in monetary value, to another operation that is below this minimum. This measure aims to increase even more domestic hiring and boost Brazilian industry and the supply chain.

Regional news

Clarisse Rocha

Rio Samba & Gas

Survive &

In its 8th year, EIC’s Survive & Thrive initiative continues to research the 15 most popular growth strategies used by the world’s energy supply chain in challenging market conditions. Each year reveals new and important findings, such as the conundrum of record growth, with 96% of companies forecasting record revenues in 2024, offset by clear and worrying growing geopolitical and policy uncertainties, resulting in more cautious decision-making by energy bosses, which hampers investment.

The report features success stories and insights from 134 member companies and underscores the need for clearer policies and trade agreements to support market expansion. It reflects that leaders are now more committed than ever to pursuing the energy transition, with or without total policy clarity, but just not on pace with 2050 net zero timelines.

Exporting to new markets remains the least used growth strategy due to excessive risks, cost and time to market. Companies call for more government support and funding with market access. The #1 growth strategy is to develop client-facing solutions and services, with 82% of these companies now working directly with operators, increasingly side-stepping the Tier 1 EPC contractors.

Please see our success stories overleaf or visit the EIC website to view the complete report www.the-eic.com/MediaCentre/Publications/SurviveandThrive

The EIC Awards Programme

The World Energy Supply Chain Awards aim to recognise excellence from all companies and organisations across the energy industries globally. In their business cases featured in the Survive & Thrive report, EIC member companies can demonstrate how they faced a specific challenge and introduced a new business solution or any initiative that drove successful results.

AWARD CATEGORIES

Collaboration

Culture

Digital

Diversification

Energy Transition

Environmental Sustainability

Export

Innovation

Optimisation

People & Competency

Resilience

Scale Up

Service & Solutions

Technology

Transformation

Interviews for the 2025 EIC Survive & Thrive Insight Report will start in January 2025 Find out more here www.the-eic.com/MediaCentre/Publications/SurviveandThrive

IPS Malaysia

Responding to setbacks with a proactive transformation

How is IPS Malaysia thriving?

CEO

After suffering multiple setbacks just a matter of months into its existence, IPS Malaysia has shown a tremendous deal of resilience to emerge stronger on the other side. With help from its parent company, the firm has undergone a reorganisation and invested heavily in finding the right people to drive it forward. Such has been the success of the transformation, it has now doubled its business and is looking ahead to broader horizons.

The challenge - For any company established in 2019 to serve the energy industry, little could be done to prepare them for the disruption and upheaval that was around the corner.

IPS Malaysia was set up to provide solutions for industrial rotating equipment across the sale, service, and repair lifecycle to clients in the power generation, oil and gas, natural resources, utilities and water treatment, petrochemicals, industrial gases, and chemical processing sectors.

Since its inception in 2019, the company has faced a series of major challenges. In addition to establishing itself as a startup in a fiercely competitive market, it has had to navigate the disruptive impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and cope with the sudden loss of its visionary leader, Jogendran Pulendran. Collectively, these issues impacted IPS Malaysia’s growth momentum, organisational stability, and overall business performance.

To overcome these challenges and emerge stronger, strategic responses were required.

The solution - At the beginning of 2023, the company embarked on a transformation exercise, the first step being to enlist the direct support of Avi Dayal, who is the CEO IPS’ international business.

Dayal took on the role of Managing Director of IPS Malaysia to oversee the process, the first key priority centring around the restructuring of the firm’s organisational framework. Meanwhile, IPS Malaysia prioritised building a robust, highly skilled team across critical domains such as sales, finance, HR and administration. This strategic investment in human capital, in addition to bolstering capabilities across the organisation, also aimed to foster a positive culture and uphold the company’s vision of excellence.

Alongside this, IPS Malaysia initiated efforts to enhance operational efficiency and productivity through the embrace of numerous innovative technologies, especially in the area of process automation in the form of new ERP and CRM systems. These technological advancements have served to streamline processes, optimise resource utilisation and improve overall performance in multiple departments.

These efforts have been crucial to IPS Malaysia retaining its position as a local market leader. After setting up in 2019, the company quickly built up market acceptance and credibility as a high quality rotating equipment specialist, not least due to the technical and engineering capability housed within the group. The challenges posed by the pandemic and the loss of Jogendran Pulendran threatened to derail this progress, making it all the more important to bring the right people on board to drive the necessary change.

Further challenges have been encountered along the way. Finding and recruiting the right skills is a process which absorbs time and financial capital, a reality which has required unwavering shareholder support. Furthermore, in times of change and uncertainty, maintaining the team’s morale and focus has also been challenging.

However, thanks to strong and robust leadership, IPS Malaysia has been able to navigate the path in front of it and has successfully brought colleagues on board. Indeed, marked improvement has been observed in team morale as a result of communicating a clear vision for the future and how they have an important role to play in realising it.

From a financial perspective, the company has been able to double its business in a short period of time, the aim now being to continue along an aggressive growth trajectory. Indeed, such has been the progress made, IPS Malaysia is now mature enough as an entity to provide support in establishing a new venture in Indonesia.

Through a demonstration of resilience, strategic transformation, and ongoing focus on finding and retaining the right people, IPS Malaysia continues to emerge as a beacon of excellence in Malaysia and now beyond.

Story type

#transformation (main category)

#resilience

Benefits

▸ Company culture improved among staff.

▸ Business doubled in short period of time.

Key findings

For industry

▸ Embrace resilience and be adaptable – adopt new ideas and technologies, focus on customer value.

▸ Build a strong team and foster innovation and integrity.

For government

▸ Support small and medium enterprises, they are the backbone of Malaysia’s economy yet face many financing challenges.

▸ Invest in education and skills development to support the expansion of our skilled workforce.

IPS Malaysia at a glance:

Key products and services: sale, service and repair of various industrial rotating equipment.

Main industries served:

▸ Oil and gas

▸ Hydrogen

▸ Carbon capture

Headquarters: Pasir Gudang, Malaysia

Year established: 2019

Number of employees: 77

Revenue from exports: 20%

Avi Dayal

IRE

More than just a middleman in the oil and gas equipment domain

How is IRE thriving?

Andrew Stratton General Manager

Simply put, IRE is more than just a middleman distributor of equipment. The company was set up by two individuals with limited prior experience within Oil and Gas; however, they found their gap and took space. By focusing on the development of very close-knit relationships with manufacturers, the company positions itself as an expert conduit able to take on and resolve the bespoke challenges and demands of end users. Today, it is a go-to partner that is trusted to facilitate solutions, with clients now making their own approaches as word-of-mouth spreads.

The challenge - Though formed in its current guise in 2018, UAE-based IRE has roots dating back to 1995. Today, it draws on all this experience and specialises in the purchasing and supplying of products for the international oil and gas industry.

Operating through a model based on high-level partnerships with manufacturers, IRE effectively acts as an extension of these businesses to provide innovative solutions and high-quality, tailored offerings to customers at competitive rates.

Getting to its current position as an organisation that is supremely well-placed to examine and provide solutions to customers’ problems has not been easy. The two founders, Dan Asher and Andrew Stratton, arrived in the industry with little background and began selling surplus equipment to clients. However, it soon became clear that the existing distributor model was broken, with IRE sensing a gap in the market to become an expert equipment partner rather than a transactional middleman.

The solution - This pivot began almost a decade ago. Recognising the opportunities that would come with moving away from being a catch-all, one-stop-shop, the company became more selective. It started to target clients aligning with its values – both the manufacturers it works with and the end-user customers it sells to.

The idea was for IRE to embed itself properly into the OEMs. In doing so, they could act as a valuable extension of the manufacturer and

facilitate a two-way dialogue, providing feedback to them, which would serve as crucial intel for improving and innovating products.

It is a win-win for all parties. Manufacturers benefit from having a partner who is dedicated to selling their products through long-term agreements with customers, while customers benefit from working with a partner who takes time to understand their pain points and develop solutions to problems in tandem with the equipment producer. Indeed, IRE acts as the conduit through which feedback is fed to manufacturers, allowing them to develop products tailored to customer and/or regional requirements.

Rolling out this new way of doing business has naturally involved some bumps along the road for IRE. Inventory has been acquired and not sold, while partnerships have been started with companies that do not always align with key values.

However, it has been a process of learning by doing, with IRE undeterred by setbacks and pressing on over the past decade to make its new model successful.

And that success has come in many forms. The clearest measure is the length and depth of the relationships it has developed, with some of its clients on the books for over 10 years showing no signs of cutting ties. Indeed, such is the level of trust built up with players across the oil and gas landscape, IRE now has an increasing number of manufacturers approaching it for partnerships.

Financially, IRE is also operating on a much stronger footing, with profit margins and revenues both trending in a positive direction. By staying lean, agile and humble, IRE will continue to build trust with its client base as they embark on the next chapter of the company’s journey.

Story type

#service & solutions (main category)

Benefits

▸ Strong and successful relationships with customers, some with over 10 years.

▸ Revenue growth and stronger footing with profit margins.

Key findings

For industry

▸ Don’t be afraid to fail, you will get it wrong lots of time. Take this as an opportunity to grow.

▸ Focus on your people. Develop your staff as you only have a successful company if the people want to be there and feel valued.

For government

▸ More support in the UAE for SMEs.

IRE at a glance:

Key products and services: IRE specialises in purchasing and supplying products for the international oil and gas industry.

Main industries served:

▸ Oil and gas – 80%

▸ Others (energy) - 20%

Headquarters: Dubai, UAE

Year established: 1995

Number of employees: 17

Revenue: £7.22m

Revenue from exports: 80%

Kent

Placing sustainability at the heart of their corporate strategy

How is Kent thriving?

Emma Scott VP of Sustainability

Over the past two years, Kent has been putting in place the building blocks necessary to become a sustainability-driven enterprise. With new expertise brought in and a detailed strategy developed and launched in 2023, the company is now in the process of working towards numerous targets which bring together emissions reductions and revenue generation priorities.

The challenge - For more than a century, Kent has designed, built and maintained assets that power the world across conventional, low carbon and renewable energy sectors, as well as industries such as chemical and processing.

Over the course of its history, the company has helped to tackled some of the greatest challenges facing ever-modernising societies. Today, that challenge is climate change and the energy transition. Determined to help accelerate progress towards targets outlined at COP28, Kent is firmly of the belief that the technological progress required a holistic approach that transcends both borders and public and private sectors.

In 2021, the company and its leadership decided to intensify their efforts, their objective being to place sustainability at the heart of Kent’s broader business strategy.

The solution - Work began in earnest the following year. In early 2022, Kent employed an external third-party specialist to conduct an in-depth materiality assessment, a process which involved speaking to clients, investors, staff and the board about the areas of sustainability most important to them.

In June 2022, Emma Scott was appointed VP of Sustainability to lead the charge, heading up a new sustainability council made up of representatives from multiple divisions and functions within the business.

By October, Scott and her team had drafted a sustainability strategy which was approved by the board, a plan which straddled across three key pillars: Empowering people to prosper; supporting a thriving planet; and living with purpose and principles.

Numerous targets were also published. Regarding emissions, Kent has committed to becoming net zero across Scopes 1, 2 and 3

by 2040, with a near-term target to reduce Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 30% by 2027. Crucially, the latter aligns with a business objective to generate a third of revenue from low carbon projects by the same year.

In January 2023, a detailed action plan comprising nine focus areas (three per pillar) was launched across the Kent organisation, with each member of the sustainability developing a strategy for their own part of the business and submitting progress updates quarterly through a new Power BI dashboard.

Indeed, transparency has been a central component of the process to date, with additional oversight being added through the formation of a board level sustainability committee. Since then, the company has disclosed information to CDP for the first time, signed up to the UN Global Compact, and produced its first sustainability report completed with Scope 1 and 2 emissions data.

Feeding into the strategy are numerous projects and initiatives being completed by Kent teams around the world. In the Middle East, for example, Kent has collaborated with a service provider to jointly commission a study to analyse the energy requirements and carbon emissions at camps in the UAE.

Based around a ‘Kent camp’ and ‘client camp’, the study sought to identify possible options to reduce carbon emissions through integrating renewable energy technology in the form of solar-hybrid power systems. It found that by integrating solar power with the diesel generators to cater for daytime peak loads, around 750 tonnes of carbon emissions could be saved annually.

Projects such as this will help to underpin strategic sustainable decision-making moving forwards, and as such help Kent to advance its sustainability credentials. The company has already made tangible progress, achieving an EcoVadis Bronze rating and competing well with competitors across a range of external benchmarking criteria.

Looking ahead, the priority for Kent is very much to go further and deeper, both from an internal perspective and in the development of its ability to turbocharge the ESG agendas of clients in numerous markets.

Story type

#environmental sustainability (main category)

Benefits

▸ Advanced sustainability credentials – EcoVadis Bronze rating.

▸ First sustainability actions in multiple fronts – report on Scope 1 and 2 emissions, signing of UN Global Compact, disclosed information to CDP.

Key findings

For industry

▸ Don’t be scared. Challenge the status quo or nothing will change.

▸ Be honest and open about what can be achieved. Collaboration is fundamental.

For government

▸ Stop political point scoring. Everyone knows how important it is to be real about energy transition, why is nothing changing?

Kent at a glance:

Key products and services: design, build and maintenance of assets.

Main industries served:

▸ Oil and gas – 55%

▸ Low carbon and renewable energy – 21%

▸ Others (non-energy): process and chemicals – 24%

Headquarters: Dubai, UAE

Year established: 1919

Number of employees: 13,000

Revenue: £1.4bn

Klippon Engineering

Investing in the UK to create a global engineering centre of competency for the hazardous areas industry

Stuart Bell

Managing Director

How is Klippon Engineering thriving?

As the engineering solutions arm of Weidmueller, a global leader in the field of smart industrial connectivity, Klippon Engineering is going from strength to strength on its right after investing heavily in a UK-based hub of engineering excellence and new tech-driven services to bring greater value to clients. With further expansion planned in key markets, based on the back of another sizable investment, the future now looks bright.

The challenge - Operating as a certified and globally active engineering partner in the Weidmueller Group, Klippon Engineering exists to provide answers to customers’ problems in the process industry. Klippon Engineering and Weidmueller work in harmony, with Weidmueller being a family enterprise from the very beginning.

Today, revenues from clients in the oil and gas sector are still strong. Here, the combination of Weidmueller’s products and Klippon Engineering’s turnkey solutions continues to be a winning formula for customers with highly specific requirements.

The solution - Several developments have taken place to this end since the turn of the decade for Klippong Engineering’s team, a process which has seen the UK assume the role of the centre of competence in the process industry.

From its reestablishment in 2020, the team has grown, adding experiences and capabilities in the fi elds of mechanical, electrical, and instrumentation engineering as well as IoT and automation.

Since then, Klippon has been engaging in a wholesale marketing exercise to explain its new approach and options to its customer base.

Such options include IoT-based services sold under the banner of Remote Autonomous Monitoring. This offers an alternative to sending maintenance engineers into remote locations to inspect equipment, instead leveraging cloud and remote monitoring technology to provide a much more cost-effective solution.

The company is also making solid progress in up-and-coming markets such as the Middle East. Here, it is expected to see 2024 revenues double from 2023. Central to this has been Weidmueller and Klippon Engineering’s investment into a localised workforce in the form of a 3,000-square-metre facility. This has been crucial to doing business with locally based customers and ensures alike, as it can now satisfy its localisation requirements.

The numbers are certainly trending in the right direction. Last year, the new solutions business line saw significant growth.

Story type

#export (main category)

#digital

Key findings

For industry

▸ Adopt and embrace change and innovative solutions more quickly.

For government

▸ Make it easier for oil and gas to do business, not encourage them to withdraw investment.

Klippon Engineering at a glance:

Key products and services: process engineering services.

Main industries served:

▸ Oil and gas

▸ Hydrogen ▸ Carbon capture

Headquarters: Leicester, UK

Year established: 1959

Number of employees: 23

Kongsberg Digital

Transformation through a digital-first approach at LNG Canada

Yorinde Lokin

Growth Manager, Digital Energy, Kongsberg Digital

How is Kongsberg Digital thriving?

Kongsberg Digital, a leading provider of industrial software, was established in 2016 and is part of the wider Kongsberg Gruppen, a technology company with over 200 years of history. With this strong backing, it is able to leverage its parent company’s expertise to ensure it develops and integrates the latest digital technologies into process industries to digitally transform ways of working and enhanced workforce productivity.

Kongsberg Digital’s Industrial Work Surface (IWS) platform, a dynamic digital twin, brings together data transformation, simulation, analytics, workflows, performance management, and AI to enable clients to work digitally to drive faster higher quality business decisions. The platform leverages digital in a synergistic way to better frame, assess, evaluate, and convert data patterns to actions and results. Kongsberg Digital’s Industrial Work Surface balances a digital workspace with data management and scalable transformation to deliver business value.

The challenge - Since 2019, Kongsberg Digital has been working with LNG Canada, a major liquefied natural gas (LNG) project under construction in Kitimat, British Columbia. Once complete, LNG Canada will be the country’s first large-scale LNG export facility and an important provider of natural gas to the global market. The facility, designed to be the world’s lowest carbon-producing LNG plant of its size, is located in a pristine but very remote area where the nearest airport is over 40 miles away, and the closest energy infrastructure hub is in over 800 miles. This drives an extreme focus on efficient movement of people and materials and efficient execution of work.

The solution - In 2019, LNG Canada and Kongsberg Digital sat down to reimagine how work could be done differently, following an innovative and digital-first approach. The need for efficiency, remote visibility and ability to collaborate from multiple dispersed locations is what led LNG Canada to investigate digital solutions and rethink and redesign processes following a digital-first approach. LNG Canada implemented Kongsberg Digital’s Industrial Work Surface platform as a single point of entry for all asset staff regardless of their work location.

Since its introduction, IWS has become a crucial

James Maguire

Digital and Business Transformation Manager, LNG Canada

asset for LNG Canada. As an operational digital twin throughout the construction of the asset, the IWS digital twin makes information readily available to all personnel, from frontline workers to senior leaders and maintenance planners. It connects the field with leadership, equipping frontline workers with the necessary tools to improve their effectiveness, engagement and job satisfaction.

Critically, IWS offers the remote capabilities that enable LNG Canada’s disparate staff to follow what is going on at the asset in real-time from hundreds of miles away. High-quality contextualised notifications from the digital twin help to diminish the time lapse for decision-making and addressing problems by ensuring that people in different locations can provide technical support in real time.

Not only is the IWS digital twin breaking down siloes and increasing collaboration in this manner, but it has also been used to deliver training and readiness exercises. By enabling the workforce to familiarise themselves with LNG Canada’s way of working, it ensures that operational activities are efficient and cohesive.

Furthermore, IWS provides a holistic view of the cumulative risks at the site, while the digital twin offers AI-powered search capabilities, and its copilot feature allows for more effective and faster decision-making loops.

Using Kongsberg Digital’s IWS as an operational digital twin during the construction has already proven to be incredibly successful, as direct feedback from LNG Canada shows.

Roland Robinson, Senior Digital Specialist at LNG Canada, commented: “We have seen people with more than 25 years of experience in the field telling us, ‘This is the first time that something has been delivered to us that actually makes our job easier’.”

Equally, Shawn Baxter, Asset Excellence Manager at LNG Canada, stated: “Our challenge has always been how to effectively connect people to work and to other LNGCers across multiple working locations. We’ve addressed the challenge with Kongsberg Digital’s AI-embedded digital twin. By connecting contextualised data from dayto-day frontline operations up to leadership and on to joint venture participants, data and information can be used throughout the or-

Story type

#transformation (main category) #digital, #technology

Benefits

▸ Capabilties of Krongsberg Digital’s solution proved and well-received by client.

▸ LNG Canada’s safe and sustainable operations secured.

Key findings

For industry

▸ Make digital investment without forgetting about the human element.

▸ Be curious about what technology can do for your business and build the right skills internally.

Kongsberg Digital at a glance:

Key products and services: digitalisation and software solutions.

Main industries served:

▸ Oil and gas – 85%

▸ Offshore renewable energy – 5%

▸ Onshore renewable energy – 5%

▸ Carbon capture – 5%

Headquarters: Lysaker, Norway

Year established: 2016

Number of employees: 1,300

Revenue: £111m

Revenue from exports: N/A

ganisation to provide real-time insights and improve collaboration.”

Without question, this technology has laid a robust foundation for several decades of safe and sustainable operations at the LNG Canda, ensuring its long-term efficiency and resilience.

LHR

Securing a brighter future by adding new sectors and guiding the team

Story type

#diversification (main category)

#collaboration, #resilience, #scale up

Benefits

▸ Expansion from two to 17 segments in just three years.

How is LHR thriving?

Raphael Coelho CEO

LHR Serviços e Equipamentos LTDA (LHR) has undergone a remarkable transformation since setting up in Brazil in 2010.

Having faced key challenges such as the 2014-2016 oil price plunge and the 2016 Lava Jato corruption inquiry, LHR adopted a strategy to reduce dependency on the oil market. By recruiting and training top talent, enhancing service offerings, and entering new sectors, the firm expanded its portfolio from two to 17 segments between 2021 and 2024. Now a 100% Brazilian company and poised for a bright future, it has evolved into a safety ecosystem including safety equipments, repair, certification and adding engineering safety training and management of safety regulatory documentation.

The challenge - LHR has firmly established itself as a leading provider of comprehensive safety solutions. The company offers a diverse range of products and services, including fall protection equipment, lifeline installations and repairs, engineering projects, rescue training, gas detector repair and calibration, and personal protective equipment, among others.

In 2010, LHR expanded its operations to Brazil at the invitation of Diamond Offshore Drilling, which required services for its 16 rigs. Over the next decade, it focused on serving Brazil’s oil and gas industry, dedicating 90% of its efforts to drilling and 10% to service companies. Then, in 2019, the Vice President of LHR retired, appointing Raphael Coelho as the General Manager in Brazil.

Upon being appointed, Coelho swiftly set about enhancing the company’s operations, diversifying the service portfolio to reduce dependency on the oil and gas sector. He expanded LHR’s offerings to include wind energy, pharmaceuticals, aerospace, and sporting events. Notably, the company provided equipment for the Olympics, World Cup, and Cirque du Soleil with the same high standards as for the oil and gas industry.

In 2021, Coelho acquired 100% of the quotas. This marked another significant transition for LHR, which had already navigated numerous challenges, from establishing a foothold in a new country, diversifying its operations and managing leadership culture changes.

The solution - Owing to its operational pro-

file, LHR naturally suffered during the oil price plunge of 2014-2016. As customers reduced their investments, the company’s business pipeline rapidly dried up. Compounding this, the 2016 Lava Jato corruption inquiry in Brazil brought significant political and economic uncertainty, further complicating the business environment.

Obviously, even though LHR was not involved in the operations, it was impacted by the reduction in investments. To emerge stronger from these mid-decade difficulties, LHR recognised the need to reduce its reliance on the cyclical oil market. The company implemented a strategy focused on recruiting and retaining top talent, prioritising individuals with a strong capacity to deliver results. It also invested in sales and product training, conducted market research to understand customer satisfaction, and provided technical training in collaboration with manufacturers and suppliers.

Through these efforts, LHR established a strategic service plan, identifying and prioritising business opportunities based on proximity to reduce logistics costs and enhance safety compliance. Equally, the company prioritised working with customers who prioritised safety, ensuring a strong alignment with LHR’s core values.

The diversification strategy was threefold: expanding within the oil and gas sector beyond just drilling, entering new sectors outside of oil and gas, and broadening the range of services offered to existing customers. This approach made the company’s services more sustainable without changing the core operation.

Through these concerted efforts, LHR has gradually diversified into new markets, reducing its reliance on the oil and gas industry. From 2021 to 2024, it expanded its portfolio from two to 17 segments, with oil and gas now accounting for just 60% of overall revenue.

Initially entering Brazil as a supplier of personal protective equipment (PPE), LHR has evolved into a comprehensive safety system engineering company. Having taken 10 years to double its initial revenue, it has since taken just three from 2021 onwards to more than double it again.

▸ Revenue doubled from 2021 onwards compared to previous ten-year record.

Key findings

For industry

▸ Be proactive, resilient and prepared, it won’t be easy, but it will be rewarding.

▸ Understand that all businesses are made of people.

LHR at a glance:

Key products and services: comprehensive safety system engineering company.

Main industries served:

▸ Oil and gas – 81.2%

▸ Conventional power – 0.34%

▸ Onshore renewable energy –0.16%

▸ Others (non-energy): MRO, metalmechanics, maintenance, general supply, aviation, construction, shipyards – 18.3%

Headquarters: Macaé, Brazil

Year established: 2010

Number of employees: 40

Revenue: £9.5m

Revenue from exports: 10%

With Coelho at the helm, and the company now a 100% Brazilian entity, the future undoubtedly looks bright for a more diversified, futureproofed LHR.

Lloyd’s Register

Building out a global structure to better serve the energy industry

North Europe & America

Business Development Director

How is Lloyd’s Register thriving?

Now operating with a global structure in the energy industry, Lloyd’s Register is already doing smarter business. Targeting the right work and providing a problem-solving solution to clients, the company is also tapping into new and exciting verticals as it seeks to play its part in supporting the energy transition.

The challenge - No company survives more than 250 years without an ability to identify and respond to changing markets and trends.

For Lloyd’s Register, which has a heritage dating back to 1760, this has been key to maintaining its standing as a leading global professional services company within numerous sectors ever since, including the energy industry. Its experts continue to provide impartial advice and trusted compliance services to help energy companies operate safely, sustainably and efficiently – from design evaluation to surveying and auditing, Lloyd’s Register ensures assets and processes meet the highest standards. Its solutions span the entire energy lifecycle, including renewables, conventional power generation, transmission and distribution. With a long heritage and deep technical knowledge, the company ultimately enables better decision-making and smarter asset management for enhanced operational and environmental performance.

After making a series of acquisitions in the energy space in the decade leading up to the oil and gas crisis of 2014, Lloyd’s Register has been on a journey to reconsider how it serves the market ever since. It has been through cycles of operating with global and local structures, but recent years have shone a spotlight on how operating with a global mindset is the way forwards.

The solution - There are many reasons behind this. First, Lloyd’s Register needed to better observe and respond to how the energy industry is changing if it was to assume a leadership role. Second, clients were facing cost pressures, making it imperative for the company to find more efficient ways of working to provide better value. Finally, Lloyd’s Register sought to create a stronger team environment through the creation of a unified offshore energy division as opposed to multiple siloed units scattered throughout the world.

Power to X Director Global Off shore Business Director

This process has unfolded over several stages since 2021. With each country having its own requirements and KPIs, it was important communicate the unification strategy effectively, and this was achieved through a Fit to Grow campaign which informed all 400 team members well in advance of the changes being implemented. This was all about outlining why the company was making the change, ensuring colleagues bought into the vision and slowly articulating how the change would happen.

From a client and external communications perspective, little changed, the key being to ensure service continuity as the company shifted its own thought process to how it could support customers and the industry more holistically. Indeed, the team now operates with a service and solution-driven mindset, a can-do attitude that also involves bringing in partners to add additional value.

By June 2023, Lloyd’s Register had completed the restructuring exercise. The major upshot is that the company is now more readily able to direct its international expertise and capabilities, with Aberdeen serving as its offshore centre of excellence. Indeed, the capabilities housed here can be deployed to other locations where Lloyd’s Register is looking to grow and demonstrate competence, supported by the evidence and knowledge base to underpin the company’s expansion plans.

New avenues been opened in the energy sector, particularly in energy transition and non-traditional segments away from oil and gas. These include carbon capture and storage, as well as assisting with final investment decisions (FIDs) in the hydrogen sector. Floating nuclear is another exciting line of business, one which brings together two different worlds and has generated significant buzz throughout the Lloyd’s Register team.

From a financial point of view, the restructuring and pivot is already showing signs of working. This year, the energy business is expected to achieve a 70% increase on the

Story type

#transformation (main category)

#energy transition, #export

Benefits

▸ Offshore energy business is expected to achieve a 70% increase in 2024.

▸ Ramp up in activity and a 60% rate of tendering.

Key findings

For industry

▸ Encourage open-mindedness and take information from multiple sources.

▸ Be brave, avoid being ultrasafe.

For government

▸ Make science-based decisions.

▸ Bring back consistency across all energy markets.

Lloyd’s Register at a glance:

Key products and services: classification and compliance services.

Main industries served:

▸ Oil and gas – 70%

▸ Offshore renewable energy – 25%

▸ Hydrogen – 3%

▸ Nuclear power – 2%

Headquarters: London, UK

Year established: 1760

Number of employees: 5,000

Revenue: £517m

Revenue from exports: 75%

topline compared to 2023, in large part due to a ramp up in activity and high success rate (60%) of tendering.

With a rejuvenated and revitalised offshore energy team, Lloyd’s Register is better placed to meet the needs of a rapidly changing global market.

Ian Crehan

Mark Tipping

Sean Van Der Post

Global

LoneStar Fasteners Hydrobolt

Making the most of an operational & strategic merger

Story type

#optimisation (main category) #diversification

Benefits

Richard Barnes

Mark Jennings Business Development Director Sales & Marketing Director

How is LoneStar Fasteners Hydrobolt Limited thriving?

LoneStar Fasteners Hydrobolt (LSFH)’s story is one of optimisation and diversification. Through a key strategic merger of two critical business units, the firm is working to move beyond oil and gas into new markets.

Not only has the company invested £3m in machine tools and testing equipment in the last 12 months, but it has also embraced a more flexible client-oriented solutions approach and saw 30% growth in the last year, with plans to relocate to two modern, fit-forpurpose facilities as it strives to take further steps forward.

The challenge - LSFH is an established player in the manufacturing of high critical fasteners, bolting and machined threaded components. The firm exports products to a variety of renowned operators, OEMs and Tier 1 and 2 operators across 70 countries.

Albeit well established, LSFH was not immune to the hurdles that were presented in 2020. Like many, LSFH was forced to largely operate remotely during the pandemic, with only essential personnel present on site. Here, significant stockholdings helped the firm mitigate disruption and delays in the supply of finished components. However, only some of the pressures have eased in the time since.

Brexit continues to present challenges regarding exports to the EU, while high energy prices have ramped up costs relating to heat treatment and forging processes. Further, the supply chain for nickel alloys continues to be volatile, and the lack of availability of industry talent causes LSFH some recruitment headaches.

The solution - In response, LoneStar Group is opting to merge two of its most critical business units – LoneStar Fasteners Europe and Hydrobolt – to create one entity: LoneStar Fasteners Hydrobolt Ltd.

The logic is straightforward. Through the merger, the firm will see combined investments into stock, manufacturing capabilities and personnel benefits, and it will be easier for the entire group to comprehensively address market drivers such as carbon re-

duction initiatives under a wider ESG programme. Critically, the move will also provide a world-class manufacturing capability at the Universal Point Plant in addition to an efficient distribution centre operating from a newly acquired location. In turn, it is hoped that this will drive diversification opportunities, enabling the organisation to become a leader in sectors outside of oil and gas.

With the legalities completed in January 2024, it is anticipated the merger will be fully implemented on the operational side between the end of 2024 and Q1 2025.

The organisation’s customers complement each other, with LSFH eyeing opportunities to bring value-add services and solutions to clients from both original parties. Further, in gearing up for this realignment, the firm is working to consolidate the two brands into an entity that can capitalise on opportunities and build scalable offerings in nuclear and power generation aeroderivative markets.

Under the leadership of Richard Pickles, appointed CEO in March 2023, LSFH has spent the last year investing significantly in complex machinery capabilities as it works to fit out its new distribution facility with state-ofthe-art equipment and technologies.

On the materials side, additional investments include Waspaloy to service the aeroderivative market, Durehete for the conventional power generation market, and Super Duplex steel for NORSOK and DEF STAN work. Further, the firm has also increased spend in relation to recruitment, marketing and business development practices as it anticipates significant growth as a result of the merger.

In total, £3m has been invested in machine tools and testing equipment over the course of the past 12 months, with the firm also gearing up to relocate from three facilities to two modern, specialised facilities over the next year – a move that will serve to double its usable floor and storage space.

The company is already reaping the rewards of these investments. Having seen improvements in efficiency, received positive feedback from customers and experienced a 30% growth increase in the past year with revenues reaching £60m, it is now aiming to

▸ Investments have been rewarded due to improvements in efficiency and positive feedback from customers.

▸ Revenue growth and 25% reduction in average operational process time.

Key findings

For industry

▸ There are significant opportunities in the supply chain to the oil and gas industry, albeit embracing and enhancing new technologies to reduce carbon emissions.

For government

▸ Trade to be frictionless as much as possible.

LoneStar at a glance:

Key products and services: manufacturer and supplier of highperformance fastener.

Main industries served:

▸ Oil and gas – 48%

▸ Nuclear power – 14%

▸ Conventional power – 12%

▸ Hydrogen – 8%

▸ Carbon capture – 6%

▸ Offshore renewable energy – 2%

▸ Onshore renewable energy – 2%

▸ Others (non-energy): critical industry – 8%

Headquarters: Wednesbury, UK

Year established: 1983

Number of employees: 1,800

Revenue: £200m

Revenue from exports: 70%

achieve a >25% reduction in average operational process time in the coming months.

With an already established global footprint allowing LSFH to uniquely meet the complex, bespoke and at-scale fastener and bolting needs of major clients, these significant operational enhancements will stand it in good stead as a futureproofed, diversified market leader for years to come.

LRQA

The era of Assurance 4.0 - Navigating the new era of risk management together

How is LRQA thriving?

Story type

#service & solutions (main category)

Benefits

▸ LRQA’s successful strategy is increasing revenue to £450m in 2024.

• Over 600 renewable energy projects delivered across 25 countries in the space of two years.

Leanne Halliday Stuart Kelly

Territory Manager and Global Hydrogen SME Chief Commercial Offi cer

LRQA was established as an independent company in 2021, and now as an agile, client-centric operating model in full swing, LRQA is helping its clients to navigate the risks and challenges associated with the journey to net zero. The approach is paying off, with strong revenue growth and the highest client retention rate the firm has ever had.

The challenge - The exit from LRQA’s longstanding parent company presented both a challenge and an opportunity. LRQA needed to exploit its newfound ability to move faster and better support its clients navigating fast-changing market conditions driven by three new global trends – ESG considerations, supply chain complexity, and evolving cybersecurity threats.

LRQA identified that these powerful new trends had combined with more traditional risks across assets, people and systems to create a new era of risk management. LRQA calls it the era of Assurance 4.0. LRQA’s leadership recognised the need to develop and offer a connected portfolio of solutions as an ‘assurance partner’ to help clients navigate the new era holistically, as opposed to a menu of options to choose from.

This new approach would revolve around five client challenges: assuring assets and management systems, achieving product integrity, responsible sourcing, navigating the energy transition, and strengthening cybersecurity maturity. To deliver its new value proposition, LRQA had to change into a more agile business that could listen to, understand and adapt to clients’ ever-changing priorities, especially those in the energy sector on the road to net zero.

The solution - As an independent business, LRQA developed a new business plan and assembled a new leadership team to help the company assume a more global, commercially driven mindset focused on clients and solutions. New areas of scope were also invested in, with expertise and resources being onboarded in the fields of ethical compliance, cybersecurity and data-centric risk identification across global supply chains.

Some of this expertise arrived in the form of strategic acquisitions. During 2022 and 2023, these included a series of businesses within data verification, ethics-based supply

chain assurance and cybersecurity. The most notable acquisition was the purchase of Elevate, a world-leading sustainability and supply chain specialist.

Culturally, the company has also had to undergo change to realise its full potential and adopt an unwavering client-first mentality. This work has fed into an impressive business performance since becoming independent. Revenue is growing in the double digits with turnover for 2024 forecasted to reach £450m, up from £350m in 2022. The firm’s energy transition pipeline for H2 2024 has doubled year-on-year to £6m, with more than 600 renewable energy projects delivered across 25 countries in the space of two years.

The journey towards defining the era of Assurance 4.0 then unfolded over various stages and actions. The team spent several months speaking to clients and gathering market intelligence. For the energy sector, LRQA’s energy experts, on the front line of risk management, witnessed requirements changing in real-time. It became clear the push towards net zero was a defining feature of the era of Assurance 4.0, with complex challenges for both the energy sector managing energy asset lifecycles, and consumer brands reducing their carbon emissions.

LRQA therefore ensured it offered clients a science-based approach to ESG strategy, creation and implementation. The company ensured carbon data was available via its supply chain intelligence platform, EiQ, so organisations could view their Scope 1 and 2 emissions data and customise filters for flexible reporting across countries and products.

LRQA ensured its range of Greenhouse Gas data verification services for clients’ data and reports remained a crucial enabler to achieve trust and transparency with stakeholders. LRQA also continued its rich heritage in helping businesses build and maintain wind, nuclear, solar and hydrogen facilities, ensuring their critical assets are safe and operating efficiently.

Most of these have been with large oil and gas firms as they embark on their net zero journeys. In Australia, for example, LRQA secured a three-year contract worth £7-10m to provide compliance, integrity and assurance support across its ecosystem of energy transition projects. Starting in 2022, LRQA has

Key findings

For industry

▸ Take pride in how your work can help solve wider problems for our industry and planet.

▸ Risk management is also about opportunity. There are benefits to addressing challenges proactively to gain competitive advantage.

For government

▸ We can’t solve problems looking at our own countries, it is a global energy transition.

LRQA at a glance:

Key products and services: independent assessment, advisory, inspection and cybersecurity services

Main industries served: ▸ Others (non-energy) – 80% ▸ Oil and gas – 8% ▸ Nuclear power – 6%

Headquarters: Birmingham, UK

Year established: 2021

Number of employees: 5,000

Revenue: £420m

Revenue from exports: 70%

provided technical and global supply chain assurance support, as well as training on key industry standards.

Long-term collaborations such as these are helping LRQA maintain and grow its solid client base, demonstrated by the lowest attrition rate seen by the firm, a clear indication that the company’s transformation strategy is working.

Metalcoating

Expanding into the market for subsea protective coatings

Story type

#service & solutions (main category)

#innovation, #technology

Benefits

▸ Company expanding capabilities and capacity to serve the thermal insulation market.

Commercial Manager

How is Metalcoating thriving?

Metalcoating has been on an up and down adventure since it was set up more than two decades ago. Experiencing mixed fortunes in the oil and gas industry, the company was forced to relocate in order to survive. However, it has since emerged stronger.

Key to its more stable position was the decision to enter the subsea market for protective coatings, a sector which has yielded strongly thanks to the company’s bold investment decisions. With this market now somewhat nailed down, the firm is eying up expansion into the world of thermal insulation.

The challenge - Founded in 2000, Metalcoating has carved a name for itself in the provision of protective coating services. Starting out by providing services on carbon steel pipes in the sanitation market, this line of business delivered sound returns for several years. However, due to its fluctuating nature, the Brazilian company sought out other avenues and ventured into the world of oil and gas around 2010.

It soon became CRC-certified with Petrobras and, off the back of this, quickly secured its first contract with UNBC for anticorrosive spools for topsides in the Campos Basin, as well as several contracts with Petrobras itself. After the slowdown in the sector in 2014, Metalcoating was forced to shut down its oil and gas business unit in Aracaju, Sergipe state, the company relocating and starting a partnership in Macaé, Rio de Janeiro.

In 2019, the company was once again operating as an independent entity and decided also to enter a brand-new market – sub-sea installation projects.

The solution - This new market leaves little room for error, not least because subsea applications require highly stringent specifications with no margin for replacement parts.

Transitioning into the submarine market has, therefore, been a significant challenge – one made all the more complex by the fact the company did not have prior experience in this environment. However, Metalcoating has

been able to draw on the experience of some employees who were familiar with the specifications and project control systems, this being crucial in enabling it to upgrade its capabilities and make the transition.

Having prepared extensively for this move in 2020, the market now recognises Metalcoating as an important player in the field of anti-corrosion coatings for submarine equipment. Specifically, the company provides coatings for crucial equipment such as surf apparatus, jumpers, ILS, flexjoints, etc.

Collaboration and partnerships continue to play an important role, developing materials able to provide thermal insulation of up to 140°C in water depths of up to 3,000 metres with the most relevant polymers manufacturers around the world. This will represent an important step forward, as polymer alloys are able to withstand high temperatures, requiring superior technology due to the challenge for all types of products to perform under hard operating conditions in ultradeep water. In this way, Metalcoating is fully prepared to participate in tenders for upcoming projects.

Also key to Metalcoating’s ongoing development is its in-house laboratory. This is a purpose-built site which conducts all pre-qualification tests for anti-corrosion coatings, including those which support the subsea sector.

Entering this market has also required significant investment in to human and material resources, the company now riding a wave of demand for its coatings that is higher than it could have anticipated when first venturing into the space four years ago. That decision proved vital, as otherwise it may have lost significant market share to competitors.

than

Now, with its feet firmly under the subsea table, Metalcoating is broadening its horizons even further, investing in the development of capabilities and capacity to serve the thermal insulation market. Metalcoating is confident that the future looks promising with a clear path ahead of it.

▸ Stable future ahead of Metalcoating.

Key findings

For industry

▸ Understand the market you’re entering and participate in it actively.

▸ Provide excellency, it’s key to establish longevity in the market.

Metalcoating at a glance:

Key products and services: anticorrosive coatings.

Main industries served:

▸ Oil and gas – 98%

▸ Others (non-energy) – 2%

Headquarters: Rio das Ostras, Brazil

Year established: 2000

Number of employees: 70

Revenue from exports: 0%

Paulo Campos

Modutec

A strategy of successful diversifi cation through considered acquisitions

Brian Knowles CEO

How is Modutec thriving?

Modutec is currently enjoying the fruits of substantial endeavours over the past couple of years. Since charting a new strategic course in 2022 to broaden its horizons beyond the oil and gas sector, the company has completed several strategic, focused and synergistic acquisitions.

With these moves having facilitated Modutec’s expansion into the defence and marine sectors, nearly half of the company’s business now stems from non-oil and gas operations, with revenues projected to nearly double in 2024 (£42m) compared to 2022 (£22m).

The challenge - Established in 2002, Aberdeenbased Modutec has built a stellar reputation for its prowess in repairing, converting, and constructing marine and offshore living quarters alongside technical buildings.

Boasting a workforce of 405 individuals and generating annual revenues surpassing £26m, Modutec has swiftly cemented its position as a prominent industry player in just 22 years, predominantly through its engagement in oil and gas ventures.

However, as this rapid growth would suggest, Modutec by nature is not a company that’s willing to settle, nor stand still.

Eyeing further growth in the post-covid era, the company sought to explore several possible avenues of new opportunity. Concerns over overdependence on oil and gas prompted a strategic shift towards diversification and market expansion into promising, high-growth sectors. However, coming into markets as a new entrant is never an easy task.

The solution - In an effort to gain traction amongst new customer bases, Modutec has pursued several strategic acquisitions in recent times.

In December 2022, the firm acquired Glasgow-based CO-AT Marine – experts in marine and offshore HVAC and refrigeration

solutions that create safe and comfortable environment on board ships and offshore structures in a cost-effective and reliable manner. Critically, the move for the HVAC services company bolstered Modutec’s HVAC and piping solutions capabilities, enabling it to better serve the international marine, offshore, renewables and onshore process sectors, with an additional 10 skilled personnel positioned throughout Scotland.

Fast forward 16 months, and Modutec then also acquired SeaKing Electrical in April 2024. Indeed, the move to take on the Birkenhead-based enterprise and its 105 staff complemented the CO-AT acquisition, with SeaKing providing electrical engineering and installation services to customers in the marine, defence, renewables, and offshore sectors.

The identification and acquisition of strategic entities such as these have required immense effort. Finding companies that not only resonate with Modutec’s strategic vision and culture but also facilitate the logical expansion of its skill sets has proven challenging. Modutec CEO Brian Knowles acknowledges that this strategic pursuit has consumed a significant portion – 80%, to be precise – of his time. Nonetheless, the early signs of success are unmistakable, indicating that these concerted efforts are already yielding tangible results.

In 2019, approximately 95% of Modutec’s revenue originated from oil and gas operations. However, by 2023, this dynamic shifted to a more balanced distribution, with 65% attributed to oil and gas and 35% to defence/marine sectors. Moreover, with an annual income of £26m recorded last year, the company anticipates a substantial growth, projecting revenues to surpass £42m this year. Notably, half of this projected revenue is expected to be generated from marine and defence activities. Looking ahead, Modutec will also continue

Story type

#diversification (main category)

Benefits

▸ Company closer to a more balanced distribution of revenue among sectors.

▸ Revenues to surpass £42m in 2024.

Key findings

For industry

▸ Be transparent, from A to Z.

▸ Don’t oversell and underdeliver.

Modutec at a glance:

Key products and services: repair, conversion and new build of marine and offshore living quarters and technical buildings.

Main industries served:

▸ Oil and gas – 65%

▸ Others (non-energy): defence, marine – 35%

Headquarters: Aberdeen, UK

Year established: 2002

Number of employees: 405

Revenue: £26m

Revenue from exports: 80%

to further pursue acquisition opportunities. Currently, the company is in the planning stages of acquiring a third entity – a specialist in offshore wind vessel construction and/or transportation – in a new region of interest.

This strategic move is poised to enhance Modutec’s growing portfolio of expertise. With ongoing consolidation efforts in emerging markets and the potential for further acquisitions on the horizon, 2024 is poised to be a pivotal year for the company, solidifying its position as a specialist in marine, defence, and oil and gas solutions.

Mott MacDonald

Diversifying to double in size by 2027

Simon Critten

Senior Vice President and North America Energy Sector Leader

How is Mott MacDonald thriving?

Mott MacDonald has responded effectively to the evolving North American energy market of the past five years, diversifying beyond traditional oil and gas into low carbon molecules, power and renewables, and expanding key capabilities to deliver system-level long linear projects such as transmission lines and pipelines. The challenge - Engineering, management and development consultancy Mott MacDonald is a major global player in the energy industry. Headquartered in the UK, the company employs 20,000 people delivering projects across 150 countries in total. It has been operating in North America for over 50 years; an area of the globe where it is targeting significant growth over the coming years.

In 2016, the company’s North American midstream business generated around 30% of profits across the entire group as it capitalised on several lucrative projects. However, from 2017 onwards the market changed and catalysed a shift in the regional energy strategy. With a distinct market shift into alternative areas such as solar and offshore wind, the firm found its North American energy revenue and margins were declining as the energy mix changed. In response, the organisation recognised it needed to develop greater agility to adapt to the midstream market changes while enhancing its capabilities in renewables, transmission and distribution (T&D) and energy storage.

It was decided that Mott MacDonald needed to evolve its traditionally orientated North American power division towards renewables and T&D. However, the combination of limited North American based skills in selected key areas coupled with an increasingly competitive market presented immediate barriers to overcome.

To address these challenges, Mott MacDonald had to rethink its go-to-market strategy. It recognised that it had too many internal siloes within its energy business, and needed to decide which markets it wanted to focus on and how it could truly add value within those segments. This required understanding the many pieces of the market puzzle, as well as cultural and structural aspects that would ensure the organisation began thinking as one unified system and delivering integrated projects.

The solution - For Mott MacDonald, bringing this structural and operational transformation to fruition has required concerted efforts spanning several years.

Beginning in 2018, the firm began to put a greater focus on cross-collaboration between its oil and gas and power teams internally, developing a national resourcing model across North America as it moved away from its previously localised, siloed structure.

Come 2019 there was a strategy shift from midstream to power and renewables capabilities. This included recruiting specialists in solar, wind and T&D and a cross-sector skills development program implemented.

While COVID impacted progress in 2020 and 2021, the firm formally renamed and restructured its separate divisions as a single energy business in 2023, removing individualised references to power and oil and gas.

At the same time, Mott MacDonald established a new core focus on energy networks in particular “long-linear” energy and appurtenances. The team behind this comprised diverse skillsets in everything from systems analysis, engineering and design through to route corridor assessment, constructability reviews, surveys, environmental and permitting. Considered to be a key pillar of the company’s future revenue stream, this team is focused on delivering major molecule- and electron-related linear projects each with the potential of generating significant fees. The ‘systems’ mindset has been extended throughout the North American business with energy increasingly a significant topic for wider infrastructure projects, such as decarbonization of transit. The ability to bring together skills from across different sectors to deliver integrated projects is a key feature of their planned growth. Throughout this process, attracting and retaining top talent has remained a challenge. The firm actively positions itself as an employer of choice in order to overcome ongoing industry skills shortages. Mott MacDonald has launched skills-focused strategic resource planning and seeks to provide opportunities that align with employee aspirations.

Having completed many of these foundational changes, Mott MacDonald has outlined bold ambitions for the future. While continuing to grow between 2019 and 2023,

Story type

#diversification (main category)

#energy transition

Benefits

▸ Successful beginning on the offshore wind market in the Northeast region of US.

▸ Revenue increase in oil and gas and power segments.

Key findings

For industry

▸ Be agile, get broad experience: your core skills can apply across many areas.

▸ Staff is everything: create an environment and culture that allows innovation, collaboration and loyalty.

For government

▸ More certainty is needed as the political cycle is not conducive to energy transition.

Mott MacDonald at a glance:

Key products and services: multisector engineering and management consultancy service. The sectors covered are transport, energy, water and buildings and cities.

Main industries served:

▸ Conventional power – 25%

▸ Renewables – 15%

▸ Conventional Fuels – 10%

▸ Energy transition (including storage, hydrogen and CCUS) – 5%

▸ Nuclear (including SMR) – 35%

Headquarters: Croydon, UK

Year established: 1989

Number of employees: 20,000

Revenue: £2bn

Revenue from exports: 70%

the firm also reorientated its North American energy business from a 75/25 split between oil and gas and power to 55/45. Moving forward, the business seeks to more than double by 2027, with energy achieving a 50/50 split between molecule and electron projects. With such ambitions, Mott MacDonald will be an exciting prospect to keep an eye on over the coming months.

Norco Energy Group

Looking overseas to make the most of its oil and gas expertise

Story type

#export (main category) #diversification

Benefits

▸ UAE business has generated 8.5% of company’s revenue in 2023 and is expected to grow to 15% in 2025.

How is Norco Energy Group thriving?

After 30 years of serving various industries, Norco Energy Group took the decision to maximise its oil and gas expertise by exploring opportunities that lie further afield.

The UAE, standing out as a natural first step ever since the company visited in 2017, has proven fruitful in the years since, not least because of its business with ADNOC. Today, the country is responsible for a significant proportion of overall revenue, this growth being driven by a new General Manager with two decades of local experience.

The challenge - Any company doing business in the same market for 30 years will face challenges to retain a strong market share.

Specialising in customised battery and Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) solutions across various industries, Norco Energy Group has built up a reputation for providing high-quality products and services. Its experienced professionals offer tailored solutions, including a comprehensive range of batteries, UPS systems, and related services, including installation, maintenance and repairs.

However, in 2017 the company reached a crossroads. Whilst it could continue to grow within the UK, specifically strengthening its presence in England, this would require more of a generalisation of its services rather than specific oil and gas support – as such, Norco would face strong competition. The company’s leadership therefore decided to explore other countries and regions that have oil and gas industries where it could offer its unique service capability.

The soluti on - After visiting in 2017, the UAE became the obvious target for international expansion.

Indeed, it was evident there was a requirement for Norco Energy Group’s services and products, necessitating a 100% commitment to the region. This was swiftly achieved by placing a full-time employee in the country and, while initially making slow progress in terms of regional promotion, the company gradually gained traction and experience through a relationship with ADNOC.

The first order from ADNOC was a big milestone, not least because other prospective clients wanted to know about Norco’s prior experience in the country before committing

John Roy Willie Duff Director General Manager

to doing business. After successfully fulfilling this work and gauging the market, the company received a further, larger order for ADNOC Distribution in Q1 2020, marking its first major job in the country.

This breakthrough prompted the hiring of another UAE employee. However, in the years since, Norco encountered a series of challenges which threatened to hinder its progress in the region.

Momentum began to slow as the company was starting to not receive replies to tenders, while delays were encountered when bidding on large volumes. In addition, the company fell into the trap of operating with ADNOC blinkers, and therefore not considering any work outside of the traditional oil and gas remit, in large part due to a lack of contacts in these areas. Managing the operation from afar was also a problem, with mistakes starting to seep through the cracks due to time differences and a lack of oversight.

In April 2023, the appointment of Willie Duff to the role of in-country General Manager changed everything. Bringing 20 years of experience with him, Duff entered the fray with a fresh set of eyes and immediately grasped where Norco should be selling its expertise in the UAE market.

Two avenues proved to be successful almost straight away. First, the company decided to offer training courses on UPS and battery systems in a similar way it was doing for clients in the UK – such has been the popularity, clients are already looking to book follow up sessions. The second area Duff identified was shipyards. Here, the company has made instant progress, securing repeat business from some of the largest operators in the country, with four clients between them generating AED2m of work in the space of a year.

From an internal perspective, various processes have also been ironed out. Payments are more fluid, contractual awareness has increased, and the existing workforce has been retained with a view to expansion as more contracts are secured.

Indeed, momentum is now gathering once again. In 2022, the UAE business generated around 2% of company revenue, this growing to 8.5% in 2023 and on track for 15% in 2024.

▸ Internally processes are clearer and more fluid.

Key findings

For industry

▸ Speak to others and learn from their stories, particularly challenges faced and how they were overcome and also mistakes that set them back.

▸ Be prepared to change your strategy and rethink your plans.

Norco Energy Group at a glance:

Key products and services: multimanufacturer equipment support.

Main industries served:

▸ Oil and gas – 60%

▸ Hydrogen – 5%

▸ Conventional power – 5%

▸ Energy storage – 5%

▸ Onshore renewable energy – 5%

▸ Nuclear power – 2%

▸ Offshore renewable energy – 1%

▸ Others (energy): facilities management – 17%

Headquarters: Aberdeen, UK

Year established: 1992

Number of employees: 112

Revenue: £12m

Revenue from exports: 4%

NOV MISSION

Celebrating its centennial anniversary with a continued commitment to quality

Hisham Osman Sales Manager

How is NOV MISSION thriving?

100 years. Few companies can claim to have reached such a significant milestone, but NOV is part of this exclusive club.

With the NOV Group employing 35,000 staff globally, a spotlight is now being shone on its MISSION division as a bright hope for the firm’s future. A stalwart segment of the organisation that has been around for the entirety of its 100-year history, it continues to spearhead innovation within the centrifugal pump arena, developing high quality, long-lasting products to directly address uptime and reliability demands amongst drilling industry clients and further enhance the brand’s reputation.

The challenge - MISSION’s challenge is one that has extended across an entire century. As Kleenex is to the tissue, the company has become synonymous with centrifugal pumps and fluid end expendables within the oil and gas industry.

The need for a reliable pumping solution is as old as the drilling industry. With the variety of fluids used in rigs with a wide range of temperatures, chemical compositions, solid contents and 24/7 running capabilities, MISSION was born to cater to these diverse needs in the most sustainable way.

For the past 100 years, it has done just that, keeping up with emerging competition, challenger brands, copycats, and changing global markets to sustain its market leadership position – a monumental feat given the broad category the company operates in. Indeed, few have reached a similar milestone, with MISSION demonstrating commendable resilience in navigating not only the ebbs and flows of the industry but also the technological and manufacturing advances that have changed the face of energy.

The solution - Key to this success has been MISSION’s ability to remain agile and pivot quickly when faced with all-encompassing obstacles. When global supply chain issues coincided with increased demand, especially in the Middle East region, the company promptly qualified new mills and raw material suppliers, identified new subcontractors and vendors, and found alternative routes to mitigate the impact and meet demand. This was easier said than done given the painful impacts of inflation

and scarcity on all businesses. However, MISSION remained unwavering in its commitment to establishing new partnerships and forging new paths.

Another factor in this success has been MISSION’s emphasis on truly understanding its customers. Aside from delivering on client requests, MISSION goes above and beyond to provide top-tier services, using speculative orders to anticipate customer needs. This proficiency is only possible because of the company’s thorough end-to-end understanding of its own manufacturing realities. Coupled with its awareness of customer lifecycle and economic conditions, this client-centric knowledge decreases lead times and alleviates pressures.

Further, MISSION continues to innovate centrifugal pumps, fluid end expendables, valves and seats, and additional accessories instead of resting on its well-deserved laurels. Having developed many of the original versions of these products on the market, the company works hard to remain ahead of the competition 100 years on.

For example, the cartridge in the latest MISSION Blak-JAK Washpipe is 25% lighter than other original equipment manufacturer designs, increasing manoeuvrability at the swivel and on the rig floor. Additionally, MISSION has developed a modern approach to extend CoCs through developing a way to conduct remote inspections using connectivity technology.

Throughout these efforts, MISSION’s mission has remained clear. No challenge is too great, and there is always room for improvement. By the company’s own admission, its people are paramount to its ongoing success, continually striving to find ways to take the organisation to ever greater heights.

Through a continued commitment to quality, excellence, and resilience in facing challenges, it is likely that NOV MISSION will continue to succeed as a market leader for many more decades to come.

Story type

#resilience (main category)

Benefits

▸ Continual innovation from MISSION’s work.

▸ Company positioned to remain an industry leader.

Key findings

For industry

▸ Emphasise the importance of safety, efficiency and sustainability.

▸ Embrace technology for enhanced operations and risk mitigation.

▸ Stress the value of collaboration among industry stakeholders for innovation and best practices.

For government

▸ Prioritise long-term sustainability over short-term gains.

▸ Implement policies that promote renewable energy adoption, climate resilience and environmental conservation.

NOV MISSION at a glance:

Key products and services: technical expertise for pumping systems, fluid end expendables, pressure control systems, flowline equipment, and continuous technology development of fluid management systems.

Main industries served:

▸ Oil and gas – 90%

▸ Others (non-energy): mining and industrial – 10%

Headquarters: Houston, US

Year established: 1924

Number of employees: 35,000 (Group), 1,000 (NOV MISSION)

Revenue: £160m

Revenue from exports: 80%

nov.com/mission mission@nov.com