Sheikh Saud bin Saqr Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Ras Al Khaimah has met Eni’s Deputy of Chief Operating Officer – Natural Resources Luca Bertelli to discuss developments in the oil and gas sector and Eni’s progress in the region. During the meeting, H.H. Sheikh Saud witnessed the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between Fuad Krekshi, Chairman of Eni RAK, and Nishant Dighe to pursue exploration and production sharing in Ras Al Khaimah.The meeting was attended by a number of RAK Gas and Eni representatives, as well as senior Ras Al Khaimah Government officials.

Following a climate resolution filed by Dutch activist investor Follow This in favour of its own energy transition plan, Shell Plc’s board has asked shareholders to reject the file. According to Shell, the Follow This resolution is “redundant” given its own “more comprehensive strategy”. Shell announced the intention to accelerate its climate ambitions in February, saying that it would
produce less oil, more gas and slash carbon emissions over the next three decades. The oil major has now presented those ambitions in an energy transition plan for a non-binding vote by shareholders in May. The strategy will be updated every three years, while investors will get an advisory vote every year on Shell’s progress toward the targets starting 2022.

Total considers it appropriate to clarify a recent press article concerning the “… liquid that has been flowing on the wall of the perimeter that changes the colour of the stone …”. According to the company, this liquid consists of rainwater that comes out from the drainage holes of a containment wall built along a road located near the Oil Center. The wall in question is not in fact a perimeter wall of the facility. Rainwater, drained from the adjacent ground and above this wall, comes out during significant rainfall, such as those occurred in recent weeks. The result of the specific analyses commissioned to an accredited independent laboratory will be made available soon.

Efforts to identify and attribute global emissions will get a boost from satellites to be launched by a consortium including Carbon Mapper, the State of California, NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and Planet Labs Inc. Data collected by the satellites will pinpoint and measure sources of methane and carbon dioxide, as well as more than two dozen other environmental indicators, the group said in a statement on Thursday. The first two satellites are set to launch in 2023, with more to be added two years later. Carbon Mapper, a non-profit that plans to make high-emitting methane and CO2 sources publicly visible at the facility level, is at the heart of this latest effort to increase transparency on fossil-fuel industry emissions. The sector accounts for roughly a third of the methane generated by human activity.

China has drilled deep in the South China Sea to retrieve sediment core from the seabed, amid tensions over disputed waters with rival claimants Taiwan and the Philippines, as well as with the US. Chinese scientists on a marine research vessel used China’s home-made “Sea Bull II” drilling system to obtain a sediment core 231 metres (253 yards)long at a depth of 2,060 metres (6,760 feet). The system can help explore natural gas hydrate resources in the seabed, referring to the solid icelike crystals formed from a mixture of methane and water that are touted as a promising source of energy.

The Norwegian subsidiary of energy firm Shell (Norkse Shell) has sold its downstream LNG subsidiary Gasnor to Spanish Molgas Energy Holding for an undisclosed sum. The transaction transfers all of Norske Shell’s complete shareholding in Gasnor to Molgas and includes all of Gasnor’s assets and 52 staff. Gasnor is a downstream LNG company with small scale LNG production facilities headquartered in Avaldsnes, Norway. The sale of Gasnor has no effect on the operations or organisation of Norske Shell. The divestment also does not affect Shell’s interests in Shell’s LNG Gibraltar terminal, where Gasnor will continue to provide operator services.

The Environmental Compatibility Office of the Basilicata Region today completed the technical evaluation of the documentation presented by the company Total E&P Italy spa following the warning of 24 March, with which it had been arranged the anticipation of the general stop of the “Centro olio” Tempa Rossa scheduled for the end of April. The company has carried out the survey and replacement of the damaged process valves and the revision of the vibration system of the fans of the refrigeration unit of the plant, pending the scheduled general stop of 25 April and pending the completion of the reliability study, in order to ensure that it operates in compliance with the safety of all plant units.

Vår Energi, which is jointly owned by Eni (69,85%), has received a drilling permit from the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate (NPD) for four wells in the production license 027 in the Norwegian section of the North Sea. The wells will br drilled using the Scarabeo 8 semi-submersible drilling facility, which is designed to support operations in harsh environments. The Scarabeo 8 rig is due to conclude the drilling of water injection wells for Vår Energi in production licence 229.
While the drilling program for wells 25/8-20 S and 25/8-20 B pertains to the drilling of wildcat wells, the drilling program for wells 25/8-20 A and 25/8-20 C involves the drilling of appraisal wells.

According to Rystad Energy, existing robotics solutions could replace hundreds of thousands of oil and gas jobs globally and reduce drilling labor costs by several billion dollars by 2030, if there is an industry push for such a transition. One of the segments with much to gain from the adoption of robotics is drilling, as it is highly cost-intensive and involves carrying out dangerous tasks in challenging environments. Robotic solutions have already been introduced successfully in drilling operations. Inspection, maintenance and repair (IMR) operations are also ideal for robotic operations and is the segment where adoption of robotics has gained the most traction among operators in recent years. This has so far mainly been limited to subsea IMR activities, but we are now starting to see IMR robotics solutions also being used for topsides.

The government says permission to drill will be granted as part of a careful transition away from fossil fuels, safeguarding jobs and the economy. But the environmentalists say that the government should refuse the new licences as there are enough fossil fuels to ruin the climate.
However, according to ministers, the strategy will be work. Oil&gas will face targets to reduce emissions by 10% by 2025 and 25% by 2027. It is also committed to cut emissions by 50% by 2030. It will be helped by joint government and private investment of up to £16bn by 2030.
This will include up to £10bn for hydrogen production and £3bn for a technology called carbon capture, usage and storage – where carbon emissions are either turned into other products such as plastics or buried. The government says the deal should cut pollution by up to 60 million tonnes by 2030, while also supporting up to 40,000 jobs across the supply chain.