Tech for Good: How Petrofac Maximises the Power of Digital to Boost the Energy Transition 

SPE Offshore Europe’s 2023 show proved to be a well of rich knowledge for the industry, with thought leaders at the forefront of conference presentations.

One of these is “Harnessing the Power of Digital to Support the Energy Transition”, given by Kevin Vardy, Senior Manager for Digital at one of London’s leading energy services companies, Petrofac.

The talk illustrated the company’s journey on:

• maximising technology and digital solutions across the energy lifecycle, making the energy transition more efficient,
• a look into their Emissions and Energy Management tool,
• and how such solutions can benefit businesses in the market.

Resolving the problems posed by the climate change crisis requires major economic and social transformation. This is especially so for those that produce large amounts of emissions, like the oil and gas industry, responsible for 10% of global emissions.

But one cannot simply and completely shut it down in lieu of carbon neutrality. The survival and growth of the economy require energy, and 80% of the world’s energy demands are fulfilled by fossil fuels (coal, oil, and gas). 

As such, the industry is asked to take on a big challenge—to transform itself and transition to a better energy standpoint by significantly lessening emissions as it continues to provide power for all.

As one of the leading companies in the global market for energy, Petrofac recognises the consequential matter of transforming the sector and doing one’s part in the great energy transition.

Kevin Vardy, forwards in his presentation, that adopting the appropriate digital solutions to transform industry practices and services will produce high-quality and high-value outcomes for stakeholders.

To keep up with the changes in the oil and gas sector, shifting to digital can prove pivotal in both the energy transition and day-to-day business processes.

To aid in the energy transition, Petrofac developed their Emissions and Energy Management Tool. This digital solution enables businesses to manage and monitor emissions across an entire asset’s lifecycle, view emission reports from Scope 1 to 3, and collate data promptly for performance enhancement.

The Emissions and Energy Management Tool assesses the cost implications of a project’s design, modifications, repairs, enhancements, and decommissioning, providing stakeholders with valuable data for decision-making. It also allows for reports to be streamlined and expedited, facilitating greater understanding for organisations on their equipment, sites, or services.

The Emissions and Energy Management Tool can provide resolutions for both greenfield and brownfield developments:

• For Greenfield developments:

o   Accurately predict the carbon footprint of a planned development.

o   Calculate and produce data over a project’s entire operating life cycle.

o   Generate costed engineering solutions for quantified performance enhancements.

• For Brownfield assets:

o   Monitor real-time emissions.

o   Extract data at a component level.

o   Provide reports with an in-depth understanding of the asset’s performance and how it can be enhanced through amendments to either operational procedures or equipment modification.

Vardy demonstrated the prowess of their tool through external and internal implementation. Case studies on the use of this digital solution by a North Sea operator and the company itself empowered both entities to make more informed decisions with real-time expansive data.

For the North Sea Operator, the Emissions and Energy Management Tool provided:

• Consolidated data from both automated equipment and manual inputs (when required) fed to a Pi data system,
• Report outputs updated daily for accurate and repeatable emissions reporting,
• A clear and concise Power BI-dashboard interface for easy monitoring,
• and expansive data across:

o   CO2 emissions KPIs,

o   Energy KPIs,

o   Flare gas assessments,

o   Production loss impacts to flare gas, fuel gas and diesel,

o   Impact assessments of well usage,

o   Waste heat recovery unit energy recovery,

o   and Gas turbine efficiency.

For Petrofac itself, considering their Net Zero targets, the tool enabled them to:

• Monitor and report internal corporate emissions across offices and operating centres globally.
• Learn from an intuitive dashboard environment that provides updates and data daily, helping them decide and operate more efficiently.
• and view emission reports all the way from Scope 1 through 3.

Vardy proudly shares the value of Petrofac’s digital tool in directly supporting organisations in the face of energy transition. It doesn’t only aid in achieving carbon neutrality goals but also optimises the whole energy lifecycle and its processes from start to end.

All throughout the lifecycle of an energy asset, Vardy reinforces the multitude of benefits in going digital. It does not only make strides in lessening GHGs but also streamlines one’s operations.

Going digital in the energy transition empowers stakeholders to:

• Decide based on data-driven insights that will minimise environmental impacts through:

o   lifecycle emissions forecasting,

o   data leveraging through analytics spanning industry, supplier, project, and operations,

o   and cross-examine operational metrics with energy and emissions data.

• Deploy technology to identify sources of emissions and improve detection and quantification.
• Reduce energy demands and associated emissions by using remote operations like digital twin remote planning, design data gathering and inspections, remote surveys, and over-the-shoulder support and verification.
• Improve efficiency, reliability, and integrity through:

o   digitalisation of operations,

o   use of IIOT and analytics to provide data on equipment performance and condition,

o   and employ predictive maintenance.

• Efficiently predict delivery of new energy projects with a digitalised project delivery ecosystem, connected construction, and digitalised materials lifecycle management.
• Maximise the uptime of low-carbon energy generation with systems that enable data-driven proactive operations and maintenance with minimum planned interventions.

With the need to resolve the climate change crisis, industry players must be open to exploring modern solutions to produce efficient and effective results.

To empower organisations to pursue new ways of working as it endeavours to lessen emissions, shifting to tech-driven and data-driven resolves is a no-brainer.

And digital, in the eyes of Vardy and Petrofac, is a venture worth looking into to not only aid in the energy transition but also benefit businesses against an energy asset’s expansive lifecycle.

SPE Offshore Europe is looking for thought leaders like you to propel the oil and gas industry forward. Submit your papers for the 2025 show by visiting this link: Call for Papers.