While working to transform, decarbonize, and future-proof in a bid to ensure energy security, the UAE’s oil and gas heavyweight, Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC), has used more than 30 artificial intelligence (AI) solutions across its full value chain to curb its emissions footprint while generating $500 million (AED 1.84 billion) in value during 2023.
This marks the start of a multi-year program to accelerate the deployment of a suite of AI solutions across ADNOC’s value chain, from field operations to smarter and quicker corporate decision-making, which resulted in the abatement of up to 1 million tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions between 2022 and 2023, the equivalent of removing around 200,000 gasoline-powered cars from the road.
Dr. Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber , UAE’s Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology and ADNOC’s Managing Director and Group CEO, commented: “Artificial intelligence is one of the most important economic and social game changers of our era and it can play a crucial role in accelerating a just, orderly and equitable energy transition.
“At ADNOC, we have integrated artificial intelligence across our operations, from the control room to the boardroom, and it is enabling us to make smarter decisions and better protect our people and the environment.”
The company has operated two centers of AI excellence since 2017, including the Panorama Digital Command Center in charge of providing operational insights from across ADNOC’s value chain, and the Thamama Subsurface Center of Excellence, which leverages artificial intelligence to harness Abu Dhabi’s subsurface resources.
Regarding ADNOC’s upstream operations, AI applications play a central role in mapping subsurface resources, optimizing drilling, production activity, and smarter reservoir management. This enables the UAE giant to grow its production capacity and ensure the continued delivery of energy with lower-carbon intensity.
Furthermore, the company’s Centralized Predictive Analytics and Diagnostics (CPAD) program harnesses the power of AI to remotely monitor critical operational equipment across upstream and downstream facilities.
As a result, the frequency of unplanned shutdowns has been reduced while routine maintenance activity has been streamlined. Simultaneously, this improves operational efficiency to enable the production of maximum energy with minimum emissions, according to ADNOC.
In addition, AI is being employed to support the firm’s net zero by 2045 ambition and its target to achieve near-zero methane emissions by 2030, with tools such as Emission X, gathering historic and real-time data from hundreds of sources on operational sites to predict emission sources up to five years in advance, allowing operators to take preventative action.
There are other AIQ products in operation at ADNOC’s facilities, encompassing SMARTi, an intelligent computer vision system that uses AI to detect safety hazards across industrial and operational environments.
While AR360 uses AI to visualize reservoirs and optimize development, reducing planning time and increasing well life and ultimate recovery rates, Robowell uses AI to remotely operate equipment like flow valves in upstream facilities, reducing cost, enhancing safety, and increasing production capacity.
“As we grow our diversified portfolio to ensure secure, reliable and responsible supply of energy, we are further integrating AI to future-proof our business and drive greater and more sustainable value from our assets and resources,” outlined Al Jaber.
Recently, ADNOC and BP decided to establish a new joint venture (JV) . This comes after ADNOC made its first international equity investment foray in carbon management by becoming a lead investor in Storegga, a UK-based company focused on the development of global carbon capture and storage (CCS) projects.
ADNOC also joined forces with Santos in November 2023 to pursue a pathway towards the potential development of a joint global carbon management platform to support the decarbonization journey throughout Asia-Pacific and accelerate net zero goals.