Issue: December 2025
COLUMNS
How is U.S. President Trump's upstream oil and gas record shaping up after 11 months? In a new column, World Oil editor-in-chief Kurt Abraham grades policy wins on LNG, leasing and permitting against rising costs, market headwinds and price pressure on U.S. producers.
Norway’s election results reaffirm strong national support for oil and gas, positioning the Labour government to expand licensing and safeguard long-term natural gas exports.
From the political scene to the continued growth of hydrocarbon energy, the global climate consensus and the push for Net Zero are crumbling. It’s time for nations to return to sensible energy policy.
FEATURES
H&P’s FlexRobotics™ system has reached its first commercial use in the Permian, where robotic arms are handling pipe-movement tasks typically performed manually. Following lab and field testing, the company is now evaluating the technology’s impact on crew workflow, rig-move times and operational consistency.
Progressive cavity pump applications are being redefined by with revolutionary electric submersible progressive cavity pump (ESPCP) systems.
In the Middle East, operators are leveraging underbalanced coiled tubing drilling (UBCTD) to reduce formation damage, improve reservoir connectivity, and deliver higher production with lower completion complexity.
This article explores how advanced space technology and resilient satellite connectivity can support the development of autonomous oil rigs by addressing connectivity challenges in remote, hazardous environments. Improved remote monitoring, control and autonomous tools have the potential to enhance safety, increase operational efficiency and strengthen resilience across the energy sector.
Unconventional drilling demands uncompromising rig performance, and new rig designs are delivering value by reducing flat time, increasing efficiency and improving safety
NOV integrates patching, malware defense, and real-time monitoring to safeguard rig control systems, strengthen reliability, and minimize downtime.
As upstream digitalization accelerates, next-generation networks are becoming mission-critical. This article breaks down why DWDM and IP/MPLS technologies are emerging as the backbone of AI-enabled operations—from real-time offshore data transmission to cyber-resilient pipeline monitoring—and how they position producers for the digital energy era.
A staggering 91.5% of large projects in the Energy, Utilities and Resources (EU&R) sector go over schedule, over budget, or both. EU&R companies are awash with data. It takes an AI-driven composable approach to data management, using technology to build streamlined solutions that sift and sort the raw data into actionable insights.
SPECIAL FOCUS: WELL CONTROL & INTERVENTION
This article highlights the benefits of early intervention in maintaining well integrity, by detailing a well control case study in Texas.
As geothermal energy expands, industry experts are securing the future by standardizing the essential operational pivot from hydrostatic to thermodynamic control.
This article examines Halliburton's data-driven approach to well control audits that use artificial intelligence (AI)-supported workflows, real-time data, and historical records to identify at-risk wells, streamline compliance, and reduce nonproductive time.
TechnipFMC’s Pivotal Riserless Intervention enables operators to seamlessly pivot between coiled tubing and wireline operations for subsea well intervention and decommissioning.
INDUSTRY LEADERS' 2026 OUTLOOK
Uncertainty continues to cloud investment on the UK Continental Shelf, as high taxation, limited licensing, declining production and policy shifts reshape the UK energy outlook to 2050.
In this 2026 outlook, Molly Determan, president of the Energy Workforce & Technology Council, examines why oilfield service crews—leaner, more technical and globally integrated—remain the quiet backbone of reliable energy supply, regardless of price cycles, policy shifts or technology hype.
Following the resumption of federal lease sales, the Gulf of America is re-emerging as a cornerstone of U.S. offshore energy. Predictable leasing, permitting reform, and continued investment position the region to support long-term oil and gas production, workforce stability, and energy security.
As the global energy landscape evolves, the Middle East remains a focal point of opportunity and complexity. For 2026, the region's upstream sector faces a dual imperative: to sustain production amid maturing reservoirs and to accelerate innovation through automation and artificial intelligence (AI).
