Executive officials at Saudi Aramco stressed the role of circular carbon economy and digital transformation in the global energy transformation. They made the remarks at the conclusion of the International Petroleum Technology Conference (IPTC) 2022 in Riyadh on Wednesday. Chief Technology Officer at Saudi Aramco Ahmad Al-Khowaiter referred to the importance for stakeholders to move from the level of discussions to the level of unanimity for its role in speeding up global efforts to remove carbon, shedding light on the benefits of the model of circular carbon economy and stressing the importance of transparency in this regard. He said: “A circular carbon economy is the method that we can move from today to a future with low carbon in a neutral technological way that unleashes the power of the current energy. It is the most economic thing that we should do, not only because it is the fastest, there are immense possibilities to reduce emissions from the global oil and gas industry, and not only through the renewable energy resources, but also through the good administration for gas and petroleum engineering, where we need to identify the good performance and stimulate transparency due to their benefits for each of our industries and societies in general.” For his part, Executive Director of Strategy and Market Analysis at Saudi Aramco Ashraf Al-Ghazzawi referred to the need to a stable, scientific and comprehensive energy transition on the real ground, saying: “We all know that as the world moves to a low-carbon economy, there will be a change in the base of the energy infrastructure and systems, as well as the way we use energy across the world; no one approach will suit all during energy transition, where developing countries will need to ensure they receive energy with an affordable cost, and the comprehensive transition is the only guarantor for the participation of all sides together.” Vice President of Digital Transformation at Saudi Aramco Nabil Al-Nuaim considered the development of the digital ecosystem in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, including cloud computing, as boosters to increase innovation in the energy sector with supporting programs of sustainability and removing carbon, saying: “The digital transformation has changed our lives and will continue to make change and add value to our societies. Part of our digital transformation program at Saudi Aramco is to establish a global digital ecosystem to support our basic works and expand in the future, where building this ecosystem is not easy for it requires years of hard work with our partners, and we are confident that this will lay the foundation for another Silicon Valley in the energy sector.” Vice President of Saudi Aramco for Drilling and Workover AbdulHameed Al-Rushaid shed light on the important role played by Saudi Aramco in ensuring credible energy supplies for the world over the past few years, stressing the pivotal job of flexible infrastructure of the company in overcoming difficulties, mainly during the times of need. He said: “Change comes to us from all sides, and as an industry, we have to adapt and innovate in this environment if we want to realize our ambitions. We managed to increase production in times that the entire world was facing big interruptions in the supply chains, where we benefited from initiatives to localize local contents of the company through Iktifaa program and using cutting-edge technologies of the fourth industrial revolution to maintain the operation of our works remotely every time it was needed as planned and without any interruptions, with maintaining the safety and welfare of our operational resources.” Hosted by Saudi Aramco, IPTC 2022 focused on enhancing global recovery through sustainable energy. The conference was attended by some prominent figures and thought leaders to hold important discussions on the future of the energy sector. — SPA