I have lost count of the number of times I have silently disagreed with climate activists calling for an immediate end to fossil fuels. Let’s face it. Oil and gas isn’t going to disappear overnight. And ‘boycotting’ fossil fuels to address climate change certainly won’t help.
As ADNOC CEO and COP28 President Dr Jaber rightly noted, “Maintaining global energy security will require oil and gas to remain a significant part of the mix for decades to come.”
Thankfully, the realisation is slowly sinking in across global economies, especially as nations are scrambling for quick solutions to secure affordable and reliable energy.
At the recently-concluded CERAWeek conference in Houston, the consensus was clear: Energy security is vital for a successful energy transition. Given the intermittent aspects of renewable energies such as wind and solar, industry leaders agreed that fossil fuels in some form are deeply ingrained in everyday lives, and that the oil and gas sector will not disappear overnight. On the contrary, an energy transition without energy security would lead to energy poverty, which in turn would slow innovation for improved green technologies and economic development.
In our cover story this month, we delve into the leadership of Shell’s CEO Wael Sawan in driving the company’s energy transition efforts and his vision for the Middle East region. I recently got the opportunity to interview him at Shell’s Oman office and it didn’t take me too long to understand that he is a man of bold ambitions. He talked about more investment in the Middle East and his clear vision to optimise operations and tackle the energy trilemma.
In the power-packed issue, you will also find an exclusive interview with Aramco’s SVP of Human Resources Faisal A. Al-Hajji who talks about job opportunities for engineers, top qualities that Aramco is looking out for in potential job applicants and how the company is working to attract and retain talent.
Click below to read the April issue:
