In an exclusive interview with Oil & Gas Middle East, Tarek Rizk, president of Middle East and North Africa at SLB, discusses how the company’s rebranding from Schlumberger to SLB is focused on newer energy services, and what it means for its customers in the Middle East region.
How will the rebranding impact SLB’s customers in the Middle East region?
Schlumberger has had a constant presence in the Middle East for the past 85 years. Our rebrand to SLB does not change this. We’ll continue providing our customers in the region with the high service quality levels that they have come to expect from us.
Today, SLB is a global technology company, driving energy innovation for a balanced planet. Since launching the SLB brand the week before ADIPEC this year, I’ve received a lot of positive feedback from customers. I think the new brand shows that we’re in tune with the challenges the world is facing—specifically the “energy trilemma,” which is about balancing the interplay between energy affordability, energy security and climate change.
To address these challenges, we’re working closely with our customers in the Middle East to help decarbonise oil and gas exploration and development. SLB will also offer more sustainable solutions to a broader range of customers outside of our traditional industry verticals. This will come from strategic collaborations in the region—like the one we announced with Saudi Aramco in September to develop a digital platform that will provide sustainability solutions for hard-to-abate industrial sectors like oil and gas, chemicals, utilities, cement, and steel.
What steps is SLB taking to accelerate the energy transition in the Middle East?
Sustainability is at the heart of everything we do. It’s built into our R&D processes for new technology development, and it’s a significant consideration for our collaborations and partnerships in the region.
One of the key levers for rapidly decarbonising the energy system in the Middle East and across the globe is carbon capture and storage (CCS). This is a key focus area for SLB, and we currently have over 20 active CCS-related projects—several of which are in the Middle East.
Another opportunity in the region is geothermal. Last month, we announced our collaboration with Oman’s Ministry of Energy and Minerals and the Oman Investment Authority on a geothermal resource development project. We recently completed a countrywide evaluation of Oman’s geothermal potential using a proprietary AI solution to expedite assessment, sorting, and evaluation of the huge volume of data from the Oman Oil & Gas Data Repository. We look forward to being involved in the next phase of the project, which will include assessment of the economic feasibility of the development of potential geothermal resources.
How is SLB working with Middle East oil and gas producers to improve their production while reducing the carbon footprint?
We’re working every day to develop more sustainable oil and gas development solutions. Many of these come from our growing portfolio of Transition Technologies, which have a quantifiable emissions reduction benefit. As oil and gas development ramps up in the region, we’ll work closely with our customers to provide the best-matched technology solutions that help them increase production from their reserves at a competitive cost and low carbon intensity per barrel.
A good example comes from Oman in the Khazzan Field where we deployed our zero-flaring well test and clean-up solution that enabled zero-flaring delivery of new wells to a central production facility. The solution, which was applied across 10 wells, set a new bar for operational efficiency and service delivery and resulted in more than 80,000 tons of CO2 emission reduction.
Can you discuss how SLB is investing in the local talent and local content programmes?
Investing in local talent and local content is part of our DNA and history in the region; it has long been core to how we operate and is vital to our customer relationships and supporting their regional goals.
One example—In the UAE, we’ve completed the expansion of our state-of-the-art integrated facility in the Industrial City of Abu Dhabi, incorporating artificial intelligence and digital technologies to drive quality and efficiency. This more than 100,000-square-foot facility is used to deliver manufacturing and repair capabilities for downhole completion equipment and will include state-of-the-art gauges and gas lift labs. Moreover, this investment will support our ambitious Emiratisation programme creating new opportunities for local talent across the full value chain.
