Indonesia Unveils 118 New Potential Oil and Gas Working Areas, Targets Accelerated Exploration to Boost National Production

On Saturday, March 2nd, 2024, the Soft Skills Division of the SPE ITS SC held SPEctra (SPE Career on Track). This intensive bootcamp is designed to meet the increasing demand for equipping future leaders with essential skills necessary for the modern professional world. SPEctra consists of comprehensive training targeting key aspects of leadership and professional proficiency.SPEctra emerged as a dynamic response to the need for leadership development in today's complex work environments. The program was established to empower participants by honing their abilities in team motivation, conflict management, and strategic decision-making. Grounded in the belief that exceptional leadership is a cultivated skill rather than an innate trait, SPEctra aims to prepare individuals to navigate challenges, foster collaboration, and make informed decisions.Mr. Windo Julioardi, Manufacturing Manager at Danone Aqua, delivered a keynote presentation on "Developing Soft Skills for Decent Work." His insights underscored the importance of soft skills in achieving professional success and contributing to sustainable development.Participants in SPEctra engaged with a case study centered around the theme "Innovating and Impacting Through UN SDGs." This theme encouraged participants to devise solutions that aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) which promotes innovation and impactful outcomes. Throughout the bootcamp, participants worked on progressing their case solutions, guided by structured sessions and mentors. Participants partook in an mentoring session, where they developed decision-making solutions through creative activities such as cardboard prototyping. This hands-on approach facilitated a deeper understanding of the case study and fostered innovative thinking. The mentoring session resulted in discussions and preparations for the presentation phase. After submitting their case solutions, participants presented their work. The top three submissions were selected for final presentations that were held offline. The presentation session also featured expert speakers, Lala Cig, who addressed "Strategies for Effective Problem Solving" and "Aligning Professional Growth with UN SDGs." This session provided participants with practical strategies and insights for tackling complex problems and aligning their career growth with global sustainability goals.The event concluded with a closing ceremony and an awarding session to appreciate the outstanding efforts of the participants.Written by: Arya Nugraha Aulia Rahman Yusup

In 2026, the oil and gas industry’s AI revolution is no longer a forecast, it is an operational reality. The world’s largest energy companies have moved past experimentation, embedding AI into drill floors, control rooms, and thousands of kilometers of pipeline. The results are tangible: fewer equipment failures, lower costs, faster drilling cycles, and tighter emissions control.ExxonMobil was the first in the industry to deploy AI-driven closed-loop drilling automation in a deepwater setting, operating in Guyana where AI systems adjust drilling parameters in real time without human input. In the Permian Basin, machine learning has lifted shale well output by more than 5% and cut data preparation time by roughly 40%.BP has wired over two million sensors across assets in the Gulf of Mexico, the North Sea, and Oman, feeding data into digital twins and its in-house AURA system that simultaneously tracks operational inefficiencies and monitors carbon and methane emissions. The company reports drilling more wells annually as a direct result. Chevron, meanwhile, deploys AI-enabled drones over its Permian operations to detect methane leaks and equipment failures without putting personnel in hazardous zones. Shell applies machine learning to forecast equipment failures before they occur, while Saudi Aramco uses computer vision to monitor thousands of kilometers of pipelines for anomalies.The financial case is well-documented. Boston Consulting Group reports AI has cut operating costs by 15–20% and reduced key cycle times from months to weeks. McKinsey estimates predictive analytics alone lowers maintenance costs by up to 25%. At the field level, AI systems have prevented over 140 hours of unplanned downtime, protecting 1.6% of production uptime figures that translate directly into revenue.The global AI in oil and gas market was valued at USD 7.6 billion in 2025 and is projected to surpass USD 25 billion by 2034, growing at 14.2% annually. Upstream operations account for over half of all AI deployment, driven by the data-intensive nature of exploration and production. North America leads adoption, while Asia-Pacific is forecast as the fastest-growing region through 2031.The companies advancing fastest are not doing so simply to cut costs. They are responding to growing complexity: volatile markets, tightening emissions rules, aging infrastructure, and the sheer volume of real-time data across global assets. Managing all of that with human judgment alone has become impractical. In 2026, AI is not the future of oil and gas. It is the present. Writer: Akhirian Taka

What is LNG?Liquefied natural gas (LNG) is natural gas that has been reduced to a liquid state, through a process of cooling. LNG is odorless, colorless, non-toxic, and non-corrosive, but hazards include flammability after vaporization into a gaseous state, freezing, and asphyxia. It is typically 85-95% methane, which contains less carbon than other forms of fossil fuels, and also contains tiny amounts of ethane, propane, butane, and nitrogen. Why does LNG matter to energy security?In order to solve the energy trilemma—which means finding a balance between affordability, environmental sustainability, and energy security—LNG is essential. Since it effectively removes pollutants like SOx and NOx, liquefied natural gas (LNG) is acknowledged as a more environmentally friendly fuel substitute that helps to lower greenhouse gas emissions. It is the cleanest burning hydrocarbon that provides a clean solution to industrial sectors that need a high calorific value and the most difficult to electrify. It also can be used in a variety of industries, including power generation, manufacturing, and transportation. Natural gas power generation emits 45% to 55% less greenhouse gasses than coal. In developing economies, it will replace traditional biomass in heating and cooking which helps to reduce the health impacts of localized emissions from other fuels. As a fuel for heavy-duty road transportation, LNG has also demonstrated a notable decrease in emissions (both greenhouse and particulate) when compared to alternative fuels, thus helps diversify the fuel mix and lower air pollution. The benefits of using LNG in the oil and gas industry and its role in clean energy transitionsThe oil and gas industry is playing an important role in the energy transition by providing affordable and reliable energy. The industry is working through many cross-sector initiatives on the scale-up of quantification and resolution of methane emissions. An increasing number of oil and gas companies are part of the growth in the renewable energy sector investing in and producing energy through renewable technologies, in particular, wind, solar power, and biofuels. By reducing greenhouse gas emissions from operations through energy efficiency, flare reduction, and methane management, as well as increasingly powering operations with low-carbon or renewable energy sources, the oil and gas industry can considerably contribute to a net zero future. And through the increasing adoption of improved engine-fuel system efficiencies and the development of low-carbon mobility technologies like electric vehicles, biofuels, liquefied natural gas, ammonia, and hydrogen fuel cells, companies are also helping their customers to reduce their emissions.Strategic deal trends and projects in LNG in oil & gas industryGlobal demand for LNG is expected to continue growing. According to McKinsey, LNG demand is projected to grow by 0.5 percent from 2035 to 2050, with more than 200 million metric tons of new capacity required during this period. The share of LNG in the global gas supply is expected to increase from 13% to 23% by 2050, as it meets demand growth and replaces declining pipeline and domestic gas. The urgency to meet this demand is intensifying due to growing energy demand from regions such as Asia and the declining supply of domestic gas and the interruption of piped supply (such as Russian piped gas supply to Europe).

The Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) ITS SC held a guest lecture program called SPEak Up! Guest Lecture in collaboration with SPE UTM SC from Malaysia and SPE PSU SC from the Philippines. The program aimed to increase the understanding of the members of the three SPE’s regarding the perspective of the oil and gas industry in the energy transition era.  SPEak Up! Guest Lecture is an annual event that developed by Academia and Competency Development Department SPE  ITS SC. This year, SPEak Up! brought the theme regarding the perspective of the oil and gas industry in the energy transition era. One interesting topic was "CCUS as a Remarkable Solution to Support Emission Reduction" presented by Mutia Khairunnisa Mardhatillah.Mutia Khairunnisa Mardhatillah is a graduate student from the PETRONAS University of Technology majoring in Petroleum Engineering at the master's degree. Currently she is a Researcher Assistant in the field of carbon capture and storage (CCS) at PETRONAS University of Technology. Also, currently she is working on his dissertation focused on the CO2-Brine-Rock Interactions during sequestration in Saline Aquifer. The observations are on the near-wellbore vicinity and the consequences from the interactions are analyzed.In her presentation, Mutia said that currently, our world is experiencing a significant increase in the earth's temperature from year to year which is experienced by the large number of greenhouse gas emissions, especially CO2 that rises into the atmosphere. That way, there needs to be a step to prevent it.there are many ways that can be done to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, such as the use of renewable energy, methane reduction, alternative fuels, etc. However, in this case there is one way that is often discussed at this time, that is CCUS.CCUS stands for Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage. It refers to a set of technologies and processes aimed at reducing carbon dioxide emissions from industrial processes and power generation. Carbon capture involves capturing carbon dioxide emissions from sources such as power plants, factories, and other industrial processes. Utilization involves finding ways to use the captured carbon dioxide, for example, in the production of chemicals, fuels, or building materials. Storage involves storing the captured carbon dioxide in underground geological formations, such as depleted oil and gas reservoirs or saline aquifers, so that it does not enter the atmosphere. CCUS is seen as a promising approach to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and mitigating climate change, as it allows for continued use of fossil fuels while reducing their environmental impact.“CCUS consists of 4 stages, namely Carbon Capture, Transport, Utilization, and Storage. In the carbon capture stage, CO2 released into the atmosphere will be captured from fuel combustion or industrial processes. Furthermore, at the transport stage, CO2 will be transported via a ship or pipeline. After CO2 is transported, there is a utilization stage where it can either be used as a resource to create valuable products or services, but it doesn't stop at that stage, CO2 can also be injected into underground geological formations for the storage stage.” Mutia said. However, there are still several obstacles in its application, such as high cost, regulatory framework, and public acceptance. For this reason, Mutia hopes that companies that will later apply this technology and the government can work together with the surrounding community for the implementation of this CCUS technology.