HAITHAM said today there is much talk of Artificial Intelligence (AI), which is clearly redefining the boundaries of productivity and efficiency and helping transform energy systems across all operations and sectors.
“Its full potential is yet to be seen, but it is already being utilised by our member countries in their oil operations.
“Additionally, we are seeing advanced extraction technologies, such as smart drilling, autonomous rigs and EOR techniques, improving both recovery rates and efficiencies, and helping lower the carbon footprint of the extraction process with the use of captured and reused CO2.
“As I said earlier, CCUS and the other technologies I mentioned, are vital in this regard. For CCUS, our member countries are making great strides with this technology, as can be viewed at Jubail in Saudi Arabia; Al Reyadah in the UAE; and In Salah in Algeria, to name just a few examples.”
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On maintaining Opec’s relevance and leadership in a world increasingly focused on sustainability and alternative energy sources, Haitham was confident.
“As Mark Twain once said, ‘reports of my death are greatly exaggerated’, that is perhaps apt for Opec too.
“For decades, the organisation has seen commentators talk of its demise and irrelevance before having to eat their own words.
“We will continue to push the message that the future has to be about all-energies, all-technologies and all-peoples. We will continue to advocate for everyone being part of the energy and climate conversations. We are inclusive, not exclusive. We are not dismissing anyone or anything.
“I honestly believe the organisation’s best days remain ahead of it. Oil and its derivatives are vital to our daily lives. It is an irreplaceable resource.”
Haitham was one of the speakers in the recent Energy Asia 2025 in Kuala Lumpur.
