Oil & Gas Journal ReEnterprised

Artificial intelligence is moving beyond copilots and generative tools toward systems that can plan, coordinate workflows, and take action with varying degrees of human supervision. For oil and gas, that shift could have significant implications for how operations are managed.

In this episode of the Oil & Gas Journal ReEnterprised podcast, Chris Smith speaks with Gino Hernandez, head of global digital business at ABB Energy Industries, about what agentic AI could mean for the future of oil and gas operations.

The discussion explores:

• How agentic AI differs from generative AI and today's AI copilots.
• How AI agents could transform workflows in the field, control room, and plant.
• The importance of data quality, provenance, and context in enabling trusted AI-driven decisions.
• How companies can balance greater AI autonomy with operational safety, cybersecurity, and human oversight.
• Where agentic AI offers the greatest near-term potential and where the risks demand caution.
• What oil and gas executives should do now to prepare for increasingly autonomous operations.

Hernandez examines how the industry could move from using AI to assist in executing individual tasks toward systems capable of coordinating entire workflows and making decisions within defined boundaries. The conversation considers what that transition will require in terms of governance, accountability, and human judgment, and how oil and gas companies can determine where greater AI autonomy creates value without introducing unacceptable risk.

About our guest

Gino Hernandez is head of digital business at ABB Energy Industries. Prior to ABB, he founded Colexas Digital Inc. and Lavoro Technologies Inc., and served as managing director or Rockwell Automation’s Global Oil & Gas business.

Gino holds an industrial distribution degree from Texas A&M University and an MBA from Rice University.

North America's oil supply outlook is entering a new phase. According to Enverus' latest long-term analysis, US shale is "aging, not broken."

In this episode of the Oil & Gas Journal ReEnterprised podcast, Mikaila Adams speaks with Dane Gregoris, managing director at Enverus Intelligence Research, about the data behind the firm's outlook for North American oil production.

The discussion explores:

• Why US shale growth is expected to slow as inventories mature.
• Declining productivity trends and changing inventory quality.
• The long-term outlook for the Permian basin.
• New technologies that could improve recoveries.
• Why Canada is becoming increasingly important to future North American supply.
• How infrastructure, LNG development, and market economics could shape production through 2035 and beyond.

Gregoris explains why Enverus expects US production to remain relatively stable over the next decade, what rising marginal supply costs could mean for markets, and how the North American energy landscape may evolve as the industry's most productive shale resources mature.

This episode explores why so many subsurface AI projects fail to move beyond the prototype stage and what it takes to successfully deploy AI in real-world workflows. Rather than building custom applications that require significant maintenance and specialized expertise, many organizations are finding greater success with platform-based solutions that already provide secure data access, scalable analytics, and trusted workflows. The discussion also separates genuine AI value from industry hype, highlighting practical use cases across interpretation, field development, and production analytics. Through examples from operators, investors, and consultants, the episode demonstrates how proven platforms can accelerate AI adoption and deliver results faster. For more information, visit:

http://spotfire.com/industry/Energy
http://community.spotfire.com
http://try.spotfire.com

This episode is sponsored by Spotfire.

In this Insights episode of the Oil & Gas Journal ReEnterprised podcast, downstream editor and lead reporter Robert Brelsford concludes the conversation on process safety management with Joe Barnes, principal of Barnes’ Engineering Consultants and a veteran oil and gas operations, maintenance, reliability, and major-projects leader with more than 30 years of industry experience.

Barnes outlines five priorities for senior leaders and plant managers: maintaining strong operating procedures and management-of-change practices; routinely auditing lockout/tagout procedures; providing effective operator and supervisor training; and preventing deferred maintenance, particularly on critical equipment. He also emphasizes the importance of leadership visibility in the field, encouraging executives and plant managers to regularly engage with operating personnel and understand the condition of equipment and processes firsthand.

During the conversation, Robert and Joe examine the tension between profitability, market pressures, and the investments required to operate safely. Barnes explains why strong financial performance should support investment in equipment, maintenance, training, and people rather than encourage short-term decisions that could increase risk. He also discusses how management should evaluate efficiency measures, staffing changes, maintenance deferrals, turnaround modifications, and capital reductions while keeping process and personal safety central to decision-making.

The two consider how facilities can demonstrate that process safety systems are working in practice through dedicated internal audits, periodic third-party reviews, corrective-action follow-through, and the use of real-world incident scenarios in operator training. Barnes explains how investigation findings can be converted into case-based exercises that help workers recognize hazards, assess risks, and develop the right responses before returning to the field. He also recommends reviewing procedures, emergency-response plans, and process hazards periodically to help ensure they remain current and effective.

Robert and Joe further explore how leaders can create an environment in which employees and contractors feel comfortable reporting weak signals, near misses, and other bad news. Barnes argues that management must investigate reported concerns, respond visibly, and demonstrate that risk identification leads to action. He outlines immediate steps for strengthening process safety culture, including communicating clear and unwavering expectations, protecting critical maintenance, auditing what matters, rewarding the right behaviors, and improving workers’ understanding of process limits.

Barnes closes by emphasizing the importance of visible and consistent leadership, stronger communication of lessons between facilities, and treating process safety as a core operating requirement rather than a temporary investment. He also discusses the role of Barnes’ Engineering Consultants in developing training modules based on major incidents and offers a final reminder that technology and artificial intelligence can improve operations, but human care, judgment, and decision-making remain essential to preventing major incidents.

Reference

Elevating process safety above short-term profits ensures sustainable, long-term resilience, Joe Barnes, Barnes’ Engineering Consultants.

About our guest

Joe Barnes is principal of Barnes’ Engineering Consultants and a veteran oil and gas operations, maintenance, reliability, and major-projects leader with more than 30 years of industry experience. Barnes can be reached on his business mobile at (713) 392-7301.

Editor's Note: This is Part II of a two-part conversation. Check here for Part I.

Editor's Note: The conversation is broken down into two episodes. Listen today to Part I and stay tuned for Part II.

In this Insights episode of the Oil & Gas Journal ReEnterprised podcast, downstream editor and lead reporter Robert Brelsford talks with Joe Barnes, principal of Barnes’ Engineering Consultants and a veteran oil and gas operations, maintenance, reliability, and major-projects leader with more than 30 years of industry experience.

Barnes, who spent roughly half of his career in refining and half in exploration and production, discusses why process safety management must remain a central concern for everyone working in oil and gas—not only safety professionals. Drawing on his experience with a major refinery accident and the aftermath of a separate major offshore incident, Barnes explains why good intentions are not enough to prevent major incidents, particularly in times when the potential for high margins could tempt operator’s into promoting maximized production over execution of maintenance on processing and production installations to ensure safe and reliable operations.

During the conversation, Robert and Joe examine recurring root causes identified through Barnes’ review of process-safety incidents dating back to the mid-1980s, including absence of leadership, poor communication, inadequate risk identification and mitigation, aging equipment, deferred maintenance, workforce turnover, and the loss of experienced personnel. They also discuss why the industry has sometimes failed to consistently share and apply lessons from previous incidents, particularly when investigation findings are not widely accessible.

The two consider the difference between personal safety and process safety metrics, the warning signs that preceded the 2005 BP Texas City refinery explosion, and the role of management of change (MOC) in evaluating staffing, maintenance, turnaround, efficiency, and capital-reduction decisions. Barnes also outlines the questions boards and executive leaders should be asking to ensure that process safety remains a business priority across economic cycles.

Robert and Joe further explore how refineries can use past incident scenarios as practical training tools, strengthen external oversight and auditing, encourage employees and contractors to report weak signals and near misses, and build a process-safety culture that rewards risk identification and mitigation. Barnes closes with recommendations for protecting critical maintenance, communicating expectations clearly, auditing what matters, and keeping people at the center of process safety decision-making.

Offshore energy infrastructure faces an increasingly complex mix of cyber and physical security threats as digitalization, remote operations, and geopolitical tensions reshape the risk landscape.

In this Insights episode of the Oil & Gas Journal ReEnterprised podcast, OGJ Upstream Editor Alex Procyk discusses how offshore installations are becoming targets for ransomware attacks, navigation-system interference, supply-chain compromise, and physical sabotage.

There is a growing shift from opportunistic cybercrime toward state-linked and organized criminal actors seeking long-term access to critical infrastructure. As operational technology (OT) and information technology (IT) systems become more interconnected, attackers are increasingly exploiting remote access pathways to move from corporate networks into critical operational systems.

Traditional perimeter-based security models are proving inadequate for modern offshore operations and outlines emerging approaches such as cyber-informed engineering, OT-focused monitoring, micro-segmentation, defense-in-depth strategies, and integrated cyber-physical security frameworks designed to improve resilience across offshore platforms, vessels, ports, and subsea infrastructure. Cyber-informed engineering and OT-native security controls are emerging as key defensive strategies.

References

Offshore environments present unique security risks, Oil & Gas Journal, Members Only, Alex Procyk, Aug. 5, 2026.

OTC-36764-MS
Securing Offshore Ecosystems Against Cyber and Sabotage Threats

OTC-36839-MS
Access Management and Operational Security in Critical Infrastructure: A Longitudinal Evaluation of Cyber and Physical Security Breaches in Marine Environments

OTC-36860-MS
Cyber-Informed Security Architecture for Offshore Energy and Maritime OT Systems

OTC-36928-MS
Zero-Day Threat: The Silent Cyber War on Energy Infrastructure

OTC-37012-MS
Remote Operations for Autonomous Offshore Facilities: Design, Testing and Independent Validation of Secure and Robust Automation

This episode is sponsored by Bishopric Industries.

What began as an oil and gas industry where workers relied on experience, instinct, and sometimes...luck...has evolved into one built on rigorous safety systems, risk management, and continuous improvement. In this Then & Now episode of the Oil & Gas ReEnterprised podcast, host Laura Bell-Hammer traces the history of safety in oil and gas, from the uncontrolled Spindletop blowout of 1901 and the invention of the blowout preventer to the structured health, safety, security, and environmental (HSE) programs that guide operations today.

Along the way, OGJ examines major events that reshaped the industry's approach to risk. From Piper Alpha and Texas City to Deepwater Horizon, each disaster exposed vulnerabilities that led to lasting changes in regulations, process safety management, offshore oversight, and industry standards. These lessons helped move safety beyond protecting equipment and toward protecting workers, communities, and critical infrastructure.

The episode also explores how technology is redefining safety and security in the modern energy sector. Smart PPE, predictive maintenance, real-time monitoring, and remote operations are helping identify risks before incidents occur. At the same time, growing digital connectivity has expanded the industry's focus to include cybersecurity, with events such as the Colonial Pipeline ransomware attack highlighting the connection between cyber threats and physical operations.

In this Market Focus episode of the Oil & Gas Journal ReEnterprised podcast, Conglin Xu, managing editor, economics, talks with Dennis Kissler, senior vice-president of trading at BOK Financial to discuss what a lasting de-escalation in the Middle East might look like, how OPEC+ strategies might evolve, whether $80-plus crude moves US shale, and where dependence on Gulf chokepoints stands in the years ahead.

About our guest

Dennis Kissler, senior vice-president of trading at BOK Financial, specializes in developing unique hedging strategies to assist producers as well as end users in minimizing energy market risk exposure. A registered commodity trading advisor (CTA), he has worked in the futures trading/hedging industry for more than 27 years, including 12 years as a floor trader/broker at the CME exchange, where he still owns a floor membership.

Kissler has worked for BOK Financial since 2007 helping to establish and grow the energy trade desk which now ranks among some of the largest regional trading/hedging desks in the US. He is a featured commentary provider for various news outlets including Bloomberg News, Reuters, Financial Times, Wall Street Journal, and CNBC.

Drawing on two recent Oil & Gas Journal commentaries, this Insights episode of the Oil & Gas Journal ReEnterprised podcast explores why Iraq is once again pursuing alternative pipeline routes through Syria and Türkiye, how expanded export options could strengthen the country's economic resilience, and why these developments matter not only for Iraq, but for global energy markets.

We also examine whether Iraq's growing development ambitions are beginning to diverge from the production constraints imposed by OPEC, and what that could mean for the organization and the broader oil industry.

The discussion incorporates recent reporting on Iraq's agreements with US companies and renewed efforts to revive westbound export infrastructure, placing today's headlines into a broader strategic context. Rather than focusing on day-to-day geopolitical developments, the episode takes a step back to consider the long-term implications for producers, investors, pipeline operators, and energy policymakers.

References

Hormuz closure emphasizes Iraq’s need for a second oil export route

Reassessing Iraq's OPEC membership in light of national development priorities

Iraq signs 48 deals with US companies during PM’s visit to Washington

Iraq eyes Türkiye, Syria pipeline to curb Strait of Hormuz reliance

The rapid expansion of AI data centers in West Texas is creating a major water demand challenge, prompting industry interest in treating and reusing the Permian basin’s vast volumes of produced water as a potential cooling-water source.

In this Insights episode of the Oil & Gas Journal ReEnterprised podcast, Alex Procyk, upstream editor, reviews the potential.

Produced water is extremely saline—often far saltier than seawater—making conventional desalination expensive, but emerging technologies, including systems that use data-center waste heat to drive treatment processes, could improve economics while generating valuable byproducts such as lithium and other minerals.

Large-scale adoption will depend on proving treatment costs at commercial scale, establishing clear permitting pathways, developing new business agreements between energy and data center operators, and effectively managing disposal and seismicity risks associated with concentrated waste streams.

References

Insights: Permian produced water needs someplace new to go - a discussion with Laura Capper (Part I), OGJ

Insights: Permian produced water needs someplace new to go - a discussion with Laura Capper (Part II), OGJ

Insights: Produced water in the Permian basin (Part I), OGJ

Insights: Produced water in the Permian basin (Part II), OGJ

Insights: What’s next for Permian basin electrification?, OGJ

The Permian’s Next Boom Has a Water Problem, Produced Water Society

Ranchers are watching the data center boom with growing concern, AGDaily

Despite a slowdown in headline deal values this spring, upstream mergers and acquisitions remain active beneath the surface.

In this ICYMI episode of the Oil & Gas Journal ReEnterprised podcast, Mikaila Adams, managing editor, examines data from Enverus and Rystad Energy detailing international and North American upstream deal markets in 2025 and into 2026.

The discussion explores how pricing uncertainty widened the gap between buyers and sellers, creating a temporary pause rather than a collapse in market activity.

The episode also looks at where capital continues to flow and what those trends reveal about the industry's direction. From North American consolidation led by the Devon Energy–Coterra Energy merger to continued interest in gas-weighted assets tied to Gulf Coast LNG exports, the analysis highlights the forces shaping today's upstream M&A landscape.

It also considers the likelihood of additional divestitures, private equity activity, and asset sales as companies refine their portfolios, pointing to continued dealmaking momentum even in a more volatile market.

References

Devon, Coterra joining forces to create 1.6 million boe/d shale titan

https://www.ogj.com/general-interest/companies/news/55354563/devon-coterra-joining-forces-to-create-16-million-boe-d-shale-titan

Ovintiv to divest Anadarko assets for $3 billion

https://www.ogj.com/general-interest/companies/news/55358241/ovintiv-to-divest-anadarko-assets-for-3-billion

Mitsubishi to enter US shale gas business through Haynesville asset acquisition

https://www.ogj.com/general-interest/companies/news/55344199/mitsubishi-to-enter-us-shale-gas-business-through-haynesville-shale-acquisition

Shell to expand Canadian operations with $16.4-billion acquisition of ARC Resources

https://www.ogj.com/general-interest/companies/news/55373597/shell-to-expand-canadian-operations-with-164-billion-acquisition-of-arc-resources

US upstream M&A hits $38 billion in 1Q26 before volatility temporarily pauses the market

https://www.enverus.com/newsroom/u-s-upstream-ma-hits-38-billion-in-1q26-before-volatility-temporarily-pauses-the-market/

International upstream M&A stuck at historic low

https://www.enverus.com/newsroom/international-upstream-ma-stuck-at-historic-low/

Upstream deal value falls 83% as oil price uncertainty widens the buyer-seller gap

https://www.rystadenergy.com/insights/upstream-deal-value-falls

Iran war impact on global oil markets

https://www.ogj.com/IranWar

In this Insights episode of the Oil & Gas Journal ReEnterprised podcast, Head of Content Chris Smith talks with Woodrow Winchester III, manager of University of Texas at Austin’s Cockrell School of Engineering Petroleum Extension (PETEX).

PETEX is a continuing education program for oil and gas professionals across the industry’s upstream, midstream, downstream, and health, safety & environment (HSE) segments. It offers a combination of instructor-led training in a variety of settings—including bespoke on site courses—and self-study e-learning programs covering topics from exploration and well control to refining and transportation.

During the conversation, Chris and Woodrow talk about the evolution of PETEX’s mission over its decades of operation, Rig School (the star of its current lineup), and the program’s approach to emerging energies such as hydrogen. The two also consider the continued role of in-person training and knowledge-housed-in-humans in the face of an ever-expanding universe of artificial intelligence.

Resources

https://petex.utexas.edu/

http://www.linkedin.com/company/utpetex/

https://www.facebook.com/UTPETEX/

Email for questions, instructors, or company inquiries: execed@petex.utexas.edu

Strait of Hormuz disruptions are tightening global oil and LNG markets, with recovery expected to remain slow even if conflict eases. Ongoing security risks, damaged infrastructure, and constrained shipping capacity are limiting exports, while clearing waterways and restoring normal tanker flows could take months.

Recovery will vary across Gulf producers. Saudi Arabia and the UAE are better positioned due to stronger domestic supply chains, while Iraq and Kuwait face delays tied to reliance on imported equipment and foreign expertise. Global shortages of specialized energy components are expected to further extend timelines.

The result is a sustained global supply deficit, with inventories declining and limited response from non-OPEC+ producers, keeping market conditions tight well into 2026.

The 1973 Oil Embargo broke forecasting models that weren't built to absorb it. The shale revolution rewrote supply elasticity assumptions entirely. And as of April 2026, the US exported more crude oil than it imported for the first time since World War II.

In this Then & Now episode of the Oil & Gas Journal ReEnterprised podcast, OGJ Statistics Editor Laura Bell-Hammer connects those data points into a 50-year story about how oil and gas forecasting has been continuously rebuilt by the forces it failed to anticipate—and what that means for reading the market today.

In this ICYMI episode of the Oil & Gas Journal ReEnterprised podcast, downstream editor Robert Brelsford explains why the technical content he encounters at one refining conference delivers real value. He highlights content that includes candid case studies, targeted training, and practical insight focused on delayed coking, FCC, and sulfur recovery operations.

In this Insights episode of the Oil & Gas Journal ReEnterprised podcast, upstream editor Alex Procyk delivers an in-depth technical and commercial overview of Argentina’s Vaca Muerta shale play, one of the world’s largest unconventional oil and gas resources—and one that continues to punch below its weight in total production.

Procyk argues this is less a reflection of rock quality and more a result of development pace, infrastructure, and operational complexity. He also outlines why Vaca Muerta’s location—far from geopolitically sensitive supply routes—could make it increasingly important in global energy markets.

Why Vaca Muerta matters now

Despite resource estimates rivaling or exceeding major US shale plays, Vaca Muerta produces only a fraction of their total output. Procyk argues this is less a reflection of rock quality and more a result of development pace, infrastructure, and operational complexity. With major pipeline projects under way and LNG export capacity taking shape, Vaca Muerta may be poised to play a much larger role in global oil and gas supply.

From the episode

“On a per‑well basis, Vaca Muerta is one of the most productive unconventional plays on the planet.”

“It’s a massive resource, but it hasn’t really been pushed yet.”

“The geology isn’t uniformly great—but where it’s good, it’s very good.”

“Managing risk versus reward isn’t a flaw in the process—that’s engineering.”

“Vaca Muerta is about as far away from the Strait of Hormuz as you can get, and that matters.”

In this Market Focus episode of the Oil & Gas Journal ReEnterprised podcast, Conglin Xu, managing editor, economics, takes a look into the LNG market shock caused by the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz and the sudden loss of Qatari LNG supply as the Iran war continues.

Xu speaks with Edward O’Toole, director of global gas analysis, RBAC Inc., to examine how these disruptions are intensifying global supply constraints at a time when European inventories were already under pressure following a colder-than-average winter and weaker storage levels.

Drawing on RBAC’s G2M2 global gas market model, O’Toole outlines disruption scenarios analyzed in the firm’s recent report and explains how current events align with their findings. With global LNG production already operating near maximum utilization, the market response is being driven by higher prices and reduced consumption. Europe faces sharper price pressure due to storage refill needs, while Asian markets are expected to see greater demand reductions as consumers switch fuels.

O’Toole underscores the importance of scenario-based modeling and supply diversification as geopolitical risk exposes structural vulnerabilities in the LNG market—offering insights for stakeholders navigating an increasingly uncertain global gas landscape.

In this Then & Now episode of the Oil & Gas Journal ReEnterprised podcast, Managing Editor and Content Strategist Mikaila Adams reconnects with Deborah Byers, nonresident fellow at Rice University’s Baker Institute Center for Energy Studies and former EY Americas industry leader, to revisit a set of questions first posed in 2017.

In 2017, the industry was emerging from a downturn and recalibrating strategy; today, it faces heightened geopolitical risk, market volatility, and a rapidly evolving technology landscape.

The conversation examines how those earlier perspectives have aged—covering oil price bands and the speed of recovery from geopolitical shocks, the role of US shale relative to OPEC in balancing global supply, and the shift from scarcity to economic abundance driven by technology and capital discipline.

Adams and Byers also compare the economics and risk profiles of shale and offshore development, including the growing role of Brazil, Guyana, and the Gulf of Mexico, and discuss how infrastructure and regulatory constraints shape market outcomes.

The episode further explores where digital transformation—particularly artificial intelligence—is delivering tangible returns across upstream operations, from predictive maintenance and workforce planning to capital project execution. The discussion concludes with insights on consolidation and scale in the Permian basin, the strategic rationale behind recent megamergers, and the industry’s ongoing challenge to attract and retain next‑generation talent through flexibility, technical opportunity, and purpose‑driven work.

A focus on operational excellence - 2017

In 2017, Adams sat down with Byers—who was then a managing partner in Ernst & Young's Houston office and led the Southwest Transaction Advisory Services and the firm's US energy practice—to talk about her 30-year career with EY and her view of the industry going into 2017. Take a look back and review the interview that spurred the podcast.

In this bonus episode of the Oil & Gas Journal ReEnterprised podcast, Head of Content Chris Smith is joined by Jim Krane, the Diana Tamari Sabbagh Fellow in Middle East Energy Studies and Center for Energy Studies Lead for Energy and Geopolitics in the Middle East at Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy.

The two discuss the regional political forces shaping the Iran war so far, exactly how vulnerable the Strait of Hormuz is, and—shifting inland—what’s in it for the Kurds.