The SPE Podcast

The Middle East is rapidly emerging as a key region for large-scale deployment of carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS), driven by industrial decarbonization needs, favorable geology, and ambitious national energy transition strategies. As projects evolve from early pilots to commercial developments, the focus is shifting toward building integrated CCUS hubs that connect multiple emitters to shared transport and storage infrastructure. These hub-based models introduce new technical, operational, and commercial challenges that require alignment across subsurface characterization, infrastructure design, and long-term storage assurance.This session will explore how CCUS initiatives in the MENA region are progressing toward scalable and bankable solutions, with a focus on the technical enablers required to move from concept to execution. The discussion will highlight lessons learned in hub development, including storage site selection, pressure management, system integration, and risk mitigation. Speakers will also share perspectives on how multidisciplinary engineering, subsurface expertise, and collaboration across stakeholders are shaping the next phase of CCUS deployment—providing insights relevant to both regional and global audiences.
Moderated by: Christian Winterfield, Lead Petroleum Engineer CCS at Aramco
Speakers:
Bilal Sheikh: CCUS Business Development Senior Specialist at ADNOC
Hooman Haghighi: Senior Director – Energy Solutions and Decarbonisation at Wood

This SPE Live session will provide an update on recent developments in OSDU and discuss why data remains critical in the age of AI. As AI use grows, the quality, structure, context, and accessibility of data become even more important. The session will highlight how OSDU is helping advance more consistent and interoperable data practices across the energy industry, while also acknowledging the practical challenges of adoption, standardization, and implementation. It will also touch on how SPE and OSDU can work together to inform members and support broader industry learning around data, digitalization, and AI.
Moderated by: Pushpesh Sharma, Director of Product Management at Emerson Electric (AspenTech)
Speakers: Kadri Umay: Senior Director & Microsoft Azure Data Manager(Energy Team) at Microsoft

In her final podcast as SPE President, Jennifer Miskimins reflects on a year of service, celebrates the people behind SPE’s success, shares updates on the Society’s future, and encourages members to remain engaged in advancing the profession and the energy industry. 

This SPE Live explores the intersection of HSES and Reservoir, two disciplines that increasingly shape the future of responsible and high performance subsurface operations. Our goal is to understand how these areas can jointly reduce uncertainty, improve performance, and support responsible development across the asset lifecycle.
Moderated by Trey Shaffer, 2014-2017 SPE HSE Technical Director. Vice President, Key Clients at Resource Environmental Solutions LLC
Speakers:• Dr. Linda Battalora, SPE HSES Technical Director. Teaching Professor in the Petroleum Engineering Department at Colorado School of Mines• Dr. Rahim Masoudi, SPE Reservoir Technical Director. Chief Technical Lead at EnQuest/Veri Energy

This SPE Live brings together the SPE Drilling and SPE Completions Technical Directors for a forward-looking discussion on how the profession is evolving to meet increasing technical complexity, cost pressures, and expectations for safer and more sustainable operations. The session will explore how advances in drilling and completions technologies—alongside digitalization, automation, and data-driven workflows—are reshaping well construction and delivery across conventional, unconventional, and emerging energy applications.
Beyond technology, the discussion will emphasize the people and leadership dimensions of technical excellence. The Technical Directors will share perspectives on cross-discipline integration, workforce capability development, and SPE’s role in fostering collaboration, knowledge transfer, and professional growth.
Attendees can expect insights on how the drilling and completions communities can work more effectively together to deliver value today while preparing the profession for the energy systems of tomorrow.
Moderated by Robin Macmillan, 2022-2025 SPE Drilling Technical Director. Consultant.
Speakers:• Peggy Rijken, SPE Completions Technical Director. Chapter Manager, Geomechanics Technology Center at Chevron• Sarah Kern, SPE Drilling Technical Director. Director of Strategic Engagement at EIC Rose Rock

This month’s column shares practical ideas gathered from professional sections and student chapters worldwide, including fresh approaches to communication and meeting formats as well as creative ways of building community and recognition. These real‑world examples highlight the diversity of SPE and offer plenty of “food for thought” for leaders looking to strengthen engagement and deliver more value to their members.
 

Production operations are evolving rapidly—from traditional SCADA monitoring to AI-enabled intelligence. In this SPE Live, the SPE DSEA Technical Director and the SPE Production and Facilities Technical Director explore how advances in data infrastructure, analytics, and machine learning are transforming operational decision-making, improving efficiency, safety and shaping the future of intelligent production systems.
Moderated by Silviu Livescu, 2020-2023 SPE DSEA Technical Director. Co-Founder and CTO at Bedrock Energy
Speakers:• Sushma Bhan, SPE DSEA Technical Director. Former Shell CDO of Subsurface/Wells• Greg Stephenson, SPE Production and Facilities Technical Director. Chief Production Engineer at Occidental Oil & Gas Co. (Oxy)

Production data is often treated as a direct measurement, but in practice, it results from a chain of transformations linking reservoir conditions to reported flow rates. Fluid properties defined by pressure, temperature, and composition govern phase behavior and physical characteristics such as density and compressibility. These properties directly influence how flow measurement technologies respond under operating conditions, regardless of measurement principle. The same fluid description is then used to translate measured quantities into engineering outputs such as phase rates, allocation, and well performance. As a result, any inaccuracy or inconsistency in fluid properties propagates through both measurement interpretation and reservoir analysis. As production conditions evolve, changes in fluid behavior can simultaneously affect measurement response and reservoir conclusions, even when the measurement system itself remains unchanged.
This panel will examine the chain from reservoir conditions to reported production data, focusing on how fluid properties influence each step and how inconsistencies propagate into engineering decisions. The objective is to clarify the sources of uncertainty and how to better align measurement and reservoir workflows in practice.
Moderated by: Lester Yi, Lead Instrumentation, Control, and Electrical (IC&E) Engineer at ExxonMobil
Speakers:
Muhammad Navaid Khan: Senior Specialist in Reservoir Engineering ad ADNOC
Amin Amin: Chief Operating Officer at Belsim Engineering

This month's podcast features an update on SPE’s path to financial sustainability: stronger revenues, new partnerships, and emerging opportunities—from geothermal initiatives to AI-driven licensing—are improving the outlook. While challenges remain, recent progress highlights a more resilient Society and a forward-looking strategy focused on long-term member value.

Join us for this SPE Live hosted by SPE’s Education and Accreditation Committee where our panelists will discuss how Petroleum Engineering (PE) education changes have been driven by technological innovations and the evolving energy landscape. We will examine how PE programs are integrating new topics while continuing to value traditional engineering skills. The session will showcase changes to educational curricula that address critical themes such as energy growth, AI advancements, and industry evolution. Please join this discussion on how PE education is shaping the future of geo-energy skills, and more importantly, explore how industry practitioners could be engaged in this process.
Moderated by Juliana Leung, SPE EAC Chair. Professor, Canada Research Chair in Data Analytics in Subsurface Flow Systems at University of Alberta
 
 
Speakers:
Siyavash Motealleh, Principal Reservoir Engineer at BP AGT
Peyman Pourafshary, P.E. Professor & Vice Dean of Research and Academic Affairs, School of Mining and Geosciences, Nazarbayev University, Kazakhstan    
Marshall Watson, Chair of Texas Tech Bob L. Herd Dept. of Petroleum Engineering, Texas Tech University
 

As global demand for clean, reliable energy grows, geothermal is emerging as a uniquely capable resource for delivering both firm, low carbon electricity and consistent, long term thermal output. In recent years, the geothermal startup sector has also benefited from a significant increase in investment from both established energy companies and new entrants, strengthening technology development and accelerating field deployment. Advances in drilling, subsurface imaging, enhanced geothermal systems (EGS), closed loop designs, next generation heat exchange architectures, and broader technology innovations across the subsurface sector are expanding access to resources in regions previously considered uneconomic or inaccessible. These developments are redefining geothermal’s role across the energy system-supporting industrial heat demands, commercial thermal loads, district heating networks, and dependable baseload power.This SPE Live session brings together leaders in technology innovation, project development, and stakeholder engagement, featuring the COO and Co Founder of Gradient Geothermal, a Technology Specialist from Underground Ventures (UGV), and the Director of Stakeholder Engagement at XGS Energy.
The panel will examine why geothermal heat and power are gaining momentum now, the technical advancements across EGS, closed loop systems, and general subsurface technologies driving that progress, and the practical considerations that shape real world project deployment. Attendees will gain a clear, balanced understanding of geothermal’s capabilities today, the challenges that remain, and the opportunities ahead for scaling both thermal and electric applications.
Moderated by: Katerina Yared, Global Energy Portfolio Lead at 3M Oil & Gas, Carbon Capture, Geothermal
Speakers:
Caity Smith, Director of Stakeholder Engagement at XGS Energy
Soraya Bornaz, Technology Specialist at Underground Ventures
Johanna Ostrum, COO/Co-Founder at Gradient Geothermal

This month’s podcast highlights how artificial intelligence is influencing SPE programming, publications, and new tools, while also transforming day‑to‑day operations across our industry. The column explores energy supply implications and practical field applications, showing how SPE is helping members turn AI into a tool for progress.

The hydrogen sector is expanding across production, storage, transport, and end-use applications. This SPE Live session will examine the technical competencies and multidisciplinary skills required to succeed in this growing field. Young professionals will share their perspectives on industry expectations, emerging job roles, research trends, and how early-career engineers can strategically position themselves for long-term career growth in hydrogen-related projects.
Moderated by: Sonia Lopez Kovacs, Reserves Audit Leader at Repsol Spain
 
Speakers:Cindy Dianita: Assistant Professor at University of IndonesiaAmine Ifticene: Production Engineer at OXY
Sarah Wheeler: Research Engineer at Southwest Research Institute (SwRI)

The Petroleum Resources Management System (PRMS) is a system developed for consistent and reliable classification and categorization of hydrocarbon resources according to technical uncertainty and project maturity and commerciality.
The SPE Oil and Gas Reserves Committee (OGRC) is committed to continuing to provide relevant resources framework to the industry as technology and business drivers change and has received feedback from the public to support the update of the current 2018 PRMS. This SPE live will give an overview of PRMS utilization and its ongoing update.
Speaker: Herman G. Acuña, President at Ryder Scott Company
Moderated by Dan Olds, Managing Senior Vice President at Ryder Scott

What makes SPE membership truly worthwhile? Technical resources, professional development, global networking, and industry recognition—SPE membership offers more than meets the eye. In this month’s column, discover how SPE benefits members at every career stage—and why investing in your membership (or your team’s) pays off long-term.

Energy companies continue to navigate a complex landscape where value creation, volatility management and low- carbon transition must advance in parallel. This SPE Live unites commercial, finance, and reservoir expertise to examine how to allocate capital across conventional barrels, unconventionals, and low-carbon options such as CCS while navigating commodity volatility and policy shifts.
The speakers will explore how subsurface insight informs commercial decisions and how finance teams price risk and option value. The discussion will address portfolio resilience, emissions intensity targets, and pathways to finance CCS. Panelists will also discuss metrics that matter at the board level in 2025 and into 2026, how local geopolitical and fiscal contexts shape decisions, and the collaboration models that help unlock value across operators, midstream, and NOCs.
Moderated by Maryse Jackman, Geoscientist at the Ministry of Energy and Energy Industries
Speakers:
Amanda Calleberg, Commercial Advisor at Inter Pipeline Ltd.
Natan Battisti, VP of Finance at Harbour Energy
Mohamed Mahmoud Abdelrahman, Senior Reservoir Engineer at ADNOC Onshore

This SPE Live reviews four major events from 2025 ATCE that advanced education, collaboration, and awareness in well integrity and asset integrity. Highlights include the WITS Opening Reception, which drew strong attendance and engagement among well integrity professionals. A featured presentation by Federico Juarez Perales Havtil of the Norwegian Ocean Industry Authority focused on strengthening well integrity practices, enhancing corporate risk frameworks, and developing effective training programs to reduce operational costs while improving safety awareness. The episode also references two operator panels: “Well Integrity in Mature Fields: Challenges, Best Practices, and Future Opportunities” and “Wind to Wells – Asset Integrity.” It concludes with acknowledgment of WITS’ presence at SPE ATCE and the announcement of the new WITS Board for the 2025–2026 term.
 
Moderated by: Pierre-Edouard Vincent, Principal Engineer at TotalEnergies
 
Speakers:Hans-Jacob Lund, Global Well Integrity SME at ConocoPhillipsMichael Edwards, Founder of EEI Consulting, LLC and SPE WITS Global Liaison OfficerJovan Stojkovski, Department Manager for Well Completions & Well Integrity at OVM Petrom

Petroleum engineering education is at a crossroads, with university enrollments shrinking and a talent gap looming. Take a look at what the data really show about degree trends, why Gen Z is turning away from engineering, and how SPE—from K–12 outreach to lifelong upskilling—is uniquely positioned to impact the industry’s future workforce.
 

The SPE Completions Advisory Committee to the Completions Technical Director (Peggy Rijken) is launching a new knowledge-sharing initiative focused on best practices across various subject areas, presented through a series of white papers. These papers will be authored by subject matter experts(SMEs) and will reference leading SPE publications relevant to each topic. The primary objective is to provide valuable guidance and foundational knowledge for young engineers entering the discipline.
The Hydraulic Fracturing Technical Section (HyFTS) is leading the development of the first white paper inthis series, covering key topics within hydraulic fracturing. This inaugural paper will be presented andpublished at the Hydraulic Fracturing Technology Conference (HFTC) in February 2026.
 
Moderated by: Foluke Ajisafe, Senior Staff Engineer at Liberty Energy
 
Speaker: Karen Olson, Consulting Engineer

This session explores how the oil and gas industry can move beyond legal compliance to build inclusive cultures that authentically support employees with disabilities at every level. While policies and regulations provide a baseline, true inclusion requires a deeper, sustained commitment to accessibility, awareness, and organizational mindset shifts. Through dialogue with industry leaders and inclusion experts, participants will gain insights into how companies can foster environments where employees with disabilities are empowered to contribute fully, without barriers or stigma. The discussion will highlight practical strategies, leadership responsibilities, and cultural enablers that support long-term change and innovation in workforce inclusion.
Moderated by Mohammed Althani, Petroleum Engineering Specialist at Saudi Aramco
Speakers:Carlos Sarmiento, Director of Culture, Diversity and Inclusion at SLBTiana Ellwanger, Manager of Engagement, Culture and Diversity at Petrobras