Weatherford International plc said it has signed a strategic memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Abu Dhabi-based artificial intelligence firm AIQ. The collaboration aims to integrate Weatherford’s software and hardware solutions with AIQ’s AI-driven systems, Weatherford said in a news release. The combination will enable operators to “optimize their production workflows, reduce downtime, and significantly enhance operational efficiency across global oil and gas facilities,” the company added. Weatherford President and CEO Girish Saligram said, “We are excited to partner with AIQ to bring innovative, AI-driven solutions to the oil and gas industry. This strategic partnership allows us to deliver cutting-edge technologies that empower our customers to maximize their operational efficiency, enhance automation, and reduce costs. By combining our strengths, we are leading the way in helping operators modernize their workflows and achieve greater success in today’s rapidly evolving energy landscape”. Magzhan Kenesbai, Acting Managing Director of AIQ, said, “This partnership marks another step in AIQ’s mission to build partnerships that accelerate the deployment of impactful AI systems across the energy value chain. By integrating our advanced AI-driven tools with Weatherford’s energy-specific technology, we are driving greater efficiencies to the industry through the development of scalable, automated applications. Together, we are set to empower operators to optimize their workflows, reduce downtime, and achieve unparalleled operational excellence”. Further, Weatherford’s Universal Normalizer will work with AIQ’s capabilities to harmonize multi-asset data, combining operational and financial analysis into a unified, API-supported data model. The combination will “drive smarter decision-making and streamline operations across facilities,” the company said. New CFO Named Meanwhile, Weatherford appointed Anuj Dhruv as Chief Financial Officer of the company. Saligram said, “I am pleased to welcome Anuj to Weatherford. With fresh perspective and proven expertise, Anuj will enhance our leadership team and help position Weatherford to lead confidently through the next phase

Schlumberger Ltd. (SLB) has reported $797 million in net income for the first quarter (Q1), down about a fourth from the prior three-month period and Q1 2024 as revenue fell 9 percent sequentially and 3 percent year-on-year to $8.49 billion. Net earnings excluding charges and credits landed at $988 million or $0.72 per share. That dropped 25 percent quarter-on-quarter and 9 percent year-on-year, missing the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $0.74, based on brokerage analysts’ projections. SLB’s adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) declined 15 percent quarter-on-quarter and 2 percent year-on-year. Adjusted EBITDA margin was 23.8 percent. “First-quarter adjusted EBITDA margin was slightly up year on year despite softer revenue as we continued to navigate the evolving market dynamics”, chief executive Olivier Le Peuch said in an online statement. “Higher activity in parts of the Middle East, North Africa, Argentina and offshore U.S., along with strong growth in our data center infrastructure solutions and digital businesses in North America, were more than offset by a sharper-than-expected slowdown in Mexico, a slow start to the year in Saudi Arabia and offshore Africa, and steep decline in Russia”, Le Peuch added. “The expansion of our accretive margin digital business and the strength of our Production Systems division, combined with our cost reduction initiatives, have driven another consecutive quarter of year-on-year adjusted EBITDA margin growth. “These results demonstrate SLB’s resilience in changing market conditions. We are continuously exercising cost discipline and aligning our resources with activity levels, leveraging our global reach and industry-leading innovation capabilities, expanding our differentiated digital offerings, and strategically diversifying the portfolio beyond oil and gas”. Revenue from the Well Construction division decreased quarter-on-quarter and year-on-year both in North America and outside the region to $2.98 billion. Production Systems revenue totaled $2.94 billion. International revenue from the division was down 12 percent quarter-on-quarter but stable year-on-year. Revenue in North America

The UK’s offshore energy network heats our homes, powers hospitals and fuels industry. As global threats evolve, so must our approach to protecting the infrastructure that makes all of this possible. On Wednesday 30th April, Offshore Energies UK will host its first Offshore Energy Security and Resilience Conference in Aberdeen. The event has been in development for some time and will bring together industry leaders, defence policy experts, the security services and academia. Recent global events have made it more relevant than ever. Fast-moving developments across the US, Europe and Ukraine show how important this conversation has become. The UK is navigating an increasingly complex world. The government’s Strategic Defence Review is examining growing risks to critical infrastructure, including undersea gas pipelines and data cables. At the same time, the Prime Minister has pledged to invest 2.5% of GDP in defence by 2027. The North Sea remains a strategic national asset. It is home to the people, platforms, pipelines and turbines that keep the UK’s energy system running. Protecting this infrastructure as global dynamics shift is firmly in the national interest. This strategic importance rests on two key factors. The first is geography. The North Sea stretches from Scotland to Norway and serves as a gateway for international vessels, including those from Russia, into European waters. The second is energy. Nearly nine in ten homes still rely on oil and gas for heating, and these fuels meet around three-quarters of our total energy needs. About 40% of the gas we use comes directly from North Sea waters. Offshore wind, meanwhile, is central to the government’s plan for a low-carbon electricity grid by 2030. Much of the gas we import also arrives via pipelines that run along the seabed. These are often little more than a metre wide, yet they are

The administration change in Washington has signaled significant repositioning of federal support for the energy and utilities industry. This evolution extends beyond simple program changes, reflecting a broader federal shift in how energy and water infrastructure resources are invested in by the U.S. government through grants, loans and tax incentives. Simultaneously, the introduction of potential new tariffs represents another major factor that impacts an industry struggling with supply chain fulfillment. For utility executives and municipal planners, understanding these changes is critical not just for compliance but for strategic positioning in an increasingly complex operating environment. Signaling the shift from the Biden Administration and the federal investments planned or in place by the federal government, the Executive Order (EO) 14154 Unleashing American Energy indicates a substantial shift away from federal renewable and clean energy programs toward prioritizing domestic fossil fuel production. This EO also calls for the termination of many renewable and clean energy programs, a reprioritization of domestic fossil fuel production and the pausing of disbursements through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) and Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) for a variety of initiatives. Federal funding realities: What’s at risk and what’s protected Obligated federal aid Federal aid that has been both appropriated and obligated through formal contracts maintains significant legal protection. However, even these funds face potential scrutiny under program-specific Terms & Conditions. Per 2 C.F.R. § 200.340, agencies can terminate agreements if they determine an award “no longer effectuates the program goals or agency priorities.” Unobligated federal aid and future funding Unobligated funds face the highest risk of reprogramming or cancellation. Programs like the DOE’s Grid Resilience and Innovation Partnership (GRIP), which expected a final funding round in Spring 2025, may see these unobligated funds redirected or cancelled entirely. The Impoundment Control Act of 1974 requires presidential requests to

What are the latest artificial intelligence (AI) developments the oil and gas sector needs to be aware of? That was the question Rigzone posed to Toni Fadnes, the Chief Transformation Officer (CTO) of eDrilling, which describes itself on its website as a technology company with an AI and software portfolio designed to drive the sustainable transformation of the energy industry. Responding to Rigzone, Fadnes said “agentic AI is what will help us (finally) transform our industry, and what everybody across all the workflows, should be aware of”.  “Building upon the previous to technology eras, PC and SaaS, Agentic AI – systems capable of advanced reasoning and task execution – is already revolutionizing the way organizations operate,” Fadnes added. “In short Agentic, or as I like to call them, AI-powered engineers, autonomously execute complex, goal-oriented tasks with a high degree of predictability. They act as productivity accelerators by incorporating human input through multi-modal interfaces,” he continued. Fadnes went on to state that AI-powered engineers operate with minimal supervision, make decisions based on contextual data, and dynamically replan in response to real-time changes in the environment or objectives. “Why you should care, and act, right now? Two-fold,” Fadnes emphasized.  “AI-powered engineers offer significant value right out of the gate. By solving the decades-long data universe value dilemma, which engineers often spend 40 to 70 percent of their time on, human engineers are freed up to focus entirely on their actual job, or in other words, freeing engineers up to do what they were meant to do. From day one,” he added. “Secondly, by deploying AI-powered engineers now, it will start building the trust with your organization to do the more complex stuff,” he continued. “Just like you would not ask your rookie engineer to autonomously drill your next deepwater HPHT wildcat, the same, I

Woodside Energy Group Ltd. has reported $3.32 billion in revenue for the first quarter (Q1), down five percent from the prior three-month period but up 13 percent against Q1 2024. The sequential decrease was primarily due to lower production and weaker oil-linked prices. The year-on-year increase was due to added production from the Sangomar field offshore Senegal, which started up in Q2 2024, and higher gas hub-linked prices, the Australian exploration and production company said in an online statement. Woodside produced 49.1 million barrels of oil equivalent (MMboe) in the January-March 2025 period, down 4 percent quarter-on-quarter due to weather impacts at North West Shelf LNG and unplanned outages at Pluto LNG, both in Western Australia.  These were partially offset by higher production at Atlantis and Shenzi, which are oil and gas fields offshore Louisiana. By prior-year comparison, Q1 2025 total output rose 9 percent due to Sangomar production. Q1 2025 gas production totaled 1.84 billion standard cubic feet a day (Bscfd), down 4 percent quarter-on-quarter and 5 percent year-on-year. Liquids averaged 223,000 barrels per day (bpd), the same level as the prior quarter and up 44 percent year-over-year. Woodside LNG production at home totaled 19.25 MMboe. Its Australian pipeline gas production totaled 7 MMboe. Domestic crude and condensate production totaled 4.21 MMboe. International pipeline gas production totaled 2.82 MMboe, mostly from Trinidad and Tobago (2.42 MMboe). International petroleum and condensate production totaled 14.48 MMboe, mostly from Sangomar (7.01 million barrels). Woodside sold 50.2 MMboe in Q1 2025, down 7 percent quarter-on-quarter but up 10 percent year-on-year. Gas sales totaled 1.96 Bscfd, down 8 percent quarter-on-quarter but up 1 percent year-on-year. Liquid sales totaled 213,000 bpd, stable compared to Q4 2024 and up 34 percent from Q1 2024. Realized prices averaged $65 per boe, up 3 percent quarter-on-quarter and year-on-year.