ARA showcases innovation, safety excellence at OPES 2025
ARA Petroleum (ARA), the energy arm of The Zubair Corporation, proudly announces its participation in the Oman Petroleum & Energy Show (OPES) 2025, which officially opens on Monday under the patronage of H E Salim bin Nasser al Aufi, Minister of Energy and Minerals.
Held at the Oman Convention & Exhibition Centre, this year's event is themed 'Affordable, Sustainable, and Clean Energy Solutions'.
As one of Oman's leading exploration and production companies, ARA Petroleum enters OPES 2025 with a continued focus on environmental and social responsibility, innovation, and operational excellence. The exhibition provides a vital platform for ARA to engage with partners, collaborators, innovators, and contractors who are shaping the future of the energy sector.
'This year at OPES, ARA is proud to highlight the innovations driving our operational excellence – from digital solutions to sustainable practices that reduce environmental impact,' said Omar al Jaaidi, Vice President of ARA Petroleum. 'But what truly sets us apart is our people. Their dedication to safety, performance, and responsible energy is at the heart of everything we do.'
A key highlight of this year's participation is ARA's recognition in the 2024 OPAL Award for Best Practices, where it secured First Place in the 'Operator' category for Health and Safety, selected from over 200 countries. This prestigious accolade celebrates ARA's Integrated QHSSE Digital AI Solution (Mfano) – a powerful testament to the company's commitment to safety, innovation, and continuous improvement.
Visitors to the ARA Petroleum booth will have the opportunity to explore the company's latest automation, emissions reduction, and community engagement initiatives. A central feature will be an interactive showcase of the OPAL Award-winning project, underscoring ARA's leadership in cultivating a strong health and safety culture.
ARA's participation in OPES 2025 directly aligns with Oman Vision 2040, reaffirming the company's mission to support a cleaner, safer, and more resilient energy future.
ARA is a dynamic member of the Exploration & Production industry in Oman and Tanzania. The company is a full cycle E&P company which explores, appraises, develops and produces oil & gas resources both in Oman and internationally.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Observer
03-06-2025
- Observer
Pact signed to turn oilfield waste into clean energy
MUSCAT, JUNE 3 Sultan Qaboos University (SQU) has signed a pioneering research agreement with ARA Petroleum to explore innovative ways of converting produced brine—a waste byproduct from oil and gas operations—into sustainable energy resources such as biohydrogen and biochar. The agreement was signed at the University's Cultural Centre by Professor Amer bin Saif al Hinai, Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Postgraduate Studies and Research at SQU, and Dr Omar bin Salim al Jaaidi, Vice President of ARA Petroleum. The project will be fully funded by ARA Petroleum and supported with its technical expertise, bringing together academic research and industrial know-how to support Oman's sustainability goals. In an interview with the Observer, Dr Saleh al Saadi, Director of the Sustainable Energy Research Centre at SQU, said the collaboration reflects the University's core mission to advance technologies that address real-world challenges. 'This partnership aligns directly with SQU's vision of advancing sustainable technologies by addressing real industrial challenges through research,' Dr Al Saadi said. 'By converting produced water into biohydrogen and biochar, the project supports Oman's Vision 2040 and Net-Zero 2050 goals. It contributes to renewable energy development, water reuse, and environmental protection, while building local research capacity.' Produced brine, typically high in salinity and contaminants, is one of the oil sector's most complex waste streams. Dr Al Saadi's research team aims to overcome technical barriers such as low hydrogen yields and inefficiencies in the conversion process. 'We are tackling major challenges like the high salinity and toxicity of produced water,' he explained. 'Our team is developing an optimised two-stage fermentation system to increase hydrogen output, using biochar to enhance gas quality. In addition, we plan to incorporate AI modelling to improve process efficiency and ensure the project's economic viability. The aim is to transform waste into clean energy and agricultural inputs.' The collaboration is also notable for integrating public, private, and academic stakeholders. It has received strong backing from the Ministry of Higher Education, Scientific Research and Innovation, with its Ejaad platform playing a vital role in linking academia with industry. 'This collaboration unites academia (SQU), industry (ARA), and government (Ejaad) to address national priorities,' said Dr Al Saadi. 'It shows how joint innovation can drive Oman's transition to a knowledge-based and sustainable economy. It not only enables the development of real-world solutions, but also builds national expertise and accelerates the commercialisation of green technologies.' Dr Omar bin Salim al Jaaidi remarked, 'This collaboration underscores the strength of local expertise and the potential of Oman's young generation. By working with Sultan Qaboos University, we are not only developing sustainable energy solutions, but also empowering the next generation of innovators and researchers to lead efforts to address global environmental challenges.' As the world moves towards more circular and sustainable energy practices, this initiative places Oman at the forefront of research-driven solutions for resource recovery and decarbonisation in the hydrocarbon sector.
Observer
27-05-2025
- Observer
Private sector must absorb premiums to accelerate energy transition
MUSCAT: The global energy transition will not succeed without private-sector willingness to absorb cost premiums, build scalable models and push investment despite current regulatory uncertainties, according to Salih Merghani, Executive Vice President for Energy at Olayan Saudi Holding Company. Speaking at the Oman Petroleum & Energy Show (OPES) held in Muscat recently, Merghani said that unlike previous shifts in industrial history, today's energy transition demands that companies move away from 'dense, cheap and reliable' fossil fuels to energy sources that are intermittent, complex and often more expensive. 'This is unlike anything we've attempted before. We're transitioning not because the alternatives are more efficient, but because of an environmental imperative. That makes the economics more challenging — and more urgent,' he said. Merghani noted that although Saudi Arabia and the region offer competitively priced energy, the lack of a comprehensive regulatory framework for decarbonisation is slowing momentum. As a result, private investors must take the lead in developing new mechanisms for green investment. 'In our case, we asked ourselves: why move now? The answer was scalability. The scale exists, the market is forming and our capital has to find a home where it contributes to the long-term shift,' he said. He cited examples of private investment by Olayan into carbon capture and storage (CCS) technologies and industrial retrofits aimed at reducing emissions in sectors like steel, cement and heavy industry. 'We looked at steel production, for example. Instead of building a new 'green steel' facility from scratch, we worked on retrofitting existing operations to lower their emissions profile significantly,' he explained. However, he stressed that many low-carbon technologies will not scale without 'offtake guarantees' and financial structures that share the risk across the value chain. 'We realised that if we wanted to accelerate deployment, someone had to accept the premium — whether in the form of higher offtake prices, long-term contracts, or industrial policy support,' he said. Merghani also highlighted the role of voluntary carbon markets (VCMs), noting that investments under Saudi Arabia's VCM initiative have focused on creating credible carbon credits and building awareness within the private sector. 'We don't yet have taxes or binding emissions caps, but the idea is to integrate carbon into business decision-making through the market. The VCM gives us a way to do that,' he said. On technology maturity, he pointed out that while solar energy has now reached global scale, other solutions — particularly CCS and sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) — still face barriers. 'We've made strong progress in solar, but CCS and SAF require different economic models. For SAF, the aviation sector may be the last to transition and retrofits must become financially viable at today's cost structures,' he said. Merghani called for greater collaboration between industrial players, regulators and financiers to unlock the full potential of emerging technologies. 'Financing institutions must be part of the solution. We can't build a project pipeline if the banks and regulators aren't aligned with the pace of transition,' he noted. He concluded by stressing that while the private sector is ready to lead, market signals and policy coordination must follow if the region is to move from pilot projects to full-scale decarbonisation. 'The technology is here, the investment appetite is real — but if we want this to happen fast, it has to be a shared effort. This transition won't happen under normal conditions. We need to rewire the whole ecosystem,' he said.
Observer
20-05-2025
- Observer
Energy shift must balance business, climate
MUSCAT, MAY 20 The energy transition must strike a pragmatic balance between climate ambitions and business sustainability, said Emry Hisham Yusoff, Senior General Manager of the Carbon Management Division, Upstream at Malaysia's Petronas. Speaking at a panel session during the Oman Petroleum & Energy Show (OPES), Yusoff addressed growing concerns among industry stakeholders about the economic viability of decarbonisation pathways, especially in the context of carbon capture and storage (CCS) and other capital-intensive interventions. 'Yes, there is pressure in investor and stakeholder meetings,' he acknowledged. 'But we must ensure that alignment remains between long-term climate targets and the realities of running viable energy businesses.' Yusoff noted that natural gas continues to play a critical role in Malaysia's energy mix, not just as a transition fuel but also as a core product in global markets. 'Gas demand is still growing—especially in Asia. We continue to see interest in LNG and related projects. It's not about stopping activity, but about transforming it responsibly.' On CCS, Yusoff was cautious but optimistic. 'In places like the US, where the government supports CCS through incentives such as the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), projects are moving. But for us in Southeast Asia, the economics are different. The CO₂ concentration in our emissions streams is often below 4%, which makes capture much more energy- and cost-intensive,' he explained. He added that Petronas is now reassessing how best to approach energy efficiency and emissions reduction. 'We are working to reduce our own energy use and emissions intensity across upstream operations. But we also need to consider whether investments are achieving meaningful impact or just adding operational complexity.' Yusoff emphasised that energy transition strategies must be tailored to regional and operational contexts. 'This is not a copy-paste exercise. We must understand what works locally and where we need to refocus efforts.'
