What’s New for 2025?

Four key themes shape this year's agenda.

Firstly, adopting a more strategic approach to change management to extract more value from well-site data and operationalize it effectively. This is essential at the field operator level and across different organizational departments. Many operators we interviewed during the research process had a lot to say on this matter, and it was a recurring topic in conversations at our recent facilities engineering event.

Secondly, given the increasing regulatory pressures, a focus on automating emissions measurement, particularly around methane leaks, flaring, and venting.

Third, low-power automation and communication solutions, specifically for remote sites. These sites often need more reliable access to power, electricity, or communication infrastructure, making automation more challenging and essential. Locations like West Texas, for example. 

Finally, the last theme links to the above: exploring how new emerging technologies can solve challenges and better utilize the available data. This includes applications of AI, whether integrated into edge devices, dashboards, or predictive maintenance. Additionally, we’re examining new hardware solutions with smaller footprints designed for wellhead monitoring and emergency shutdown systems. These smaller, scalable automation solutions are becoming increasingly critical for remote operations.

A related area within emerging technologies is technical integration. This overlaps with the first theme of better utilizing well-site data. It involves keeping pace with the latest updates on communication protocols and managing the complexities of multiple APIs. API management can be a bottleneck in automation projects, so understanding how to centralize data effectively is crucial, especially for small to mid-cap operators.

As in previous years, we anticipate many case studies from the Permian Basin, but we aim to broaden the discussion beyond just this region. For example, when we talk about change management, data integration, and wellsite automation, valuable lessons can be learned from other areas of the USA/Canada and European operators. Many European operators have made significant strides in data integration and change management, which could offer insights applicable to unconventional oil and gas operations in North America, especially in the Permian Basin.

Our conference format will retain its most popular elements, such as panel sessions and extended Q&A segments. 

However, we are adding curated roundtables to every morning and afternoon session this year. These sessions will feature questions and allow attendees to share experiences. One representative will summarize the discussion for the broader group, ensuring rich dialogue beyond the presentations.

While well-site automation is inherently technical, feedback suggests bringing discussions back to a more strategic level. 

We’ll still explore technical enablers like data integration but will focus on how well site data can be leveraged effectively among field operators and departments. 

Day one will have a more strategic focus. For example, when discussing emissions control technologies, we will explore the technical details and what these technologies can achieve, how much they cost, and the considerations for scaling them across operations. The emphasis will be on understanding the broader business implications of technology rather than getting too bogged down in every technical minutia.

In terms of specific technologies to be explored, the agenda will include:

• Picture recognition technologies for remote monitoring and automatic alerts
• New technologies suited for smaller operators, such as integrating IoT with SCADA systems for emissions monitoring and performance optimization
• Innovations in autonomous well management, AI-powered data management, and digital twins
• Small-footprint wellhead monitoring and emergency shutdown systems that are      compact and scalable for remote sites
• Portable methane emissions monitoring automation solutions tailored to small to      mid-cap operators
• Multi-gas monitoring solutions that meet  increasingly complex emissions reporting requirements
• Cybersecurity solutions at the field level, including Bluetooth and near-field      communications for remote sites, may be particularly vulnerable to cyber threats
• AI-based operational analytics for predictive  maintenance, emissions monitoring, and production optimization
• Analytics platforms and tools that help oil and  gas operators gain insights from real-time operational data to improve  decision-making
• Mobile leak detection devices that offer low-footprint, real-time monitoring installations
• Low-power automation technologies that leverage  solar, wind, and backup battery systems
• Communication architectures for remote sites that enable seamless integration of more automation devices, using technologies like mesh networks and others

This is just a high-level overview of the rich content we will cover this year. The depth and breadth of the discussions will make it a valuable event for operators and technology providers alike.

Finally, all of the discussions will be summarized and distributed in a comprehensive post-conference report circulated to all attendees.