By Suzanne Stewart, VP for Technology at Tendeka

(Published in Energy Voice, May 2022)

I’m writing this sitting on a flight to Saudi Arabia after more than two years of no business travel thanks to Covid-19.

Drafting this article made me reflect on the last one I wrote for Energy Voice in March of 2020 where I was postulating on what impact Covid could have on oil and gas. Never could I have imagined the magnitude of the pandemic and how much we would all be impacted.

According to World Economic Forum, 114 million people lost their jobs in 2020 due to the lockdown and to date, more than 505 million Covid cases have been reported with over 6 million related deaths. For many, Covid has become a day-to-day inconvenience at worst but for others, it is still having a profound effect on their personal lives and the way they conduct their business.

So, what happened to oil and gas? Well, despite questioning in my previous article whether we could thrive at $30, we didn’t have to for long. Over the past two years, we’ve seen WTI crude go subzero and then bounce back to around $60, stay there for a while then in March 2022, taunt us with a high of $123.70.

Did everyone stop drilling and completing? Not quite but the global rig count according to Baker Hughes was 1,016 in October 2020, down from 2,123 in the same month of the previous year. The US took a huge hit with the rotary rig count plummeting to 244 in August of 2020, down from 935 the same month the previous year. However, the good news for oil and gas is that as of 20th April 2022, the global rig count is up to 1,661.

Fortunately, the world is opening up to allow some travel without having to perform countless PCR tests along the way and allowing in-person meetings and conferences, like OTC in Houston, to take place.

My first major in-person conference was the Hydraulic Fracturing Conference in February which attracted higher attendance than pre-Covid. It was exciting to be interacting with so many people on a professional and personal level – and I survived! I really do think it was a turning point for Houston at least, as the traffic seemed to return quickly to “normal” levels after the conference.

Does this mean that we can all go back to how it was before Covid? I think for many reasons, the new “normal” will be something quite different and will be driven mainly by the necessity for sustainability. Oil and gas will be around for a long time to come so we all need to work towards minimising the associated carbon footprint and delivering cleaner energy.

By Anna Petitt, UK Sales Manager at Tendeka

Published online, energyvoice.com on 9th March 2022

(click HERE to access the Energy Voice web page)

I remember at school, saying to my friends that once I finished university, I wasn’t planning on studying again – how wrong I was! Fast forward almost a decade later and I’ve completed two degrees, night classes in Chinese and Russian and taken several industry courses.  

I originally graduated with a first-class honours degree in French and German from the University of Aberdeen and was keen to enter the oil and gas industry having worked for Total in Pau during my year abroad. I was told by operators that it was great that I could speak French, but I needed to be an engineer too.  

Tendeka recognised this potential and hired me as the first graduate to help with its Francophone clients in Africa in technical support. Keen to learn more about the industry, I received a distinction in the OPITO Drilling and Completions courses which the company now rolls out to all new graduates. To progress further, my manager at the time encouraged me to undertake a degree in Engineering. 

For three and a half years, I combined full time work with part-time online – studying for a MSc in Oil and Gas Engineering at Robert Gordon University. This was a challenge that required discipline, but I enjoyed the experience to deepen my knowledge in subsurface engineering.  I find it interesting to learn more about different subjects. It allows me to expand my skill set and knowledge and can also be important in career progression.   

When it came to the MSc project, I wanted to pursue the energy transition as it is an area I am passionate about, having recently become SPE Net Zero chair, but also to make sure it could have a tangible impact on the industry. We need actual solutions.   

Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) is vital to achieving Paris Agreement goals and contributing towards a just energy transition. There are however challenges associated with CCS.   Depleted oil and gas fields provide important storage locations but the injection of carbon dioxide into extremely pressure depleted gas fields can be problematic due to the phase change behaviour of carbon dioxide which triggers physical phenomena, such as the Joule-Thomson cooling effect. This can cause major issues such as material embrittlement and loss of equipment functionality.  

 Tendeka’s head of subsurface, Mike Konopczynski, has developed a CCS simulator, which simulates the choking effect of downhole flow control devices placed at intervals in the completion to maintain carbon dioxide in the liquid phase during the lifecycle of the well. I modelled three real life industry cases successfully meaning that this would save intervention later in life or the drilling of multiple wells as the reservoir conditions change.   

I was selected among 400 students studying MSc courses at both Aberdeen universities for the Energy Institute Best MSc paper. Robert Gordon University selected my project, along with two others, for the competition. I was delighted to graduate with distinction but especially honoured to win the competition as I was competing against some great talent.   

As my project was based on three real-life well scenarios, I would like to take this further and qualify the technology so that operators can use it. I hope to present my results at other industry events and write SPE papers on the topic.  

My ambition is to utilise my acquired knowledge internationally. I still get frustrated when people say what a change from studying languages to engineering. I was always told that you could do anything with languages and indeed, I’ve found the ability to communicate ideas effectively whether that be orally or written is essential in any job.  

My advice to anyone thinking of combining full time work with further education is that if you get the opportunity, do it.  

A company’s financial assistance to undertaking a degree while working is beneficial to both parties. Having a supportive manager is paramount to help self-belief as well as learning from specialists in the company, such as Mike who helped me with the simulator. It requires discipline, but education is an incredibly valuable asset. 

by Anne Skene, HR manager at Tendeka 

(as published in Energy Voice,  March 2022)

Diversity and inclusion (D&I) has been on the agenda for many years now with legal obligations to protect individuals with certain characteristics since the 1960s.  What has now become more widely recognised are the benefits to be gained by embracing diversity and the range of ideas and experiences that can be learned from it. 

As defined by the CIPD, diversity is about recognising difference, and inclusion is where people’s differences are valued and used to enable everyone to thrive at work – “An inclusive working environment is one in which everyone feels that they belong without having to conform”. 

Creating a diverse and inclusive workforce allows employers to better represent the markets in which they do business, opens a wider candidate pool to fill skills gaps and has the potential to drive innovation and performance improvements. 

With businesses now facing particularly disruptive people challenges post-pandemic, with terms such as ‘the great resignation’ and the ‘war on talent’, it is more important than ever to deliver meaningful D&I initiatives. They can be crucial as both retention and recruitment tools.   

D&I is relevant in all aspects of the employment lifecycle. It’s how companies attract new employees, how they are onboarded and what measures are in place to ensure everyone feels included and connect with the business.  It’s giving employees a voice, allowing them to share ideas and to know they’ve been heard. It’s also enabling employees to all have equal opportunity for their development and progression. 

At Tendeka, our employees and line managers are required to complete mandatory equality and diversity training upon joining and at regular intervals thereafter to ensure this message remains fresh throughout their employment.  Our managers have recently attended a series of online workshops focusing on how we look after our people, with more content being prepared to continue this theme over the coming year. 

Employee representatives from across the business are brought together to run our “Employee Charter”. The charter’s mission is to focus on employee engagement as well as empowerment.  It gives employees the forum to explore suggestions for improvements and present them to the management team for inclusion in the overall company strategy and/or day to day aspects of the company. 

Flexible working is another element of inclusion we know can bring many benefits to a company. We know one-size-does-not-fit-all when it comes to flexible working, therefore we have a suite of policies to cover a range of aspects, with initiatives such as flexible working hours, part time working, career break and family leave.  Working in a global organisation, we appreciate flexibility works both ways and we feel this approach allows employees flexibility with their individual needs whilst responding to the needs of the company.  

It’s important to all at Tendeka that we create a working environment where our employees feel connected throughout the company and therefore any company initiatives are tailored to our global, multi-national workforce. 

Tendeka has recently become the official partner of AFC Women as part of our commitment to D&I. Nearly 40% of our management team are female, for example, and we believe the quality of discussions and alternative thoughts are greatly enhanced with this gender balance, and as a result makes a significant contribution to the success of our strategies. 

Joint press release

At the inaugural day of the International Petroleum Technology Conference in Riyadh, the Industrialization and Energy Services Company “TAQA” announced it has signed an agreement to acquire TENDEKA, a UK-based engineering and manufacturing company with offices in Houston, Stavanger, Aberdeen, Dubai and Kuala Lumpur.

Tendeka specializes in offering reservoir monitoring and control, advanced lower completions, and production optimization technologies, delivering innovative, stand-alone completion products which can be combined and tailored to specific customer requirements across the full spectrum of conventional and unconventional reservoirs.

Ahmed Mousa Al- Zahrani, TAQA Chairman of the Board, said: “We continue to realize TAQA 2021 strategy to expand well services offering and become a leading international services and equipment provider. The acquisition of Tendeka will complete our portfolio and fill the well completions gap we had. Tendeka has an excellent technology base with strong IP, skilled workforce and global international presence, complementing our current and future offering”

Brad Baker, Tendeka Chief Executive Officer, said: “We are delighted to join the TAQA Group. Tendeka has a rich history of providing innovative technologies for reservoir recovery and production optimization. TAQA will not only immediately strengthen our capabilities in the key Middle East Region, but also bring investment for our future growth. “

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About TAQA

TAQA is a leader in Middle East Oil Field Services and Equipment (“OFSE”) and is adding new capabilities to cover a wide spectrum within the market. TAQA continues to innovate by developing and deploying technologies, products and service and by building long-term relationships with customers. 

About Tendeka

Tendeka is a global specialist in advanced completions and production solutions for the oil and gas industry. From simple to complex well designs, the company has an extensive track record in enhancing productivity for clients’ reservoirs offshore and onshore. Tendeka invests in research and development, bringing to market disruptive technologies and offering solutions targeted to operators’ specific production challenges.

Established in 2009 and headquartered in Aberdeen, UK, Tendeka operates in strategically positioned bases, located at global energy hubs including the North Sea, Asia-Pacific, Middle East and USA.

Press release

Global completions specialist Tendeka has appointed a new business development manager for Canada to accelerate interest in its technologies across the country.

Marc Carriere will be tasked with raising the profile of Tendeka’s innovative technologies such as FloSure, FloFuse and PulseEight EAV across North America.

He previously spent 18 years with Baker Hughes where he took on the role of Innovation Director for Canada. Ahead of joining Tendeka, he worked at Endurance Technologies as manager of corporate services.

Mr Carriere has vast experience in leading sales integration efforts and an extensive background with completion systems in the Canadian oil and gas sector. Working across artificial lift, completions, drill bits, drilling services, and wireline, he has developed strategies for Canadian market growth across product lines, identified key development areas and aligned teams around customer satisfaction. His prior experience also includes six years of field work based in Grande Prairie, Alberta.

Mr Carriere said: “I’m pleased to be joining the company and help drive sales efforts across Canada. Tendeka has so many exciting technologies which can have a real impact on operators in terms of driving down costs and creating efficiencies. I look forward to working alongside this talented team to bring more of these solutions to the market.”

Jim McGowin, Vice President for North and South America at Tendeka, added: “Marc is vastly experienced and has built up a large contact base in Canada, which will be important for us to introduce more of our technologies to local operators. I’m pleased to welcome Marc to the team.”

By Brad Baker, CEO

As published in Energy Voice magazine, January 2022

Our journey towards renewables has increasingly become polarised between those working in the now – bringing us the energy to exist and those, equally importantly, looking to our future and a cleaner, more sustainable planet.   

One cannot get there without the other.  Energy companies can and should unconditionally do both.  

Sustainability is defined as the concept of “meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.”  This equation is complex beyond what some may “want” now over what is needed to endure as a global family.  The word “need” holds a lot of weight in this definition.  Fossil fuels and the products made from these resources are critical to modern life and our future existence, as we know it, is based on the needs of the present.  

The recent EIA report that production could double in the next 30 years at a cost to climate goals, has caused much consternation.  This forecast is pragmatic.  Petroleum engineers understand the concept of decline curve analysis.  Exponentially, more production is needed in declining reservoirs to maintain the growing populations status quo.   

The EIA reports that by 2050 in most net zero scenarios currently available, fossil fuels will still be the number one contributor to the planet’s energy needs with a best-case scenario of renewables close behind.  

Even if the wealthy countries in the OECD could responsibly afford the exorbitant investment and resulting dissociation of other parts of their economies to meet their needs through renewables alone, developing countries will not endure to a net carbon future without fossil fuel.    

The recent delay of the Cambo project should not be seen as a triumph for a greener, renewable future. Rather, it’s a potential loss of one more building block in preventing loss of jobs, economic comfort and the demand for readily available energy for the UK.  Even if the UK can survive the loss of economy and absorb the increased costs of energy that replaces it, non-developed countries cannot.  Our want for our future regionally should not be at the cost of our global neighbours needs to sustain now.   

Our energy transition should not only involve continued production of fossil fuels in step with renewable goals, but it is also essential they do so.  Sustainability should not be driven by what a few want but rather what we all need.  

“I am Brad and I proudly work in the oil industry, and I also absolutely support the transition towards a renewable energy future for generations to come.” 

by Brad Baker, CEO 

As published in Energy Voice online, festive time 2021

 “I am Brad and I proudly work in the oil industry – don’t judge me.”  

If you work in the oil industry this feels like the mandatory, apologetic disclaimer required before being allowed to weigh-in on the energy transition nowadays.  I am not sure how we have got here, but our journey into a new world of renewables has increasingly become polarised between those working in the now – bringing us the energy, heat, light and many other essentials critical to our very existence and those, equally importantly, looking out to the good of our future generations with an eye on a cleaner, more sustainable planet.  Shouldn’t these groups be mutually inclusive of each other?  This polarisation is almost amusingly on display as many energy companies stumble over their own messaging to walk the line of transition to renewable products while touting and advertising their oil futures.  One cannot get there without the other.  Energy companies can and should unconditionally do both.  

Sustainability is defined as the concept of “meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.”  This equation is complex beyond what some may “want” now over what is needed to endure as a global family.  The word “need” holds a lot of weight in this definition.  The idea that the need of the present must be met without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own need, is salient.  

It would be an easy assertion to state that almost 90% of the manmade items around you are made from fossil fuels; your pen, your phone, your high-quality outdoor sportswear keeping you warm, are all made from petroleum products giving you shelter, energy, heat, food – essentially, life.  Petroleum products are critical to life on our planet and our future existence as we know it in the needs of the present.  We absolutely cannot meet the wants for the most hardline renewable goals in a sustainable manner without fossil fuels getting us there.  

The most recent EIA report stated that production could double in the next 30 years at a cost to climate goals, has caused much consternation.  This forecast is pragmatic.  Petroleum engineers understand the concept of decline curve analysis.  Exponentially, more production is needed in declining reservoirs to maintain the growing populations status quo.  In turn, this fuels our future goals of renewables if we want to preserve life on the planet responsibly.  Higher oil production numbers in themselves should not be feared and understood as horses for transportation and manufacturing were needed to sustain the transition to automobiles and as silviculture and arboriculture is to timber sustainability.  The EIA reports that by 2050 in most net zero scenarios currently available, fossil fuels will still be the number one contributor to the planet’s energy needs with a best-case scenario of renewables close behind.  We cannot get to where we want without it.   

It is a fact that even if the wealthy countries in the OECD could responsibly afford the exorbitant investment and resulting dissociation of other parts of their economies to meet all their needs through renewables alone, the other countries in the developing world will not endure to a net carbon future without fossil fuel.    

The recent delay of the Cambo project should not be seen as a triumph for a greener, renewable future. Rather, it’s a potential loss of one more building block to help us get there quicker as well as meet the needs of the present in preventing loss of jobs, economic comfort and the demand for readily available energy for the UK.  It may even impact the ability to drive sustainability and ease the transition to a low carbon future, as well as the social responsibility to meet our own current economic and energy needs in the near-term.  Even if the UK can survive the loss to the economy and absorb the increased cost of current renewables that replace it, non-developed countries cannot. They will not meet their basic survival needs today without such projects to live to see a green tomorrow.  Our want for our future here regionally should not be at the cost of our global neighbor’s needs to sustain now.   

A pragmatic and well-planned transition should not only involve continued production of fossil fuels in step with renewable goals, but it is also essential they do so.   

Sustainability should not be driven by what a few want, but rather what we all need.  

“I am Brad and I proudly work in the oil industry, and I also absolutely support the transition to a more renewably energy future for generations to come.” 

by Gillian Fowler, Marketing Communications Manager, Tendeka

(Published in Energy Voice, December 2021)

It’s hard to believe it’s December already.  As another year closes, I ask you to consider, what has 2021 shown about your general wellbeing, particularly your mental health?

Although we have lived through another year of Covid, lockdowns, varying restrictions and for the last several months, a return to some sort of normality, this has been another challenging year for many. After all, Covid has impacted every single person one way or another.  We are now seeing the benefits of an effective vaccine roll-out which has significantly reduced number of deaths.  Here in the UK, people are adjusting as businesses implement phased returns to the office, some offering hybrid working permanently. Of course, there is still the need to manage ongoing Covid cases, flu and other illnesses, both visible and invisible.

If you were to draw a graph from January to December, how would your wellbeing look? Would it be a stable line, or would the graph be similar to the ups and downs of a mountain range, reflecting key hurdles in your personal and working life?

Covid aside, all of us face and manage our daily responsibilities, as well as the challenges that life throws.  At times, there can be an accumulative effect, where the impact of dealing with repeated obstacles can become overwhelming, stress mounts up and we can struggle to complete the simplest of tasks as our mental health deteriorates.  For many, there is a level of pride and professionalism, so we continue to operate at full speed, or perhaps there is a situation or several things that rock the feeling of stability and we struggle to process.

How attuned are you to your body’s signals?  Are you aware of becoming forgetful, having varying degrees of brain fog, perhaps developing physical ailments, tiredness, headaches, pain, mood swings, poor sleep – sound familiar?  This doesn’t mean you are failing or weak.  What it does mean is you need to pay attention, and take action to help your health and wellbeing.

We are not helping ourselves in the long run by ignoring the warning signs.

Take the courageous steps to voice your concerns to your trusted support network, and seek medical help where required.  At work, it’s also important you contact your HR team as early as possible, flag where you see issues so adjustments can be made to best support you where necessary.

I urge you to put your health and wellbeing first.

What better gift could there be this Christmas than enabling yourself to face 2022 both mentally and physically stronger, with a far higher sense of purpose?  A priceless gift to be enjoyed – with your loved ones, of all ages.

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