Digital Innovations in Oil and Gas with Geoffrey Cann
In the upstream oil and gas sector, frontline operations have long depended on manual methods for information management, such as clipboards, spreadsheets, and disconnected tools. These outdated processes persist despite mounting pressure to improve efficiency and cut costs. But with today’s margin compression, regulatory scrutiny, and demographic changes, that operational model is no longer sustainable. Field operators are expected to do more with less, but lack integrated, user-friendly tools that align with their daily work activities. In this episode, I chat with , CEO of , about how his...
info_outlineDigital Innovations in Oil and Gas with Geoffrey Cann
Mid-sized oil and gas companies are now at a digital crossroads. While supermajors have pushed forward with large-scale transformation programs, many mid-market firms are only beginning to explore how digital innovation can improve performance. Their operational processes—budgeting, forecasting, asset planning—tend to mirror those of larger firms but constrained by fewer resources and less internal capability. Unfortunately, mid-sized companies cannot simply copy the big-company playbook. They lack dedicated data teams, struggle with legacy systems, and must handle all the integration...
info_outlineDigital Innovations in Oil and Gas with Geoffrey Cann
The oil and gas industry is sitting on a ticking environmental and financial liability. Around the world, millions of wells have been drilled to date, many more will be drilled, and all will eventually need to be plugged and abandoned. Today, the US alone has thousands of orphaned and marginal wells, many leaking methane, a greenhouse gas many times more potent than carbon dioxide. With underfunded asset retirement obligations and inconsistent plugging practices of the past, the sector faces mounting pressure to act—but struggles to finance solutions at scale. There is a potential...
info_outlineDigital Innovations in Oil and Gas with Geoffrey Cann
The oil market is once again bracing for change, with OPEC signaling their interest in unlocking supply that has been withheld. For producers, this looming oversupply translates into a fresh imperative: cut costs. The oil and gas sector, long accustomed to volatility, must now sharpen its cost control strategies in the face of intensifying pressure on margins. Matthew Hatami, a professional engineer, entrepreneur, and author, joins me on this episode to discuss the tools and tactics operators can use to improve free cash flow. With experience spanning Halliburton, Hess,...
info_outlineDigital Innovations in Oil and Gas with Geoffrey Cann
For decades, hydraulic fracturing—or fracking—has relied heavily on water and sand to crack underground rock and release oil and gas. Fracking is safe, proven, and reliable, and in collaboration with horizontal drilling, has resulted in the huge growth in hydro carbon production in the US and Canada. But fresh water is a scarce resource particularly in arid settings, and in many places under stress because of climate change. Disposal of used water is a technical challenge and costly. The sand resource, or proppant, is both costly to mine and heavy to ship. The mechanical...
info_outlineDigital Innovations in Oil and Gas with Geoffrey Cann
Despite covering over 70% of our planet, the oceans and seas remain largely unmapped and poorly understood. Collecting useable data about the oceans is hard and expensive--reliant on specialized costly vessels, old-school technologies, and plenty of labour. The comparison to land mapping technologies (like Google Earth) is stark--we have near-total visibility of land-based infrastructure, continuously updated, and collected by satellite. Subsea infrastructure, like pipelines and cables, are managed with minimal, outdated, and isolated datasets. This gap in oceanic intelligence is an...
info_outlineDigital Innovations in Oil and Gas with Geoffrey Cann
Natural gas producers have long struggled to differentiate their product in a market that treats gas as a commodity. When it comes to carbon intensity (CI), the industry is reliant on emission factors and self-reported data, and lacks a credible, data-driven approach to proving their gas carries a lower CI. With new regulations like the Inflation Reduction Act’s Waste Emission Charge and Europe’s carbon border tax, the opportunity to produce verifiable low-emission gas has grown dramatically. Enter “empirical gas”—natural gas measured in real time with actual data instead of...
info_outlineDigital Innovations in Oil and Gas with Geoffrey Cann
The oil and gas industry has traditionally relied on financial instruments like futures and private equity—frameworks that have largely benefitted institutional investors while leaving little room for broader participation. But as digital assets continue to reshape capital markets, tokenization presents a new way forward. With blockchain technology and regulatory frameworks maturing, real-world asset-backed tokens are gaining traction - even in sectors once considered too complex for digital finance. In this episode, I speak with , Co-Founder of a security...
info_outlineDigital Innovations in Oil and Gas with Geoffrey Cann
Twenty years ago, Big Oil companies like Shell and Exxon were the stars of the capital markets. Huge revenues, stellar profits, high share prices, robust price/earning ratios and reliable dividends placed these companies among the world’s best, magnets for top engineering talent and voices of influence in the halls of governments globally. But no more. They lost the market leadership crown to the digital giants, including Apple, Microsoft, Amazon, and Google. Oil and gas concerns are still market...
info_outlineDigital Innovations in Oil and Gas with Geoffrey Cann
Industrial operations have long depended on the OODA loop—Observe, Orient, Decide, Act—a military-inspired decision framework that works, but at great cost. It requires physical presence, human expertise, and often misses key variables hidden from view. This age-old method is embedded across energy infrastructure—from wells to refineries. The digital age, however, is transforming our ability to observe. With billions of video-capable devices generating colossal amounts of data, and artificial intelligence now capable of interpreting this data in real time, there’s a game-changing...
info_outlineEnergy markets are undergoing a profound transformation. With demand shifting, new energy sources emerging, and digital infrastructure consuming more power than ever, the need for accurate, data-driven decision-making has never been greater. Companies must now navigate uncertainty with smarter forecasting tools, leveraging AI and real-time analytics to stay ahead.
However, traditional forecasting models often fail to capture the full picture. New energy sources like solar and battery storage are disrupting the grid, while AI-driven data centers are reshaping electricity demand. At the same time, tech companies like Amazon, Google, and Microsoft are moving beyond buying power to direct energy investments, influencing market dynamics in unexpected ways. So how do we make sense of this fast-changing landscape?
Joining me today is Jarand Rystad, CEO of Rystad Energy, one of the world’s leading energy research firms. With a background in physics, statistics, and AI-powered analytics, Jarand has spent two decades refining energy forecasting models that are used by executives and policymakers worldwide. In this episode, we explore how AI is transforming energy analysis, the long-term outlook for global power demand, and what the rise of tech-driven energy investments means for traditional players.
About the Guest
Jarand Rystad is the founder and CEO of Rystad Energy, one of the world’s leading energy research firms. A physicist by training, Jarand spent years at McKinsey & Co. before launching Rystad Energy, building it into a global powerhouse of energy analytics.
Additional Tools & Resources
💡 Explore Rystad Energy: rystadenergy.com
📊 Check out their latest reports: Rystad Energy Insights
Connect with Me
🔗 LinkedIn: Geoffrey Cann
📩 Blog: Digital Oil and Gas
🎙 Podcast Archive: Listen to Past Episodes
Contact for Lectures and Keynotes
I regularly speak on digital transformation, AI, and energy trends. Book a call to discuss your event needs: Contact Me
Disclaimer
The views expressed in this podcast are my own and do not constitute professional advice.