From chemical and digital solutions, sustainable product lines to value-creating acquisition strategies, ChampionX is playing its part in supporting the Kingdom’s sustainability effort in line with Saudi Vision 2030

Championx says it offers all-round solutions to resolve the dilemma of operators, which want to improve production efficiently while keeping operations sustainable.

The company, which delivers chemical technologies to many oil and gas facilities in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, also provides valuable solutions to maximise asset life.

Another key area it has expertise in is unconventional gas, a growing sector in the Kingdom.

In an interview with Abdulaziz Khattak of OGN, Mohammed Al-Khalifa, General Manager, Champion Arabia, discussed how ChampionX is leveraging technology, including recent acquisitions, to help companies in the industry responsibly maximise their operations.

How can ChampionX Corporation help companies reach their environmental sustainability targets?

Helping companies deliver sustainable operations is at the heart of what we do, and we’re deeply passionate about supporting our customers as they reduce their operational emissions.

Internally, this means leveraging our products, services, digital platforms, and technical expertise to help responsibly maximise their operations.

ChampionX’s ground-based solar powered SOOFIE technology monitors emissions and sends alerts to operators

ChampionX has developed chemical solutions which can provide greater efficiencies and reduce operational emissions to support industry net zero goals, while delivering greater oil recovery.

For example, in the Middle East, we developed a customised, cost-effective, and sustainable corrosion inhibitor (CI) treatment programme for a major operator experiencing pitting corrosion.

Upon application, our CI reduced chemical consumption by more than 40 per cent, delivering financial savings and lowering the operator’s carbon footprint by reducing the storage space and frequency of deliveries required to effectively manage their program.

We also recently completed field trials of our enhanced, sustainable Clean n Cor® product line in the Middle East. These products are multi-functional and address the challenges of constrained production or water injection due to solids deposition, while also protecting the system from corrosion.

The solution uses less acidic chemistry, and the corrosion protection functionality mitigates against the risk of future failures, delivering greater efficiencies with less environmental impact.

What new technologies does ChampionX offer to achieve sustainability?

As the industry we serve evolves, we are transforming our business portfolio to align and support the emissions reduction goals of our customers, including the addition of industry-leading emissions monitoring technologies and services through the acquisition of Scientific Aviation.

Their ground-based, solar-powered system, called SOOFIE (Systematic Observations of Facility Intermittent Emissions), provides 24/7 continuous site monitoring of emissions and immediately alerts operations about potential concerns.

This emissions monitoring capability provides an opportunity to leverage our expertise in upstream production well sites.

We also recently acquired Tomson Technologies and Group 2 Technologies, leaders in a nano technology platform with proven commercial applications that help energy companies lower the operating expenses and carbon footprint of their oil and gas production operations.

What role does leadership play in achieving net-zero/decarbonisation?

ChampionX supports the Saudi market with a range of oilfield chemical solutions and services

Leadership is essential in driving change from the top down and ensuring sustainability goals are communicated and implemented across all areas of the business.

In my role, I am also an advisor and supporter of ChampionX’s Sustainable Energy Empowers Development (SEED) internal employee resource group.

SEED aims to connect employees around the world with a shared passion for sustainability, and my active involvement in this group helps to promote and share our learnings while encouraging our workforce in Saudi Arabia to find ways to improve in this area.

What edge does this region have over other parts of the world in achieving net-zero goals?

In November 2021, Saudi Arabia launched the Green Initiative, which will play a key role in achieving the kingdom’s net-zero goals.

This builds on the existing Saudi Vision 2030 by uniting all sustainability efforts to increase reliance on clean energy with five key focus areas, including the reduction of carbon emissions, protecting oceans, defending wildlife, preventing desertification, and increasing recycling.

This unified approach highlights how important achieving net zero is to Saudi Arabia, and we are excited to play our part in supporting this effort.

As a leading supplier to the oil and gas industry, what are the highlights of your impressive journey over the years?

Operating as Champion Arabia, we entered the Saudi market more than 30 years ago with a long-term growth strategy.

We understood the key importance of having a local presence, so in 1982, we opened our facility in Dammam with just six people.

Today, we deliver a vast suite of chemistries to many oil and gas facilities in the kingdom, and we employ 46 people in-country, more than half of which are Saudi nationals.

What specialised solutions do you offer the oil and gas industry?

In Saudi Arabia, we deliver a range of oilfield chemical solutions and technical services. We continue to see high demand for corrosion and scale inhibitors, emulsion breakers, water treatment chemicals, and an increasing demand for biocide applications.

Our solutions are designed to help operators achieve greater production and enhance project efficiencies, while delivering more sustainable operations for our customers.

We have seen an increased need in recent years to support aging assets, so we have been working with our customers to provide solutions that actively protect downhole equipment while maximising asset life.

Our global network of experienced scientists, engineers, and subject-matter experts are readily available to support our local technical team any time there is a need for troubleshooting or innovation to improve our customers’ operations.

What major projects is ChampionX currently participating in?

The unconventional gas market in Saudi Arabia is growing exponentially. This is an area of ChampionX expertise, and we believe there is great added value in utilising our previous experience in the US and Canada.

We have developed a diverse range of integrated chemical, drilling, artificial lift and digital applications that can support our customers throughout the unconventional gas lifecycle in Saudi Arabia.

What are some of the new innovations in your segment of the industry?

The application of digital solutions has become more prominent as operators realise the sustainability and efficiency benefits of technology, such as AI, and this trend will undoubtedly grow in the coming years.

We’ve been working to combine technical advancements and multi-functional products into one package to deliver highly efficient products for our customers.

What are the company’s plans for this year?

Moving into 2022, we have a well-defined growth strategy in place to support our growing operation in Saudi Arabia. This includes expanding our in-country footprint by opening an additional office, which allows us to support the increasing demand for our chemical technologies and solutions.

While ChampionX already has a strong localisation plan in place, we are aiming to significantly enhance our programme to align even more closely with the In-Kingdom Total Value Add (IKTVA) program.

This progression will enable us to deliver even greater economic benefit to the country as we upskill the local workforce to support the evolving demands of the energy industry in Saudi Arabia.