International

Digital transformation fuels energy industry

Wider use of technologies benefits daily operations

Shi Wenbin, a 57-year-old oil worker, knows only too well how bitingly cold it can be in Daqing, Heilongjiang province, in winter, when temperatures often plummet to -30 C.

Describing a winter patrol of a 3-square-kilometer operational area at a local oilfield, he said: “Amid the freezing cold, I and at least 14 colleagues had to inspect oil wells scattered throughout the patrol area every morning and afternoon. Each time, it took us four hours and we walked more than 10 kilometers a day.”

Shi, captain of an oil production team at Daqing Oilfield Co, a subsidiary of China National Petroleum Corp, and his team have worked in one of the nation’s largest oilfields for years, regardless of weather conditions that include snow, rain and extremely high wind speeds.

But now they have an efficient helping hand, thanks to the pioneering use of digital technologies such as drones, 5G, the internet of things, big data and video surveillance in and around the oilfield.

“Drones now patrol the operational area four times a day, and we only arrange for about six people to do additional inspection work every three days. The technology has greatly reduced our workload and the risk of injury,” Shi said, adding that ditches and swamps within the patrol area pose a danger to manual patrols.

Shi is just one of the rising number of front-line employees at the company benefiting from the wider use of digital technologies in their daily work. The oilfield, which is more than 60 years old, has been quick to embrace cutting-edge technological solutions to revitalize its production and management.

International

CARNEY’S LIBERAL PARTY VICTORIOUS

Mark Carney’s Liberal Party is projected to win enough seats to form a government in the Canadian elections which were held yesterday, April 28th

The party is still short of the majority but Carney is set to remain Prime Minister of Canada, a post he held for only two months following Justin Trudeau’s resignation.

Media reports state that the spectacular electoral comeback was fuelled in part by US President Donald Trump’s language, the trade war and economic threats.

Meanwhile the conservative leader and Carney’s main rival Pierre Poilievre has been projected to lose his seat.

Results at this time are:

Liberal – 168

Conservative- 144

Bloc Quebecois – 23

International

UK Trade Relationship With EU ‘More Important’ than with US

The UK chancellor has told the BBC that the UK’s trade relationship with the European Union, EU, is arguably “more important” than the one it has with the United States.

Rachel Reeves suggested that moving closer to the EU on trade was a bigger priority, despite her current focus on talks with the US.

After her meeting with US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent last Friday, Reeves tweeted that both the UK and US want a deal that is “in both our national interests”.

Earlier this week, she signalled the UK could lower tariffs on US car imports from their current 10 per cent to 2.5 per cent as part of a wider deal.

The UK is preparing for a summit with the EU in May in an attempt to “reset” the relationship between the two.

International

CANADIANS GO TO THE POLLS TODAY

Canadians are casting their ballots today Monday April 28th, in a pivotal election that has been completely transformed by US President Donald Trump.

The Conservatives appeared certain to win any contest by a landslide at the start of the year, until Trump’s tariffs and barbs about making Canada the “51st state” upended the country’s politics and injected fresh life into Mark Carney’s Liberal Party.

The final polls suggest the Liberals are slightly ahead, although the race has tightened in the past week and Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre says his party can win.

The 36-day campaign ended on a sombre note as party leaders responded to the Saturday evening car ramming that killed 11 people in Vancouver.

Carney, the incumbent prime minister, cancelled a stop in Hamilton on Sunday morning to address the nation following the attack, which saw an SUV ram into a crowd gathered for a local Filipino festival.