From Australia to Tanzania
Recapping the Australian Energy Producers & Africa Technology Conference Events
Last week Conor Sherrard and Temitope Solanke attended and presented at two major industry conferences from Brisbane, Australia (Australian Energy Producers) to Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania (Africa Technology Conference). Below are recaps from the two conferences.
SPE Africa Technology Conference, 26 – 29 May 2025, Dar Es Salaam
This year, SPE made history with its inaugural Africa Technology Conference (ATC), held from May 27–29 in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Centered on the theme “Navigating the Future: Building Technological Excellence for Sustainable Energy in Africa,” the event brought together industry leaders, policymakers, and technologists for a pivotal dialogue. Against Africa’s dual challenge—harnessing its vast resources while advancing sustainable development—the ATC served as both a forum for solutions and a catalyst for action. The event was attended by the global president of SPE, the CEO of SPE, the CEO of Ugandan Oil Company (CNOC) and the Director General, Petroleum Upstream Regulatory Authority (PURA) to mention a few.
For Pontem Analytics, the conference’s mission hit close to home. As the industry evolves, the intersection of technology, sustainability, and African ingenuity has never been more vital, and the ATC proved the ideal platform to explore it.
Panel Session: Data Science and AI for Operational Excellence
During the panel session “Leveraging Data Science and AI for Operational Excellence in Energy,” I opened with a simple yet powerful set of facts: Africa is grappling with energy poverty; over 600 million people remain without electricity; and greater energy access directly translates to fewer deaths, more industrialization, and broader economic prosperity. These points struck a chord with the audience, setting the tone for a conversation on how technology can help bridge this gap.
I then shared an experience from a deepwater oil and gas project, where 120 million standard cubic feet of gas per day (MMSCFD) was allocated solely for gas lift injection—enough gas to potentially power millions of people if redirected. Traditional physics-based models guided this allocation, but their conservative assumptions often lead to overestimations.
At Pontem Analytics, I explained, we go beyond traditional models by blending domain engineering with data science—using machine learning and deep reinforcement learning to refine operations. In one recent project, this approach achieved a 30% reduction in gas lift injection volumes. Super-imposing that percentage saving in the previous project in my past, that could have resulted in a saving of 36 MMSCFD of gas. I emphasized how, 28 MMSCFD is the amount of gas required to provide electricity for one million people in Africa. This gas-saving alone could potentially provide power to 1.2 million people—showcasing the real societal value of data-driven optimization in Africa’s energy future.
Technical Presentations: Showcasing Our Expertise
Beyond the panel, I delivered two technical presentations that underscored Pontem Analytics’ commitment to applying data science and engineering intelligence to complex flow assurance problems:
Data-Driven Monitoring of Subsea Wax Deposition: A Hybrid Approach to Flow Assurance
In this presentation, I showcased our hybrid wax monitoring model that combines physics-based simulations with machine learning. Trained on parametric OLGA outputs and lab-derived wax characterization data, this model processes live field data to detect early indicators of wax deposition risk—enabling proactive interventions and more efficient management of subsea challenges.Innovative Physics-Informed ML Solutions for Accurate Pig Tracking
Here, I discussed how Pontem’s Physics-Informed Machine Learning (PIML) algorithm blends the rigor of physics-based models with the adaptability of machine learning. This hybrid approach addresses challenges in multiphase flow pipelines, providing accurate pig tracking without the heavy computational costs of traditional simulators.
Looking Ahead: The Role of Data-Driven Solutions
The conference highlighted not just the urgent need for reliable energy access in Africa, but also the critical role of data and AI in unlocking these resources sustainably. At Pontem Analytics, we see this as our mission: bridging the gap between engineering discipline and data science, and in particular for Pontem Africa, to unlock Africa’s energy potential.
Our global presence—spanning nine cities across four continents—enables us to tackle complex challenges around the clock, while our deep commitment to Africa’s growth and sustainability remains at the heart of everything we do at Pontem Africa.
Australian Energy Producers (AEP) Conference, Brisbane
The Australian Energy Producers Conference (formerly APPEA) is the largest annual upstream energy event in the Southern Hemisphere. It brings together industry leaders in oil and gas production, carbon capture and storage (CCS), and emerging energy technologies—alongside key policymakers—for a week of insightful (and at times, provocative) discussion.
Pontem Analytics was proud to have its first representation at the AEP Conference since opening our Australian office in 2024.
Plenary Session
The conference opened with a high-profile plenary session featuring Woodside CEO Meg O’Neill, Federal Minister for Resources Madeleine King, and former Australian Treasurer and Ambassador to the US Joe Hockey. The panel shared their perspectives on the current state and future direction of Australia’s gas industry.
In a positive signal for the sector, Minister King reaffirmed the Labor Government’s commitment to leveraging Australia’s energy resources to drive economic growth in their second term. This includes reframing future Commonwealth offshore petroleum acreage releases to enhance exploration efforts.
“One of the Albanese Government’s main objectives for this second term is to leverage this country’s energy resources to drive productivity and deliver practical outcomes for all Australians”, Madeleine King
The session wasn’t without controversy. Meg O’Neill called out the perceived contradiction between criticism of gas production and continued demand for the energy it supplies—highlighting consumer trends like fast fashion as an example of fossil-fuel-enabled lifestyles. Joe Hockey also made headlines with a direct but well-received comment: the government should “get out of the way” and let the industry do what it does best.
Across all plenary discussions over the four-day event, one message rang clear: the Asia-Pacific region needs gas, and the urgency is growing. After years of uncertainty, there are signs that policy and industry priorities are finally beginning to align to secure long-term energy reliability for the region.
Risk-based hydrate management: a new path to value creation for gas condensate developments
Pontem Analytics’ Conor Sherrard co-presented a technical paper alongside Woodside’s Stuart Kegg, highlighting the value that can be unlocked through risk-based hydrate management. The presentation focused on how aligning innovative operational strategies with the latest research in hydrate science can reduce CAPEX, increase uptime, and minimise flaring in gas condensate developments.
The session sparked productive conversations with other regional operators around how deeper technical understanding—particularly in flow assurance and hydrate behaviour—can lead to more efficient production systems and significant cost savings.
We’re already looking forward to continuing the conversation at AEP 2026 in Adelaide.