Yemisi Izuora
Global oil industry operators and experts are convening in Vösendorf, Austria, to examine the most relevant trends and practical approaches to reducing carbon emissions across the upstream, midstream and downstream sectors.
They are taking advantage offered by the Oil and Gas Decarbonisation Congress (DECARBON) 2026, scheduled to hold on 9–10 February in Austria, an international oil and gas event that brings together technical specialists, project leaders and technical specialists.
The discussions at DECARBON 2026 underscore a clear industry pivot: away from theoretical promises and toward credible solutions. Topics like hydrogen infrastructure, digital transformation, upstream electrification and CCUS must be actively evaluated and, in some cases, deployed. Faced with finite resources and rising operational pressures, the sector is responding not with rhetoric, but with targeted investment in technologies that deliver measurable outcomes.
Hydrogen (H₂) is widely recognised as one of the most critical tools in global decarbonisation strategies. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA) low-carbon hydrogen production could reach 180 million tonnes per year by 2050, depending on infrastructure deployment and policy alignment.
While green hydrogen holds great promise, its implementation remains largely aspirational due to current cost barriers.
As a result, discussions around hydrogen must go beyond ideal scenarios to address the market situation. This is why the agenda of the Oil and Gas Decarbonisation Congress 2026 includes a range of hydrogen technologies that are particularly relevant today.
The Congress features a Leaders Panel addressing the development of efficient hydrogen infrastructure, green hydrogen value chain development and foundational processes in low-carbon hydrogen production.
Digital tools have reshaped asset management and environmental monitoring across the energy industry. Automation, AI and real-time analytics have helped reduce emissions, cut OPEX and increase system stability. According to recent reports, technology leaders like Siemens are using digital twins and AI-powered analytics to monitor emissions, optimise system performance and support decarbonisation efforts across various sectors.
This growing emphasis on digital innovation is further reflected in a roundtable session at DECARBON 2026, focused on the role of technology in advancing sustainability objectives. Mario Calado Industry Strategy Lead at Siemens AG, participates in the discussion and shares insights into how digital transformation could be realised.
Complementing this, Florian Klein, Business Development Manager for Energy Transition at Linde Advanced Operations Solutions, outlines how companies applied advanced operations systems to reduce energy use and move towards an autonomous plant. Moreover, at the Congress delegates have a chance to learn more about machine learning powered optical gas imaging solutions, P2X technologies, satellite technology and many others.
Electrification has proved an effective lever for reducing Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions in upstream operations as it has improved energy management and reduced operational variability.
During the session focused on decarbonisation for upstream operations, Ali Aboosi (Business Development Manager at Chromalox) would present the deployment of electric process heating systems across production assets.
Dr. Bo Fu, CEO of Oiler.ai, would contribute insights on the machine-learning-powered optical gas imaging solution for real-time methane leak detection and quantification. Additionally, Fayez Al-Mezel, Business Planning Specialist at Kuwait Oil Company, would take part in the discussion, offering energy transition strategies for the upstream sector.
Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage (CCUS) remained a priority for industrial decarbonisation.
According to McKinsey & Company CCUS capacity needs to increase more than 120 times by 2030 to align with global net-zero targets. Progress toward this goal is underway: as of the first quarter of 2025, global operational CCUS capacity reached just over 50 million tonnes of CO₂ per year, reflecting a year-on-year increase.
To showcase how these targets are being addressed in practice, the Closing Panel at DECARBON 2026 presents case-studies from active CCUS projects across Europe, with a focus on integration, commercial readiness and cross-sector collaboration.