SPE Evangeline Section October General Meeting

Sessions address oilfield insurance, the federal outlook for upstream oil and gas, the 90th Texas Legislative Session, legal issues relating to “0000b/c,” and a skeptical view of the energy transition. A state and federal affairs panel covers the 2026 election results. The program also includes a keynote address from John Calce, Chairman, Founder, and CEO of America First Refining.

The biennial symposium focuses on proven and emerging technologies for oil and natural gas development and production. Technical papers address commercially viable solutions to drilling, completion, and production engineering challenges. The 2027 theme, “Fueling the Future,” examines the industry’s role in providing low-cost, reliable energy as energy sources diversify. The program also includes events supporting a lower-carbon future, with goals of improving well and program economics, extending commercial success, and addressing environmental, social, and governance (ESG) considerations.

URTeC and the Offshore Technology Conference will be co-located while retaining distinct technical focuses. URTeC centers on unconventional resource development, with shared industry priorities that include capital efficiency, digital transformation, emissions reduction, and operational performance. Technical themes include operator case studies integrating geology, geophysics, geomechanics, completions, and reservoir engineering across exploration, appraisal, pilot testing, and development; advanced formation evaluation using well logs, core and fluid characterization, digital rock technologies, and petrophysical interpretation; geological and geophysical methods for prospectivity, acreage assessment, seismic imaging, reservoir characterization, and produced-water management; and geomechanics in well design, hydraulic fracturing, production, and refracturing. Other themes address geochemistry and fluid-rock interactions, including applications to geothermal energy and critical minerals; AI and data science for subsurface characterization, reserves estimation, drilling, completions, and production forecasting; enhanced recovery and restimulation, including gas and CO₂ injection, chemical agents, simulation, and field surveillance; and reserves estimation and production forecasting. Clean-energy topics include methane monitoring and mitigation, electrification, flaring reduction, geothermal development, infrastructure repurposing, helium and hydrogen, critical-mineral extraction, and produced-water treatment, reuse, and mineral recovery. Well-level interventions include remediation, sidetracks, artificial lift, diagnostics, and intervention economics.

The meeting brings together executives, decision-makers, and technical experts from refining businesses, technology providers, contracting and consulting firms, and equipment manufacturers. Sessions address policies, regulations, geopolitics, and disruptions affecting downstream businesses. The agenda includes general sessions, concurrent breakout sessions, and a Government Relations Breakfast.

The technical program covers the lifecycle of offshore energy projects, from exploration and development through production, maintenance, and decommissioning. Topics span offshore oil and gas, offshore wind, carbon management, hydrogen, marine resources, and technologies for operational efficiency, safety, reliability, and performance, including advanced materials, automation, robotics, artificial intelligence, and digital transformation. Program elements include the Opening General Session on energy demand, market dynamics, policy and regulation, offshore innovation, collaboration, and sustainability; panel and technical sessions; keynote presentations; the University R&D Showcase; and the Presentation Hub and Around the World Series. Executive Dialogues use a limited-participation, peer-to-peer format and address emerging technologies, policy and regulation, capital investment, market outlooks, energy transition strategies, workforce development, and energy demand and security. The Energy Evolution Exchange Pavilion features carbon capture and storage, offshore wind, hydrogen, marine resources, low-carbon solutions, and energy efficiency. URTeC is co-located with OTC, with distinct technical programs focused on offshore and unconventional resource development.

Public power utility leaders, including utility managers, executives, and senior leaders, exchange ideas and information with peers. The roundtable connects top-tier leaders with experts in technology, energy, and policy through collaborative, growth-oriented sessions addressing strategic challenges facing the industry and the effects of global and national trends on utilities. Registrations are limited.

Examines how casing design has evolved from early load-case frameworks and why traditional tubular stress analysis can fall short in complex wells. Topics include HPHT wells, extended-reach drilling, multistage-fractured unconventionals, subsea wells with sealed annuli and trapped-annular risk, CO₂ injection for carbon capture and storage, and super-hot geothermal wells. The presentation addresses how incomplete or oversimplified pressure, temperature, and load descriptions contribute to tubular failures; the role of rigorous load cases in consistent design; and engineering judgment, model selection, and improved load modeling across well lifecycles.

Strategic, peer-led discussion for senior leaders across utilities, oil and gas, grids, technology, finance, think tanks, and regulation. Workshops, dinners, and roundtables are intended to produce action plans. The 2027 program is listed as coming soon; no 2027 session titles or speakers are published.

Sessions examine natural gas market fundamentals for AI data center demand, including basin capabilities, rig activity, storage trends, pipeline bottlenecks, competition with LNG exports and other electricity demand, and commercial strategies for procurement, hedging, and risk management. The program also addresses AI and predictive analytics for pipeline nominations, forecasting, capacity management, and gas-flow optimization, plus integration with ERP, ETRM, CRM, and SCADA systems. Infrastructure discussions cover pipeline capacity, reliability and right-of-way; regional transmission, distribution and generation investment; federal-land development models; and the commercial and regulatory structures needed to advance large-load projects. Utility service challenges include pipeline limitations, public perception, permitting, capital requirements, commercial structuring, cost allocation, reliability obligations, and protecting existing customers. A developers roundtable covers demand forecasts versus speculative projects, developer qualifications, speed-to-power and behind-the-meter strategies, gas procurement, community hurdles, and regulatory and policy issues. Other sessions address mobile gas delivery and virtual pipelines, including CNG/LNG solutions for remote or capacity-constrained markets. The keynote considers AI-driven electricity demand, gas and electric utility bottlenecks, regional load growth, and nuclear energy. A Texas-focused panel examines policy, technology, research, planning, permitting, investment, and cross-sector coordination for large-load development, including data centers and advanced manufacturing.