Beyond the barrel: The future of upstream strategy

Amid shifting geopolitics, uneven investment, and evolving regional demand, the global upstream business faces a pivotal decade. How can producers sustain supply security while adapting to new financial, environmental, and social expectations? In this Energy Talk, upstream leaders explore how international oil companies and national champions are redefining cooperation across continents. From long-term resource development in Africa to capital discipline in mature basins and technology partnerships that unlock efficiency gains, they discuss how upstream strategy is being reshaped by new alliances, market realities, and the need for reliable growth. Together, these leaders offer a uniquely global view of how upstream investment and innovation can strengthen the world’s energy backbone amid unprecedented uncertainty. 

Finance and energy: partnering for energy security and diversification

The power of collaboration is transforming the energy landscape, with a recent industry report revealing that 94% of investors and energy executives are actively seeking partnerships to combine strengths, share resources and distribute risk. These collaborative frameworks – spanning public-private partnerships (PPPs), private equity, infrastructure funds and sustainability-linked instruments – create powerful opportunities to advance energy security and energy diversification simultaneously. Through innovative agreements, partners are unlocking synergies that no single entity could achieve alone. With a dynamic energy sector shaped by technological innovations, new policies and a transforming energy market, how can financiers and energy operators identify the partners to advance a future where energy continues to fuel global progress and prosperity. 

Attendee insights:

In this session, join thought leaders from the finance and energy sectors to discover how joint efforts can advance a resilient, low-carbon, high-growth future.

The emerging role of Gulf nations in the global hydrogen economy

With abundant renewable resources, active carbon capture capabilities and significant natural gas reserves, Gulf states are ideally placed to develop giga-scale hydrogen projects. A stable investment environment and advanced energy infrastructure further support both a sizeable domestic market and export ambitions, particularly given the favourable geography for exporting to major consumption centres like Europe and Asia, meaning Gulf nations are primed and ready to produce cost-effective green and blue hydrogen. As legacy oil majors pivot to low-carbon fuels, the region’s unique advantages – which include hydrocarbon expertise, a strategic location and supportive policies – have the potential to solidify the Gulf’s position as a global hydrogen hub.     

Attendee insights: 

Hear from experts on how the Gulf’s distinctive infrastructure, policy environment and technical expertise can drive hydrogen market growth, fuelling international collaboration and sustainable development.

Financing gas and LNG: de-risking investment in a volatile landscape

Global natural gas and LNG projects face a complex convergence of financial, geopolitical, carbon intensity and market challenges that jeopardise their viability despite rising demand. Capital cost volatility, including tariffs on specialised materials, labour shortages and rising interest rates, make cost projections unreliable. Simultaneously, shifting government policies, export controls, and environmental regulations, including pauses on new export approvals, create ongoing uncertainty for investors.

To navigate current and future financing challenges, project developers will need to prioritise robust risk management, map clear long-term demand and profitability projections, cultivate secure, strong partnerships and contracts with buyers, and more. The U.S. market has seen renewed interest in debt lending and equity participation in LNG projects, with comparatively lower risk profiles and long-term returns.

However, critical questions remain: how can developers align financing strategies with diverse investor expectations? What makes a project attractive in today’s environment? And can project developers continue to secure equity partners to support timely FIDs and long-term resilience?

Attendee insights:

Explore the evolving capital landscape for natural gas and LNG, the strategies needed to de-risk investment, and how stakeholders are navigating the path to financing the next generation of supply projects.

Unlocking hydrogen’s potential: from first-of-a-kind projects to global scale

Hydrogen has become a cornerstone of industrial decarbonisation strategies – and its successful deployment at scale hinges on overcoming first-mover challenges. From navigating the risks of first-of-a-kind projects to securing final investment decisions, the path to a viable hydrogen economy demands coordinated action, resilient partnerships, and robust policy support.

In this Energy Talk, Roeland Baan, CEO of Topsoe, will share practical insights on how to accelerate hydrogen deployment globally, along with key insights into an industrial size electrolyser manufacturing facility built by Topsoe in Denmark. The session will explore the commercial, technological and policy conditions required to derisk early-stage projects and drive momentum toward bankable scale-ups, outlining how innovative business models and strategic alliances can break through today’s barriers and unlock a more resilient, low-carbon energy future.