Sustainability

PTTEP Technological Development

PTTEP researches and develops technology and innovations to support the company's goals in sustainability, whereby PTTEP carries out research & development in new technologies through collaboration with domestic and international partners including companies in PTT Group, government agencies, private companies, academic and research institutions. PTTEP has three main objectives in technology development:

1. To drive value and enhance competitiveness in E&P business
2. To reduce greenhouse gas emissions to become a low-carbon organization
3. To support the energy transition and new businesses.

The following are details of technology development in 3 objectives.

1. Technology for driving value and enhancing competitiveness in E&P Business

PTTEP applies technologies in petroleum exploration and production to enhance petroleum production efficiency, reduce production costs and minimize environmental impact. The technology that has been researched and developed can be divided into 4 groups as follows:

• Enhancing Petroleum Production Technology
  Improving efficiency and resolving issues in the production process are crucial to increase production and lower unit costs. PTTEP has been developing technologies to enhance production in various fields as follows:
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  Condensate treatment: Various condensate treatment technologies have been developed to increase efficiency and reduce costs such as the chemical demulsifier to help accelerate the separation of unwanted components in the form of particles, the adsorbent and filter, the improvement of unwanted component measurement, etc.

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  CO₂ removal: PTTEP has developed technologies to increase the efficiency of Carbon Dioxide separation and reduce the loss of saleable gas, such as development of CO₂ removal membrane technology, development of low heating value (BTU) flare tip - reduces the loss of natural gas used to assist the combustion, development of metal-organic framework (MOF) absorbents, etc.
• Operational Efficiency Improvement Technology
  Operations in the petroleum production process in an efficient way are beneficial in terms of increasing production, reducing costs, and increasing work safety. PTTEP has developed technologies to improve operations in many areas such as the development of autonomous robots to perform field operation activities and detection of equipment abnormalities on petroleum production platforms, the adaptive speed control equipment that can adjust the speed of intelligent pipeline inspection gauge (Intelligent PIG) to improve the pipeline measurement accuracy, and a diamond-like carbon coating to prevent process equipment from corrosion and erosion, etc.
• Offshore Facility Decommissioning Technology
  Subsea Pipeline is a device used for transporting petroleum products between offshore platforms. Subsea pipelines that are no longer in use because production has depleted will require decommissioning operations. PTTEP has developed the world's first-ever pipeline decontaminating and sample-collecting technology, to avoid environmental impacts from the decommissioning of gas pipelines in the Gulf of Thailand. The development process started in 2015 in collaboration with academic institutes and research centers as well as environmental experts and the progress has been regularly reported to the Department of Mineral Fuels. Becoming the world's first decontamination solution named MERClean and sample-collecting equipment named MERIns. In addition, PTTEP also plans to further improve this innovation mostly by enhancing the efficiency of the sample-collecting tool with artificial intelligence for a more accurate volume of samples. We also plan to promote this innovation on a global stage to ensure that this environmentally-friendly pipeline decommissioning method is internationally accepted. In addition, the Company aims to drive innovations to expand into a commercial business that can generate revenue in the future.
• Waste Management using Circular Model for E&P Concept Technology
  For waste management by applying the concept of the circular economy, PTTEP has researched and developed technologies to turn waste from petroleum production into valuable products such as the conversion of produced sand in the Zawtika production field to Zeolite product that can be used in various industries. This project also supports the company's goal to achieve zero waste to landfill by 2030 target, and the conversion of crude oil sludge to Graphene by flash sparking method, etc.

2. Technology for reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions to become a Low-carbon Organization

The development and application of new technology is part of supporting the Company's goal to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. The research and development of various technologies have been carried out including Carbon Capture, Utilization and Storage (CCUS), renewable energy, and offsetting technology such as capturing carbon dioxide from the air (Direct Air Capture), etc. There are key projects including the flare gas conversion to Carbon Nanotubes project, the CO₂ conversion to Cyclic Carbonate project, the wind turbines for electricity generation on the wellhead platform and the low heating value flare tip that helps reduce greenhouse gas emissions. If these projects are successful in the development and implementation, it will be a part in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and can expand the successful technology into new businesses as well.

3. Technology for supporting Energy Transition and New Business

Energy transition or the transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy or alternative energy that reduces Carbon Dioxide emissions is a change that directly affects PTTEP's business operations. As for technology development, PTTEP has prepared to support the Company's business to be ready for such changes by studying and developing alternative energy technologies such as solar energy, wind energy, ocean wave energy, future energy, and technologies for separating and utilizing Carbon Dioxide to produce other forms of energy such as Hydrogen, Methanol, etc. In addition, the Company also established the Green Energy Technology Playground in the area of PTTEP Technology and Innovation Research Center (PTIC) as an area for clean energy technology development, testing and extend the implementation of clean energy technology to real application.

Technology development management

PTTEP has a technology management division specifically taking care of the management of the Company's technology development. Technology Development Process (TDP) is a framework for managing technology development for maximum efficiency. The process is divided into 5 phases of the technology development which are preliminary study, lab-scale testing, prototype development, pilot testing, and deployment or commercialization phase, which is aligned with the technology development at the international level, known as the Technology Readiness Level (TRL). The Technology Development Process is also a tool to assist in the selection and approval of projects, as well as to support the technology development project until it is successful and can be implemented or commercialized. The technology development is under supervision and advisory on overall management in accordance with the Company's direction and policy from the Technology Development Committee.

In addition, the Company has an Intellectual Property Management Process as a framework for systematic management and expert personnel to manage intellectual property works resulting from PTTEP's technological and innovation developments.

For more information on R&D budgets, the number of projects under R&D process, progress, patent registration, research papers and publications, and innovation awards, click here: Innovation and Technology Performance Data.

Infrastructure to Support Technology Development and Innovation

PTTEP has established PTTEP Technology and Innovation Center (PTIC) in the Eastern Economic Corridor of Innovation (EECi) at Wangchan Valley, Rayong Province. In the area of PTIC, it currently consists of a pilot area building, unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) test field, including equipment and laboratories for technology and innovation research and development. PTIC will play a key role in enhancing PTTEP's competitiveness by driving and accelerating the success of technology development and innovation towards faster industrial application. PTIC also plays an important role in the development of technology personnel of the nation. It is an area for exchanging knowledge of researchers and experts and building a research network internationally to help extend and drive sustainable technology development.

PTTEP's knowledge management entails 3 dimensions: Create, Share and Apply.

Employees are encouraged to study and acknowledge the guidelines and use knowledge correctly and effectively. Knowledge from their experiences are expected to be shared and employees should apply the learnt knowledge before performing their duties, to reduce errors and enhance problem-solving skills. New work process standards can be developed upon the knowledge, which will eventually lead to innovations.

PTTEP sets a goal to become an Innovative and a High-Performance Learning Organization. Its Knowledge Management (KM) Policy is shaped to achieve the goal, aligned with PTT Group's knowledge management. PTTEP's knowledge management is regularly assessed and benchmarked against international practices, to pinpoint maturity level and devise measures that will integrate knowledge management into the organization's work processes and lead the organization towards innovations as expected. PTTEP KM implementation is focusing on 3 main strategies:

1. Delivering Business Values
2. Nurturing KM and Innovative Culture
3. Enhancing PTTEP Visibility: Strengthen staff capability to become experts in their technical areas in order to be recognized at national and international level.

Activities and projects have been organized to strengthen KM practices, primarily through high-level executives' talks on the direction and strategy and act as KM Role Model. The standardized KM System is in place, knowledge sharing by internal and external experts. Community of Practice is set up as a stage for knowledge exchange and all knowledge is uploaded to KM Portal as corporate knowledge asset for future study and reference.

PTTEP plans the following activities to further strengthen organizational culture on knowledge management:

1. KM Capability Development

Executives and staff's competency is enhanced through Charting a new KM Path to PTTEP Success workshop to ensure their understanding and KM support for daily operation. The Company also provides e-Learning to ensure staff awareness of the importance and understanding on knowledge management.

2. Critical Knowledge Identification and Knowledge Mapping

PTTEP identifies critical knowledge for both current and future operations. The Company manages its knowledge systematically based on the identified critical knowledge as well as seeking for knowledge essential for day-to-day operations as well as to support business growth.

3. Expert Directory Development

The Company identifies experts based on the identified critical knowledge and develops expert directory as a center for staff to easily access and search for expert when they seek for support and recommendation from the experts.

4. Knowledge Capture Process from Project / Expert / Retiree

The Company conducts a workshop after project ends to capture lessons learned from operations. The lessons learned can be used for the next project to minimize mistake that might occur and to increase operation effectiveness.

5. IT System Enhancement

The Company develops project called "One system One Goal" system as a gateway for searching and sharing knowledge. The system links various internal systems with existing KM Portal and creates sophisticated search opportunities.

6. Nurturing KM culture and Recognition through KM Award and Recognition

PTTEP initiated "Recognition" program, to praise the employees or a group of employees whose actions support the Company's 3-dimensional knowledge management cycle: Create, Share and Apply.

In 2022, the 26^th Technical Forum and 4^th Business Forum were organized, as stages for employees' academic publications. The forums attracted 200 submissions. Employees' publications were also presented at annual KM Week.

7. Organization-wide communication

PTTEP prepares a year-long communication plan, to ensure correct understanding in the organization's knowledge management and provide information on KM tools. Personnel can therefore appropriately utilize these tools for the betterment of their operations and their daily life.

PTTEP adopts a process that promotes the exchange of knowledge, experiences, and best practices with American Productivity & Quality Center (APQC). APQC's knowledge management capability assessment put PTTEP in Level 5 in 2022 (the highest level). The assessment results are reviewed for further improvement, so that knowledge management can support the Company's vision and mission in achieving the stated targets for sustainable growth. PTTEP also receives Gold Level of Southeast Asia Most Innovative Knowledge Enterprise (SEA MIKE) Award in 2022. In addition, PTTEP receives the Outstanding Global MIKE Award which is granted to enterprises demonstrated world-class innovation and knowledge management.