CNPC showcases green transition and AI innovations at ADIPEC 2026

Gulf Today, Staff Reporter

Abu Dhabi: Making its 12th appearance at Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition and Conference (ADIPEC 2026), China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) is showcasing its latest achievements in green and low-carbon development, digital and intelligent transformation, deep resource exploration, breakthroughs in key technologies and international operations.

ADIPEC 2026 is being held at the ADNEC Centre Abu Dhabi from Nov.2 to 5, under the theme ‘Where global energy systems are strengthened’.

This year's event focuses on global energy cooperation and industrial innovation.

The exhibition highlights the company's contribution to global energy cooperation, industry innovation and the green transition.

At the centre of the CNPC pavilion, a scale model showcasing green development in the Tarim Basin has attracted considerable attention. The model features a 1.2-million-tonne-per-year green ethylene demonstration project, concentrated solar power and photovoltaic facilities, carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS) installations, and a ‘zero-carbon’ highway running through the Taklimakan Desert. Together, these elements illustrate an integrated development model combining oil, gas, geothermal energy, electricity and hydrogen.

Diesel-powered water wells along the route have been converted to solar-powered wells, while photovoltaic development is being integrated with desertification control and ecological restoration.

To date, CNPC's installed wind and solar power capacity has reached approximately 17 million kilowatts, while its geothermal heating coverage exceeds 73 million square meters. Its new energy projects have cumulatively reduced carbon emissions by more than 22 million tonnes, and the cumulative volume of CO₂ injected through CCUS projects has reached 7.81 million tonnes. From solar power in the desert to green ethylene production, the Tarim model demonstrates how a traditional energy base can advance its green transition.

The pavilion's digitalization section features the Kunlun Large AI Model, with 300 billion parameters, showcasing applications of artificial intelligence across the energy industry. Independently developed on a domestically developed computing infrastructure, the model has been deployed at scale in more than 150 application scenarios across the oil and gas value chain. Its private-cloud and cloud-edge-device deployment architecture also helps safeguard data security, supporting the industry's shift towards data-driven and intelligent operations.

In the field of technological innovation, CNPC is presenting seismic exploration technologies capable of imaging subsurface structures at depths of up to 10,000 meters with metre-level resolution, alongside an integrated suite of technologies that supported the drilling of two 10,000-metre-deep wells in the Tarim and Sichuan basins.

Its oil and gas exploration technologies for the West African Rift System have helped identify 1.7 billion tonnes of geological oil reserves and have been applied in more than 50 projects across over 30 countries. Meanwhile, China's annual shale oil production has exceeded 7 million tonnes.

International operations are another key focus of the pavilion. CNPC currently conducts oil and gas investment and operations in more than 30 countries and regions, supported by five major oil and gas cooperation regions, four strategic oil and gas transportation corridors and three international oil and gas operation centers.

Alongside its international energy partnerships, CNPC is actively involved in environmental protection and community development in its host countries. In the UAE, the company participates in marine ecosystem and mangrove wetland conservation projects in offshore oilfields. In Iraq, it supports the protection of migratory bird habitats and has funded the construction of water purification facilities. The company also supports the ‘Hundred Schools Project’ initiative in the UAE and organizes cultural exchange activities in schools in Oman, strengthening its ties with local communities through practical engagement.

During the exhibition, CNPC had 30 papers accepted for the relevant conferences, including 17 for oral presentations and 13 for poster sessions. Nine of its experts served as chairs and committee members of ADIPEC technical sessions. Ren Lixin, Vice President of CNPC and President of PetroChina, attended the opening ceremony and held exchanges with international energy enterprises and partners. H.E. Zeng Jixin, Chinese Ambassador to the UAE, along with senior officials including H.H. Sheikh Theyab bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Chairman of the Presidential Court for Development and Fallen Heroes’ Affairs; H.E. Dr. Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, UAE Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology and Managing Director and Group CEO of ADNOC; and Naseer Aziz, Undersecretary for Extraction Affairs at Iraq’s Ministry of Oil, as well as other partners, visited the booth to witness CNPC’s achievements in green development and scientific and technological innovation.

ADIPEC 2026 offers a snapshot of the shifting global energy landscape. Over the past two decades, cooperation between Gulf countries and international partners has largely centred on resource development, capital investment and market access. This year's discussions, however, increasingly focus on dialogue on industrial chain coordination across energy, AI and low-carbon sectors.

As an energy player from China, CNPC is evolving from a participant in resource and capital partnerships into a partner contributing technology, expertise and industrial capabilities. For the company, cooperation spanning investment, technology and local manufacturing is becoming an increasingly important foundation for its business development in the Gulf region.