Offshore Technology Conference 2026: Insights from the ground

Super Size Wind: how big can, and should, mega turbines get?

Modern offshore wind farms aren't just growing in numbers – they are literally growing, scaling up turbines in sizes we couldn’t have imagined a decade ago. We’ve officially entered the era of super size wind. We’re seeing colossal wind turbines deployed across the world that surpass 15MW per unit and boast rotor diameters wider than the height of most skyscrapers. But while the engineering is inspiring, industry still has its hesitations about this rapid race for scale. We’re unpacking the reality behind these giants. Is bigger really better? What does going big mean in terms of the economics, operations and maintenance, and supply chain? And what will market competition look like with Chinese OEMs now developing designs that are over 25MW while also driving down costs? Joining us to share their insights is Jim Rijks, engineering manager at Iberdrola Australia and future energy leader at the World Energy Council, and Abhilash Palakkil, principal engineer at GHD. Jackie Park⁠ [https://www.power-technology.com/author/jackiepark/], editor-in-chief of GlobalData's energy titles, is the host and producer of this episode. Find more news and strategic insights into all things energy on ⁠Mining Technology⁠ [https://www.mining-technology.com/news/us-more-equity-stakes-critical-mineral-companies/], ⁠Offshore Technology⁠ [https://www.offshore-technology.com/]  and ⁠Power Technology⁠ [https://www.power-technology.com/] , all free to access. For quick daily updates, make sure to subscribe to our newsletters.  (00:00) Intro (01:21) Overview: why go big? (02:14) Innovations and constraints (04:36) The economics (06:17) Installation, operations and maintenance (09:05) Supply chain (11:33) Market competition (12:34) Is bigger the future?

Glut or shortage: what lies ahead for LNG?

Liquified natural gas (LNG) has been touted as the cleaner fuel alternative and a central stepping stone on the journey to decarbonisation. Industry forecasts expect to see massive demand growth, and the high prices from 2022-2023 saw governments rush to expand export capacity.   However, the closure of the Strait of Hormuz has put pressure on existing supply chains, and some experts foresee significant long-term demand destruction, particularly as renewables become ever cheaper.  The question now is whether and when supply will outstrip demand and how significant the interim shortages might be. Are we on track for LNG glut or shortage?  Offering insights are commercial LNG analyst, James Voyle, and professor of global energy, Michael Bradshaw.  Eve Thomas [https://www.offshore-technology.com/author/evethomas/], editor of Offshore Technology [https://www.offshore-technology.com/], is the host and producer of this episode of Energy Technology: Industry Insights.   Find more news and strategic insights into all things energy on Power Technology [https://www.power-technology.com/], Offshore Technology [https://www.offshore-technology.com/] and Mining Technology [https://www.mining-technology.com/], all free to access. For quick daily updates, make sure to subscribe to our newsletters [https://www.offshore-technology.com/all-newsletters/].  (00:00) Introduction  (01:13) The Strait of Hormuz and LNG supply chains   (03:02) LNG demand optimism   (05:08) How renewables will change LNG’s role  (07:28) The future of LNG supply  (09:39) How the Iran conflict influenced a potential LNG glut  (11:20) Current shortage and supply instability  (13:03) What could change supply and demand dynamics  (14:10) Outro

Copper-gold mining: The strategic convergence of two sectors

Copper and gold serve very different markets – one tied to electrification and industrial growth, the other to monetary value and geopolitical uncertainty – but the operational realities of mining both metals are increasingly converging. As ore grades decline and deposits become deeper and more technically complex, miners face growing pressure around energy costs, water access, permitting, infrastructure and operational resilience. Porphyry copper-gold systems are becoming more strategically important because they combine long-term copper demand exposure with the financial resilience provided by gold by-products. In this episode, we speak with GlobalData mining analyst Gayathri Siripurapu and Vizsla Copper CEO Craig Parry about the outlook for copper and gold mining, the rise of large-scale copper-gold systems and the growing role of emerging technologies in shaping the next generation of projects. Alejandro Gonzalez, editor of Mining Technology [https://www.mining-technology.com/] and MINEmagazine [https://www.nridigital.com/mine/mine-archive/], is the host of this episode of Energy Technology: Industry Insights. Find more news and strategic insights into all things energy on ⁠⁠Power Technology⁠⁠ [https://www.power-technology.com/], ⁠⁠Offshore Technology⁠⁠ [https://www.offshore-technology.com/] and ⁠⁠Mining Technology⁠⁠ [https://www.mining-technology.com/], all free to access. For quick daily updates, make sure to subscribe to our ⁠⁠newsletters⁠⁠ [https://www.offshore-technology.com/all-newsletters/]. (00:00) Intro (01:20) Structural pressures  (02:55) Operational realities  (03:50) Investing and strategic differences (05:10) Investors approach to copper-gold (06:40) Importance of copper-gold projects (07:45) Drivers for copper-gold investing (09:45) Operational and technical risks   (10:40) Technology and exploration Resources from this episode: West Africa Gold Mining to 2035 [https://www.globaldata.com/store/report/west-africa-gold-mining-analysis/] Latin America Mining Review 2026 [https://www.globaldata.com/store/report/latin-america-mining-analysis/] North America Mining Review (2026) [https://www.globaldata.com/store/report/north-america-mining-market-analysis/]

Offshore Technology Conference 2026: Insights from the ground

The Offshore Technology Conference is an annual gathering of oil and gas professionals from around the world, who meet in Texas to discuss the technological trends defining offshore operations. This year, Energy Technology was on the ground, to ask what is disrupting the sector and who is making waves offshore. In this episode, we speak to managers, engineers, academics and C-suite executives to understand where they see the greatest value, and what their biggest conference takeaways are. Interviewees include William Bains, regional sales manager at Prysmian; Chad Carpenter, technical sales engineer at Beckhoff Automation; Chris Neumann, key accounts manager at Federal Signal Corporation; Mats Johansson, president and co-founder at EON Reality; Dr. Praise Tangbe, professor at South State University and consultant to Tantita Security Services; Chris Gibson, CEO at VideoRay; Tyson Breedlove, manager of strategic business development for new markets and strategic growth at the American Bureau of Shipping and Dylan Costa and Isaac Shelton, installation engineers at Allseas. ⁠Eve Thomas⁠ [https://www.offshore-technology.com/author/evethomas/], editor of ⁠Offshore Technology⁠ [https://www.offshore-technology.com/], is the host and producer for this episode of Energy Technology: Industry Insights. Find more news and strategic insights into all things energy on ⁠Power Technology⁠ [https://www.power-technology.com/], ⁠Offshore Technology⁠ [https://www.offshore-technology.com/] and ⁠Mining Technology⁠ [https://www.mining-technology.com/], all free to access. For quick daily updates, make sure to subscribe to our ⁠newsletters⁠ [https://www.offshore-technology.com/all-newsletters/]. (00:00) Intro (00:39) Prysmian on the most important discussion at OTC (02:16) Beckhoff Automation on the top use case for automation in oil and gas (02:54) Beckhoff Automation on the biggest obstacle to deploying automation (03:38) Federal Signal on technologies reshaping health and safety in oil and gas (04:30) EON Reality on AI in oil and gas operations (05:35) EON Reality on how AI will change operations in the future (06:46) Tantita consultant on drones for asset security (07:47) VideoRay on the next frontier for under water robotics (09:02) Deep-sea mining (09:16) ABS on deep sea mining as the conference’s biggest takeaway (10:01) Allseas on obstacles to commencement of deep-sea mining (11:17) Concluding thoughts (11:29) Outro

Turning tailings into assets: Q&A with Canada's MICA

As ore grades decline and cost pressures intensify, operators are being forced to rethink what sits in legacy assets. Technologies such as advanced sorting, bioleaching and nanotechnology are beginning to unlock value from material that has already been processed once. The shift is not straightforward. Commercial viability remains site-specific, classification gaps persist, and the economics hinge as much on cost reduction as on commodity prices. But the direction is clear: tailings are moving from liability towards potential asset. In this episode, we speak with Chamirai Nyabeze [https://www.linkedin.com/in/chamirai-c-nyabeze-86b1325b/] of Canada’s Mining Innovation Commercialization Accelerator [https://www.linkedin.com/company/mining-innovation-commercialization-accelerator/] (MICA) about why that move. Alejandro Gonzalez [https://www.linkedin.com/in/alejandro-gonzalez-91ab7469/], editor of Mining Technology and MINE magazine, is the host of this episode of Energy Technology: Industry Insights. Find more news and strategic insights into all things energy on ⁠Mining Technology⁠ [https://www.mining-technology.com/news/us-more-equity-stakes-critical-mineral-companies/], ⁠Offshore Technology⁠ [https://www.offshore-technology.com/]  and ⁠Power Technology⁠ [https://www.power-technology.com/] , all free to access. For quick daily updates, make sure to subscribe to our newsletters.  (00:00) Intro (01:30) Productivity in mining (02:50) Shaping cost structures (03:40) Change comes slowly (06:00) Where technology is taking root (08:10) Open to disruption (10:50) Finding value (12:05) ESG and the profit motive (12:45) Tech deployment