Gordon Technologies, a US shale gas services provider majority-owned by Adnoc Drilling’s Enersol, is strategically expanding its Middle East footprint, focusing on the region’s burgeoning unconventional oil and gas sector. The company is actively exploring a joint venture with Saudi Arabia’s Industrialisation and Energy Services Company (Taqa) to support the kingdom’s ambitious unconventional drilling operations.
With the Middle East increasingly tapping into unconventional gas resources to meet rising domestic energy demands and capitalize on LNG market opportunities, Gordon Technologies, specializing in measurement-while-drilling (MWD) technology, aims to leverage its expertise in horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing.
“Unconventional shale play drilling is new to the world outside the US,” stated Terry Frith, CEO of Gordon Technologies. “We’re just beginning the process of hiring people and expanding our footprint in the UAE, but also discussing with Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman, and Turkey right now.”
Gordon Technologies, which supports Adnoc Drilling subsidiary Turnwell Industries in the UAE, has held discussions with Taqa, which operates unconventional wells in Saudi Arabia. The company is exploring a potential joint venture to advance Taqa’s product portfolio, rather than a simple equipment sale. Field tests are planned for the second quarter of this year, pending Aramco approval.
In the UAE, Gordon Technologies is expanding its operations, including establishing a manufacturing unit with NTS Amega Global, another Enersol subsidiary, to produce components for its guidance system. The company’s focus on high-tech, heat-resistant electronic circuitry, a “tightly held secret,” will be integrated with locally manufactured mechanical parts.
Enersol, a joint venture between Adnoc Drilling and Alpha Dhabi Holding, acquired a majority stake in Gordon Technologies last year, supporting Adnoc Drilling’s goal of becoming a full-service oilfield provider. Adnoc Drilling’s oilfield services revenue has seen significant growth, further bolstered by Baker Hughes’ 5% stake acquisition in 2018.
The expansion aligns with projections from the International Energy Forum (IEF) and S&P Global Commodity Insights, which forecast Middle East upstream capital expenditure to rise to $65 billion by 2030.
