INSIGHT: a CEO's Perspective with Leon de Bruyn, President & CEO, Lummus Technology

With?ESF MENA?- Middle East Energy & Sustainability Forum?only a few weeks away, we caught up with? Leon de Bruyn , President & CEO of?Lummus Technology, one of our Keynote Panellists, to get his views on Decarbonisation Strategies and Technologies in the region.

To get the balance right, everyone in the energy value chain needs to produce, transport, capture, store and process hydrocarbons with the lowest possible carbon and other emissions

How can we best reconcile our future environmental commitments with the continued global necessity for hydrocarbons? How do we get the balance right?

Hydrocarbons make modern life possible and we will rely on them well into the future. Weighing environmental commitments with the necessity for hydrocarbons is thus a complex issue with no simple solution. However, I often say chemistry is the best way to reconcile environmental commitments with the global necessity for hydrocarbons. And I mean chemistry beyond just the science and engineering of molecules and hydrocarbons. We need coordinated and comprehensive chemistry between industries, geographies and regions, companies, governments, policymakers and so many more people and organizations. To get the balance right, everyone in the energy value chain needs to produce, transport, capture, store and process hydrocarbons with the lowest possible carbon and other emissions. Lummus is helping get the balance right. We relentlessly focus on developing and commercializing new technology solutions to decarbonise our entire portfolio and improve energy efficiency.

How can the MENA region’s downstream industry best adapt their existing assets to meet low carbon objectives and how can technologies & technology solution providers help?

I think the solution starts with MENA’s ambitious net zero goals, which are now a key factor in investment decisions and strategies for many leaders, companies and countries throughout the region. Everyone here has an interest in adapting downstream assets so they are cleaner and more energy efficient. In fact, some of the most visionary strategic plans for downstream assets have come out MENA. As technology provider, Lummus must develop and commercialize technologies that lower the carbon footprint of existing and new downstream facilities. We continually design more energy efficient plants, and advance technology to minimize feedstock consumption, diversify feedstocks, intensify processes, reduce waste and extend the use of catalysts. When combined and integrated effectively, these solutions help decarbonise MENA’s downstream processing industry.

In your opinion, how can conferences like ESF MENA help move along the discussion with regards to decarbonising the downstream sector?

We are here shoulder-to-shoulder with customers, suppliers, colleagues and peers. The dialogue is better. The technical demonstrations are better. The panels are more engaging, and so on...

MENA is critical to the entire global energy value chain, and if the downstream sector is going to decarbonise, much of it will happen here. Therefore, the conversation and dialogue at ESF MENA are key in identifying better value propositions in the context of our fast-changing world. Being here in-person vastly facilitates the discussion around decarbonising the downstream sector. We are here shoulder-to-shoulder with customers, suppliers, colleagues and peers. The dialogue is better. The technical demonstrations are better. The panels are more engaging, and so on. As a result, attendees are able to move the ball forward on the critical decarbonisation issues facing our industry.

Leon de Bruyn will join an exceptional panel of key industry leaders to discuss strategies, opportunities and technologies available in the MENA region. The discussion will focus on a net-zero future, starting from the merits of the strategies being put in place in the GCC,?and continuing on to the industry collaboration opportunities and CCUS.

?? Discover who else will be there, see the conference's agenda:

ESF MENA AGENDA