Why the industry needs a diversified path forward for a sustainable future

Our global energy systems are facing renewed urgency from energy-intensive sectors, including data centers, mining, cement, marine transport, and heavy industry. These sectors are the engine rooms of modern economies, but their growth presents critical challenges for energy security, grid stability, and emissions reduction.

The needs are clear: reliable, cost-effective, and lower-carbon baseload power. Yet, finding that balance in today’s energy environment is complex and requires a diversified, pragmatic approach – one that taps into every source of energy. This means pursuing new energy sources and accelerating renewables, while continuing to make traditional sources cleaner and more efficient, utilising natural gas as both a transition and destination fuel.

There is no silver bullet that answers every question, but by leveraging a portfolio of proven technologies and harnessing the power of digital to drive efficiency we can deliver a sustainable energy future.

Low-carbon power: more sustainable and reliable baseload

The rapid expansion of data centers is creating massive demand for scalable, decarbonised power, particularly in areas where electric power grids can’t keep up and where traditional power supply sourcing models are no longer enough. This is where our dual capabilities for data center asset owners come to the fore. We can offer customers a holistic power solution, delivering a reliable powerbase – through LNG or hydrogen – while assisting in reducing and capturing emissions. 

As part of this effort, we’ve partnered with Frontier Infrastructure, a leading low-carbon infrastructure developer, to accelerate the deployment of large-scale CCS and power solutions. We are supplying 16 NovaLT gas turbines to power data center projects in Wyoming and Texas, delivering up to 270 megawatts (MW) of efficient, reliable energy.

Geothermal is a powerful but often overlooked solution that can deliver secure, reliable baseload power.  Baker Hughes has been a pioneer in geothermal energy for over 40 years, with unique subsurface-to-surface expertise and advanced technology across the geothermal value chain. In collaboration with partners like Fervo Energy, we see significant potential in closed-loop geothermal systems as a scalable solution to reduce emissions across various industrial sectors.

Leveraging hydrogen and CCUS to decarbonise complex industrial operations

Take hydrogen as another example – it has the potential to serve as an easily accessible, clean source of energy to transform power generation, abate industrial emissions, and eventually play a role as a consumer fuel.  Baker Hughes has worked in this space for more than a century, developing deep expertise in its applications. That is why our NovaLT family of gas turbines are already capable of starting up and burning gas blends up to 100% hydrogen, providing an ideal solution for customers seeking to reduce emissions from power generation.

Today, we also see hydrogen’s potential to help decarbonise marine transportation through ammonia. In partnership with Hanwha Power Systems and Hanwha Ocean, we are developing a new small-scale turbine which leverages Baker Hughes’ small-size gas turbine technology and Hanwha’s ammonia combustion system.

Carbon capture, utilisation, and storage (CCUS) is another near-term enabler of emissions reduction, as it offers a path to decarbonise existing assets without dismantling the foundations of industrial production. Baker Hughes is supporting two of the world's leading CCUS clusters - Eni's Liverpool Bay CCS Project in the UK and Norway's Northern Lights CCS – with vital compression and pump technology that is significantly improving storage capacity.

Efficiency as a core enabler of sustainable energy expansion

Making traditional energy sources like oil and gas cleaner and more efficient is not optional - it is fundamental to building a sustainable energy future. We can and must take real action now and there is technology available to do that. In fact, the IEA said that 80 Mt of annual methane emissions could be avoided through the deployment of known and readily available technologies, at either low cost or net positive return on investment.

As an example, at SOCAR’s Heydar Aliyev Oil Refinery in Baku, Azerbaijan, our integrated gas recovery and hydrogen sulfide (H2S) removal system is expected to recover flare gas equivalent up to 7 million Nm3 of methane per year and further reduce CO2 emissions by up to 11,000 tonnes per year. The system will also enable SOCAR to use the recovered gas as fuel for the refinery.

The environmental benefits and efficiency of natural gas – and LNG in particular – are compelling. To drive further improvements and deliver faster and more efficient energy production requires an integrated approach, harnessing the power of digital. Data-driven insights can transform complex operations into actionable decisions that reduce costs, enhance safety, and lower emissions. Our recent agreement with Argent LNG demonstrates our commitment to this approach. Through the deployment of our advanced NMBL modularised solutions and LM9000 gas turbine technology- we’re combining cutting-edge equipment, digital solutions, and comprehensive services to optimise operational efficiency and performance across Argent’s operations.

Secure. Sustainable. Affordable. That’s the promise of a diversified, sustainable energy future—and it’s the future we’re helping to build by driving progress at scale today.