Beyond the Barrel: Why Produced Water Could Define Africa’s Next Energy Revolution

As Africa’s energy sector expands, industry leaders argue that the future of oil and gas will depend not only on how hydrocarbons are produced, but also on how the water that accompanies them is managed. Once regarded as an unavoidable waste stream, produced water is increasingly emerging as a strategic resource capable of driving industrial growth, strengthening water security, supporting artificial intelligence infrastructure, and advancing sustainable energy development.
By Majorwaves

For more than a century, the global petroleum industry has measured success in barrels of oil produced, cubic feet of gas delivered, and reserves added to the balance sheet. Yet every barrel of oil extracted from the subsurface brings with it another resource that has historically received far less attention—produced water.
Globally, oil and gas operations generate an estimated 250 to 300 million barrels of produced water every day, making it the industry’s largest by-product. Traditionally viewed as an expensive waste stream requiring treatment or disposal, produced water is now being reconsidered as an asset capable of supporting industrial development, critical mineral recovery, desalination, hydrogen production, cooling systems and even the rapidly expanding digital economy driven by artificial intelligence.

As freshwater scarcity intensifies, climate pressures mount and energy demand continues to rise, industry experts believe water management will become one of the defining issues of twenty-first-century energy development.

Mr. Steve Coffee, President of the Produced Water Society and Dr. Rajendra Ghimire, Vice President and Board Member

It is this changing perspective that lies at the heart of the Produced Water Society (PWS), an international organisation dedicated to advancing responsible produced water management through research, collaboration, technology deployment and policy dialogue. Ahead of the Society’s Fourth Annual African Conference in Lagos, Majorwaves Energy Report spoke with Steve Coffee, President of the Produced Water Society; Dr. Rajendra Ghimire, Vice President and Board Member; Dr. Tijjani El-Badawy, a leading specialist in produced water treatment and desalination, and Jeremiah Peter, a chemical engineer and young professional, about why Africa may be uniquely positioned to transform one of the industry’s greatest environmental challenges into an economic opportunity.

Africa’s Opportunity to Build Smarter
According to Steve Coffee, Africa has an advantage that many mature producing regions no longer possess.
“Regions like Africa and the Middle East have the opportunity to leapfrog older infrastructure models,” he explains. “Instead of spending decades retrofitting legacy systems, they can design integrated water management strategies from the beginning.”

That opportunity is particularly significant for Nigeria, where increasing hydrocarbon production coincides with growing water stress, expanding industrialisation and rising electricity demand.

Rather than treating produced water as an unavoidable waste requiring disposal, Coffee believes African producers can integrate water management directly into long-term energy planning.

The Produced Water Society has steadily expanded its global footprint beyond North America into the Middle East, the North Sea, Latin America and Africa. Its annual African conference has become a platform where operators, regulators, researchers, technology providers and investors exchange practical solutions tailored to regional realities. “We bring together indigenous operators, international oil companies, regulators, researchers and technology developers to share lessons learned,” Coffee says. “The objective is to ensure Africa benefits from global experience while building solutions appropriate for its own geology, economy and regulatory environment.”

From Waste Stream to Strategic Resource
For Dr. Rajendra Ghimire, the industry’s greatest challenge is no longer simply disposing of produced water but recognising its economic value.
“We cannot continue treating produced water purely as a disposal problem while large parts of the world face freshwater scarcity, industrial expansion and rising energy demand,” he says.
Produced water, once appropriately treated, can support industrial processes, mining operations, hydrogen production, cooling systems, irrigation research and future beneficial reuse applications. It also contains dissolved minerals that researchers increasingly view as valuable resources rather than contaminants. “The conversation has shifted,” Ghimire explains. “We are moving from waste management toward resource management.”

That shift carries significant implications for investors and policymakers. Water management now directly influences financing decisions, environmental performance, social licence to operate and long-term asset value. Companies that successfully integrate water stewardship into their operations are increasingly viewed as better positioned for future investment.

Technology Must Meet Economics
While technological innovation has accelerated dramatically, the experts agree that economics remains the industry’s greatest hurdle.

“The industry already possesses technologies capable of treating produced water,” Coffee says. “The challenge is deploying those technologies economically across millions of barrels per day.”
Produced water chemistry varies significantly between producing basins. High salinity, hydrocarbons, scaling compounds, naturally occurring radioactive materials and organic contaminants all complicate treatment, requiring flexible and adaptable technologies.

Dr. Tijjani El-Badawy has devoted much of his career to solving these challenges.
With academic and professional expertise spanning geoscience, petroleum engineering, membrane technologies and desalination, El-Badawy believes Africa can benefit from advances that are already transforming produced water management globally.
“My research focused on developing advanced membrane technologies capable of transforming produced water from what has traditionally been considered a waste stream into a valuable resource,” he explains.
Today, he works at the intersection of research, industry and policy, promoting sustainable water management, climate resilience and resource recovery across African producing countries.
He believes the Produced Water Society provides a unique platform for accelerating that transition.
“The Society brings operators, regulators, academia and technology providers into one room,” he says. “That enables us to benchmark against global best practices while developing solutions suited to African geology, regulation and economics.”

Investing in Africa’s Future Workforce
Perhaps one of the Society’s lesser-known priorities is its commitment to developing the next generation of industry professionals.

According to Ghimire, Africa’s rapidly growing youth population represents one of its greatest competitive advantages.
“As energy development expands, so do opportunities for young professionals,” he says. “We want students and recent graduates to understand the water-energy nexus and appreciate how responsible water management contributes to economic development and quality of life.”

The Society encourages students from engineering, chemistry, geology, environmental science, law, business, public policy and the social sciences to become members.
“We are not looking only for engineers,” Coffee adds. “Every discipline has a role to play. Lawyers shape regulation. Social scientists understand community impacts. Business professionals develop new commercial models. Communication specialists help improve public understanding.”
Beyond conferences, the Society facilitates mentorship programmes, workshops, podcasts and technical discussions that connect students with experienced professionals across industry, academia and government.
Corporate membership further strengthens those relationships by giving employers direct access to emerging talent while allowing students to better understand future industry needs.

Water, Artificial Intelligence and the New Energy Economy
One of the interview’s most thought-provoking discussions centred on artificial intelligence.
While public debate surrounding AI often focuses on semiconductors and electricity demand, Coffee argues that water may ultimately become one of the sector’s defining constraints.
“Large data centres require enormous amounts of electricity,” he says. “That means substantial upstream water demand associated with power generation.”
Ghimire believes the lesson is broader than AI itself.
“We should stop separating energy infrastructure from water infrastructure,” he says. “They are deeply interconnected systems.”
Future planning, he argues, must integrate energy production, water resources, digital infrastructure and community resilience as part of a single strategy rather than treating each independently.

Building an African Water-Energy Ecosystem
El-Badawy believes the Produced Water Society’s greatest contribution to Africa may extend well beyond conferences.
Drawing from the Society’s long experience in the Permian Basin and its expanding activities across the Middle East, the North Sea, Southeast Asia and South America, he sees enormous opportunities for collaborative research, technology scaling, regulatory development, resource recovery and value-chain expansion across African producing nations.
“Through knowledge sharing, technical innovation, capacity building and collaboration, we can strengthen water stewardship, improve operational efficiency, reduce environmental impacts and unlock entirely new economic opportunities,” he says.
For Nigeria in particular, produced water management could become an important pillar supporting local content, industrial diversification and long-term energy competitiveness.

Water at the Centre of the Energy Conversation
Asked what success would look like ten years from now, Coffee’s answer is remarkably simple.
“I want water to be at the top of every energy discussion.”
For decades, emissions, gas flaring and carbon reduction have dominated conversations about sustainability. While those issues remain critical, Coffee believes produced water deserves equal attention because every barrel of oil inevitably produces water alongside hydrocarbons.
“We have treated water as an afterthought for far too long,” he says. “It should be one of the first topics discussed.”

Inclusivity: Young Professionals.

Jeremiah Peter, a young chemical engineering professional with the Produced Water Society, says his experience with the Society has demonstrated the growing importance of produced water management, particularly in Africa where the subject remains underexplored despite its strategic relevance to the energy sector. Reflecting on his presentation at the Nigeria International Energy Summit (NIES 2025), he notes that the Society is intentionally developing the next generation of water and energy leaders by providing students and young professionals with mentorship, technical knowledge, industry exposure and networking opportunities. As global freshwater resources come under increasing pressure, Peter believes the PWS Young Professionals Network equips emerging talent with the skills and relationships needed to drive responsible water stewardship, adding that sustained awareness and knowledge-sharing remain the most effective tools for expanding participation and building future industry leaders.

That vision increasingly resonates across the industry.
As energy systems become more interconnected with digital infrastructure, critical minerals, hydrogen production and industrial development, water is emerging not as a secondary operational concern but as a strategic resource underpinning economic resilience.
For Africa, the implications are profound. Rather than inheriting outdated models, the continent has an opportunity to establish a globally competitive water-energy ecosystem built on innovation, collaboration and responsible resource management.
The future of energy may still depend on oil and gas. But as the Produced Water Society argues, it may depend just as much on what the industry chooses to do with the water that comes with every barrel.

For registration and sponsorship: https://producedwatersociety.com/4th-annual-african-conference/