Delaying adoption will drive up operating costs, as the sector races to manage inflation and a retiring workforce.
New research highlighting a powerful combination of pressures pushing autonomous operations to the top of the agenda for the energies and chemicals sector has just been published by Schneider Electric. The study of 400 senior energy and chemicals executives across 12 countries shows a sharp rise in urgency around autonomy. A third of executives (31.5%) say advancing autonomy is a ‘critical’ priority in the next five years, rising to 44% over a ten-year horizon. Fewer than 5% globally view it as a low priority.
Leaders cite strong commercial pressures. They warn that delaying adoption risks higher operating costs (59%), worsening talent shortages (52%), and declining competitiveness (48%). Yet adoption is not without obstacles. Key barriers include high upfront costs (34%), legacy systems (30%), organisational resistance (27%), cybersecurity concerns (26%), and regulatory uncertainty (25%).
Schneider Electric’s Global Autonomous Maturity Report shows the sector at a critical point of transformation as electrification, automation, and digitalisation converge. Surging AI demand, driven predominantly by hyperscale cloud and data center growth, is placing unprecedented pressure on global energy systems. Electricity demand is projected to nearly double to 1,000 TWh by 2030, intensifying the need for flexible, efficient, and resilient operations.
Within this emerging Ai energy nexus, 49% of executives identify Ai as the single biggest enabler of autonomous acceleration, followed by cybersecurity advancements, cloud and edge computing, digital twins, advanced process control, and open, software-defined automation.
“Globally, organisations already report operating at 70% autonomy, with plans to hit 80% by 2030,” said Gwenaelle Avice Huet, Executive Vice President, Schneider Electric. “Autonomy is rapidly becoming the new operating model of industry. As AI advances and energy systems come under growing pressure, autonomous operations are proving essential for resilience and competitiveness. And this shift isn’t about replacing people, it’s about empowering them to focus on higher value work, strengthening safety, and elevating skills. Those who scale now will shape the next era of industrial performance.”
Industry analysts agree the shift is further along than expected. “The report finds the adoption of autonomy in the sector to be more advanced than expected, with open, software-defined automation essentially leading the next phase of energy innovation”, added Gaurav Sharma, Independent Energy Market Analyst and contributor to the research. “In a sector where reliability, safety, and carbon reduction are now non‑negotiable, these technologies are emerging as the most effective way for operators to deliver ‘more with less’ and run more resilient and competitive operations.”
The momentum is clear, but progress uneven, with the data highlighting regional differences in readiness levels. While GCC countries and Asia currently lead in maturity, North America is set for the fastest acceleration in adoption over the next five years, powered by its scale in energy production and consumption, and its rapidly expanding data‑center footprint. Europe maintains steady progress but faces the slowest adoption trajectory.
“Autonomous operations are redefining how energy and chemicals companies run their entire facilities, and Schneider Electric and AVEVA are at the forefront of that shift, supporting customers such as Shell, European Energy, ADNOC and Baosteel on real‑world deployments,” said Devan Pillay, President of Schneider’s Heavy Industries Segment. “By integrating Schneider Electric’s process control and power management with AVEVA’s digital technologies and industrial intelligence, we deliver integrated software-defined architectures that provide real-time visibility and enable AI driven digital twins that can predict, adapt and self-optimise with minimal intervention.”
Recent deployments showcase this shift. At Shell’s Scotford Refinery in Canada, Schneider Electric is helping modernise operations through open, software‑defined automation, supporting more flexible, autonomous operations. At European Energy’s Kassø Power‑to‑X facility, the world’s first commercially viable e‑methanol plant, Schneider Electric and AVEVA are together enabling Ai‑supported, self‑optimising clean‑fuel operations with resilient remote monitoring.
• The research was commissioned in partnership with Censuswide and Development Economics, supported by insights from Independent Energy Market Analyst, Gaurav Sharma. It captures insights from 400 senior energy executives across 12 countries in four key regions — North America, Europe, Asia, and the GCC — supported by desk research and conversations with industry stakeholders and commentators across the global energy and chemicals sector• The framework used in the study is the Autonomous Operations Maturity Model (AOMM) developed by ARC Advisory Group, which outlines a five-step hierarchy for adoption of autonomous technology, with Level 5 representing full autonomy.
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