60-minute session

As net zero ambitions escalate, the oil and gas sector needs to double down on efforts to decarbonise and become as energy efficient as possible.

To retain its seat at the future energy table, the sector must embrace accountability, speedy implementation of innovative technologies and resilient business models.

Join our panelists to explore how this hydrocarbon-heavy sector is not only successfully adapting to a net zero world, but in some instances, is leading by example.

• The role of oil and gas in reaching global net zero goals
• Building energy efficiency into new facilities, processes and operations across the value chain
• Leveraging renewable energy and electrification
• Investing in the hydrogen economy and emerging technologies
• Pivoting business models to accommodate greener ambitions

Moderator:

Pamela Largue, Senior content creator | Power Engineering International

Panelists:

Robbie Pond, Head of Oil and Gas Sector (Middle East), Aggreko

Jonathan Robinson, Director, Frost & Sullivan

Alexandra Tudoroiu-Lakavičė, Head of Policy, COGEN Europe

The post Webcast Recording | Green is the new black: Oil & gas and the race to energy efficiency appeared first on Power Engineering International.

In order for the industry to resist the rising pressure and succeed, it needs to adopt a digital-first approach. Digital innovation is key for mitigating the oil and gas crisis and working more efficiently.

Here are the latest digital trends and innovations that will drive the future of the oil and gas sector.

Robotics & automation

In order to promote safety while working under pressure at an oil and gas site, it’s important to reduce manpower and make use of robotics and automation. Additionally, this will increase efficiency and the speed of operations, and lower the risk of human errors.

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According to Frost & Sullivan, the global gas and oil automation market is growing exponentially in attempts to recover from COVID-19 and meet the increasing demands for efficiency, safety, and sustainability.

It is expected to reach £18.69 billion by 2025, which is a 43% increase since 2020. It is also growing at a compound annual growth rate of 7.5%.

Safety first – digital equipment testing

Oil and gas sites can pose a significant safety threat to workers. While there might be certain safety procedures, such as eliminating hazards and providing Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), they’re not the most robust safety solutions.

Coming soon: Reskilling the oil & gas workforce for the energy transition

Quality analysis that adopts quick and efficient solutions is best suited for providing regular safety examinations of systems and preventing incidents.

For example, Enerpac’s Safe T™ Torque Checker validates and tests the exact torque equipment used on-site, such as pump, wrench, and hose, to give an accurate digital read-out. That way, it instantly validates the performance and safety of the entire system, thus minimising errors and incidents.

Big data analytics tools

Large volumes of data generated every day are a major part of the daily operations in the gas and oil industry. Data is extremely important as it provides great insight into both production and performance, which then feeds into optimisation processes and the development of AI-driven algorithms and models.

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Nevertheless, this data often tends to be unstructured. That’s where big data analytics tools can help structure and analyse data, in order to streamline complex operational processes and reduce costs.

Laser scanning and 3D printing

One of the major issues oil and gas companies are facing is the extended downtime associated with the sourcing of complex, customized stand-alone parts. This is causing significant losses of revenue.

Laser scanning of every part of the impeller 3D models, accompanied by 3D printing metal fabrication can reduce the downtime by months and help optimise operations.

3D printing doesn’t require tooling and can replicate lightweight structures with complex internal components. This is a great solution, especially for low-volume projects.

Substructural simulations

Companies often have difficulties monitoring the structural integrity of offshore assets and subsurface.

3D modelling and substructural simulations can provide real-time data and visualisations. This offers greater accuracy, information about potential issues, and ways to minimise planning time.

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Data is collected through sensors on the ring and analysed using cloud-based solvers. This can help establish risks that can impact the safety of the reservoir, as well as provide a new perspective on structural design.

Jumping on the digital innovation wagon can significantly help oil and gas companies mitigate the current challenges and stay afloat in a competitive market.

Not only that, but the current digital trends can help increase the efficiency of operations, provide better worker safety, and reduce costs. This is all while continuously innovating how to improve processes and technology.

Joanne O’Donnell is HR Manager at HTL Group.

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The post Five digital trends for the oil & gas sector appeared first on Power Engineering International.

Mirza was speaking in an online discussion about the role of ports and shipping in Europe’s decarbonisation journey.

He was joined by Delphine Gozillon, policy officer sustainable shipping at Transport & Environment (T&E), and Rhona Macdonald, sustainability advisor at British Ports Association, for a candid discussion on the decarbonisation of ports, as well as the barriers to progress in the sector.

Will ports be Fit for 55?

Europe has a strong policy framework driving sector change, said Delphine Gozillon, with policies that aim to minimise pollution from burning heavy fuel oil and encourage the use of shoreside power.

“Fit for 55 and the Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Regulation tackle how to promote clean air in EU ports,” said Gozillon.

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She stressed that although these policies promote the development of shore power, the lack of all encompassing mandates will hinder progress. “Shoreside electricity is the answer. For the first time, ports and ships will be mandated, but only for container and passenger ships…”.

According to Gozillon, regulators need to stop encouraging the use of emissions heavy fuels. LNG is no longer an acceptable fuel, rather infrastructure must be developed to support the use of ammonia and hydrogen and the use of clean fuels must be mandated.

The future of shore power

Mirza predicts the shore power market for ports will be valued at $3.5 billion over the next five years.

However, the sector must address potential bottlenecks, he suggested, such as lack of industry coordination and technical knowledge to install systems, and the need for strong T&D infrastructure.

Mirza also emphasised the collaborative relationship between ports and utility companies to successfully develop shore power. “Ports and utility companies need to work more closely together to ensure the power model is a success.”

The sentiment was echoed by Rhona Macdonald from British Ports Association, who spoke of the importance of a successful power model and viable business case to ensure investment in future technology and fuels.

“In the UK, shore power is a competitive environment operating without public funding,” said Macdonald.

“There is still a lack of clarity in terms of demand from shipping for cleaner fuels as well as safety concerns for storing and producing these different new fuels such as hydrogen“.

Macdonald explained that electrification, particularly shore power, is going to be key to decarbonising, however, “without the support of public funding this will be difficult to enforce in the UK if ports do not have the necessary funds to build this infrastructure”.

High capital costs and insufficient capacity in local networks are also impacting the business case for short power.

Listen to the recorded discussion on demand.

The post Ports, shipping and the journey to net zero appeared first on Power Engineering International.

Nigg is on the Cromarty Firth in Scotland and for 50 years its fabrication yard has serviced the oil and gas industry.

Acquired by Global Energy Group in 2011, the port has since evolved to embrace the clean energy sector.

Now the new quay – which is 225m long and 50m wide – will enable the port to step-up its work in the floating offshore wind sector.

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“It will be a huge selling point for us when tendering for the next generation of floating offshore wind projects,” said Nigg’s facilities director Rory Gunn.

”The additional deep-water quayside allows us to do the fabrication and assembly of the floating hulls at the port’s South Quay area while the wind turbine integration onto the floating foundations is being conducted at the East Quay.”

Don’t miss our webinar: Decarbonising Ports and Shipping

The port has some of the largest construction and assembly shops in Europe, a large dry dock, expansive laydown areas with high ground bearing capacity and deep water quayside, characteristics which the port believes make it “the principle Scottish port for supporting the renewables industry”.

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The multi-million-pound investment in the East Quay has been supported by Highlands & Islands Enterprise, and its chief executive Stuart Black said: “The Highlands and Islands region has many natural advantages for renewable energy development and the transition to a net zero economy, and our ports and harbours have a vital role to play.

“Port of Nigg has been a key player in the energy sector for many years, particularly in the growth of renewables. We are very pleased to have supported the development of this new facility, which will benefit the region’s economy for many years to come.”

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The post New quay unlocks renewables potential at Scottish port appeared first on Power Engineering International.

Dragon LNG is working with renewables developer Anesco to build a 9.9MW ground-mounted solar park on a 35-acre site at the LNG terminal in Milford Haven, Pembrokeshire.  

Construction is underway and once complete at the end of the year, Anesco will also provide operation and maintenance services.  

Energy generated by the solar park will be used by the terminal site, with any surplus power exported to the local power grid.

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The 18,500 solar panel farm is expected to provide the site with up to 9% of its electricity and the land the solar farm is built on will benefit from a biodiversity plan that will see the creation of habitats for local wildlife and at-risk species. 

Dragon LNG managing director Alexis Fletcher said the project “underpins our business objective of ensuring we evolve in the changing energy sector and securing our business as far into the future as possible”. 

Anesco chief executive Mark Futyan added that “an important part of the project will be to give back to the local community, helping educate the next generation on climate change and renewable energy”.  

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The post Solar park to power LNG terminal in Wales appeared first on Power Engineering International.

Ports have an important role to play as decarbonisation hubs for the shipping industry and potentially further afield. They are vital parts of the maritime supply chain that, with changes to infrastructure and enhanced operational efficiency, could turn into supply nodes for alternative fuels and clean power produced on- and offshore, as well as a driving force for a sustainable, blue economy.

Join our panellists to learn more about:

• Key projects in Europe and the cross-sector partnerships making them happen
• Technology and innovation driving decarbonisation
• Regulatory changes to facilitate development

Confirmed panellists:

Delphine Gozillon, Policy Officer Sustainable Shipping, Transport & Environment (T&E)

Rhona Macdonald, Sustainability Advisor, British Ports Association

Mustafa Mirza, Analyst – Port Electrification, Power Technology Research

The post Webcast Recording | Green is the new black: Decarbonising ports & shipping appeared first on Power Engineering International.

Those who know me will know that I’m not one to shy away from a debate, and the future of the energy industry, digitalisation, big data, and technological innovations is a topic I’m more than just interested in.

I’m an engineer by trade (and by heart) – I’m ceaselessly looking at the world and asking, “why are we doing it like that, is there is a better way?” (which gives you some idea of how Proteus was born). It also means that I like to constantly question myself, and those around me.

So here are the five questions I asked myself and the audience during the session. This is not a conversation that is likely to come to an end any time soon, so if you want to carry on the conversation, drop me a message, and I’d love to chat.

1) Is ‘green is the new black’ already yesterday’s news?

If we look at recent media headlines, and the rising price of oil – we’ve seen some interesting stories hit the headlines:

• The European Union Commission categorically defines gas as a ‘transition fuel source’
• Major banks, including Barclays, HSBC, and BNP Paribas, admit to having funded some of the big oil and gas companies over the last quarter – which would seem to fly in the face of the commitments made by the finance sector, just very recently, in Scotland at COP26
• Major Oil and Gas Operators report record profits

So, do I think green is the new black is already yesterday’s news? In a word, no. Personally, I am a firm advocate that green is absolutely the new black. We are in the beginnings of probably the most exciting phase for the energy industry since the 1970s, and the pathway to energy transition and a low carbon energy world is going to get really, really exciting over the next decade.

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But, it does come off the back of a decade of recession for the upstream oil and gas sector with very little investment in producing assets, which is now having a material impact on global energy security. This has left us facing record prices for oil and gas at a time when renewable energy is simply not able to meet the post-Covid demand for power.

There is finally growing recognition that there has to be a well-coordinated and invested period of transition if we want to avoid a protracted period of high energy prices that could push many consumers into energy poverty.

2) Is it already decided who will lead to this transition going forward?

Indeed, if you looked at the recent Scotwind Offshore Licencing round, the largest renewable offshore licensing awards to date, you might begin to think so. Nearly half the licences were awarded to major upstream oil and gas companies or partnerships involving traditional hydrocarbon producers. Major utility providers dominated the other half.

Perhaps this might make you think who will lead the transition has already been decided, but I don’t believe this is the case. We are coming to the end of a decade of turmoil in our industry, and we have an energy supply chain that is at best broken from a decade of under investment, write-offs and bankruptcies.

In fact, many of the large supply chain companies are trading at a fraction of their value. The OSX index, an aggregated index of the major energy service providers, is down from above 200 to just over 60 in less than a decade, giving you a good indication of just how many of the major service companies have been heavily affected by this last decade of recession and under investment.

As a result, the landscape is wide open with opportunity – and it’s going to be about who responds quickest and most effectively to the very different business performance metrics of the coming energy decade.

A decade that will be led by only the most entrepreneurial of businesses that will digitally transform to become highly efficient in utilising their assets – hardware, software and talent. This is in addition to operating successfully and sustainably at the significantly reduced margins of the diversified energy sector.

3) As we move into the digital space, what happens to the existing big companies when knowledge is no longer a proprietary asset?

Look at what has been happening to our industry. From the million jobs lost from oil and energy in the last 10 years, to the events of the last two years as a result of the pandemic, where the shift to remote working, as well as the exponential growth in freelancer talent, has changed the way we work and will continue to work, for good. What does it mean for our industry when we can work remotely with an expert on the other side of the world?

An expert who can bring the capabilities you desperately need to your project but doesn’t want to be a staff employee. It’s now become a pure question of how companies manage the supply and demand of knowledge.

This ‘knowledge transition’ will to continue to be both a challenge and opportunity for organisations as offices become decentralised and the workforce becomes more hybrid.

Equally, it presents a wonderful opportunity for individuals to use their expertise where and how they want – increasingly across multiple projects and companies, often concurrently.

At Proteus, we are focused on solving these challenges and disrupting the traditional ERP and knowledge acquisition sectors, or as we prefer to call it, the work management solutions sector. “Work. Simplified.” is our mantra – we believe that project success means business success.

If your projects aren’t performing efficiently, what does that say about your organisation? So, the big question is how will companies stand out when trying to differentiate themselves from everybody else in this new evolved ‘energy and knowledge transition’ space?

4) How will companies attract capital to get them a ticket to the low carbon party?

• Attracting capital and investment is going to be about four key things:
• Efficient utilisation of your hardware and software assets
• Optimising your margins in an industry driving tighter margins
• Accessing the global talent pool (and managing a hybrid workforce effectively)
• Minimising your carbon footprint, including that of your supply chain

There is no doubt that access to capital is becoming increasingly constrained and that this trend will continue. Companies need to take control of their journey towards a world of Climate Change Disclosure (TCFD) and ESG reporting using digital transformation to drive improved business performance. Leading companies will also seek transparency on how their supply chain is actually performing, from people to hardware to carbon using work management solutions.

Digital transformation and data transparency will enable new players and leading businesses to demonstrate both their business and environmental credentials. This will make them attractive to responsible capital providers and enable them to continue growing, investing and diversifying.

Acquisitions and mergers are something that is undoubtedly going to define the coming five years, whether you’re a big company or a small company. To survive and thrive in this corporate jungle, access to capital will be essential for business success in an increasingly constrained lending environment.

5) How will companies get ahead in this world of energy transition and digital transformation?

I come from a background of building successful technical knowledge management consultancies. I was the co-founder of GMIS / ADTI, then Senergy Group. My Xergy co-founder Colin Manson was the co-founder of Xodus Group – two of the upstream industry’s most successful technical management consultancies.

In coming together to develop a work management solution, which evolved from our experience in developing the systems that were the backbone of our previous ventures, we can help companies in the energy industry manage their processes and projects better. Very few can afford the large-scale ERP software solutions available in our industry, solutions that have only been economically accessible by the major players.

Until now.

To lead the energy transition, companies in our industry need to manage business much more effectively, and certainly more efficiently than the heady days of black, double-digit margins. If we want to play our part in the green transition, we will have to optimise our processes and the utilisation of our people.

Many of those will be freelancers – we’re going to have to connect to them wherever they are in the world and manage them into the product delivery process very, very efficiently.

At Xergy, our platform Proteus focuses on the ‘process space’, and how that connects with the ‘people space’. Proteus is a work management solution that disrupts the existing ERP model – we have created something which works for our industry and its budgets.

It enables a business to manage every aspect of the project delivery process it is involved in, catalysing business success by giving management and project teams access to a digital transformation solution that isn’t cost-prohibitive and is easy to use.

Personally, I, like others, hope to see silver bullet technologies emerge in the hydrogen, storage renewables and low carbon space. The first step of digital transformation is available and accessible to all of us right now – simply by getting our organisations to perform better by embracing the digital tools that allow us to do that. Proteus sits as a single point of truth solution in starting this transformation journey.

So, as I said, I believe green is indeed the new black, but only if you have the right digital toolkit to enable you to play.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Professor James McCallum is co-founder of work management automation platform Proteus. He took part in the ‘Green is the New Black’ webcast series, which examines the intersection between the oil & gas industry and renewables. Learn more about James and his work at Proteus.

The post Is Green the New Black? Proteus founder Prof James McCallum weighs in appeared first on Power Engineering International.

According to Global Wind Energy Council, the floating wind market has the potential to be significant, as “80% of the world’s offshore wind resource potential lies in waters deeper than 60m”.

Turbines located miles from shore and in ever-deeper waters is the new frontier for the windpower sector, as regions around the world double-down on their efforts to accelerate the deployment of renewables.

Panelists:

• Maf Smith, Vice-Chair – Floating Offshore Wind Taskforce, GWEC – Global Wind Energy Council
• Una Brosnan, Head of Offshore Strategy & New Markets at Mainstream Renewable Power
• Peter Clive, Principal Wind Energy, Black & Veatch

Moderator: Kelvin Ross, Editor-in-Chief | Power Engineering International

This session spotlights some of the most innovative projects in the floating wind sector, and examines:

• The technology, elemental and maintenance challenges faced by floating wind developers;
• How to cut red tape without cutting corners;
• Reskilling, training and recruiting;
• Floating wind’s potential in the future energy mix

The post Green is the new black: Unlocking the potential of floating offshore wind appeared first on Power Engineering International.

According to Global Wind Energy Council, the floating wind market has the potential to be significant, as “80% of the world’s offshore wind resource potential lies in waters deeper than 60m”.

Turbines located miles from shore and in ever-deeper waters is the new frontier for the windpower sector, as regions around the world double-down on their efforts to accelerate the deployment of renewables.

Panelists:

• Maf Smith, Vice-Chair – Floating Offshore Wind Taskforce, GWEC – Global Wind Energy Council
• Una Brosnan, Head of Offshore Strategy & New Markets at Mainstream Renewable Power
• Peter Clive, Principal Wind Energy, Black & Veatch

Moderator: Kelvin Ross, Editor-in-Chief | Power Engineering International

This session spotlights some of the most innovative projects in the floating wind sector, and examines:

• The technology, elemental and maintenance challenges faced by floating wind developers;
• How to cut red tape without cutting corners;
• Reskilling, training and recruiting;
• Floating wind’s potential in the future energy mix

The post Webcast Recording: Green is the new black | Unlocking the potential of floating offshore wind appeared first on Power Engineering International.

So said founder and CEO of Proteus, James McCallum, in the opening of the online discussion entitled Green is the new Black | Digitalisation, big data and technology innovation.

McCallum set the scene by asking if green really is the new black. With finance institutions admitting to funding fossil fuel projects over the last quarter and oil hitting $100 a barrel, has anything really changed since COP26 in Glasgow, and is the sector really making any noteworthy changes?

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MacCallum believes the sector is indeed changing, however, it’s vitally important to ensure oil and gas businesses perform better than in the past by embracing the digital tools that are currently available.

A new dawn for oil and gas

He explained how the oil & gas sector is in a new growth phase that comes off the back of a near-decade of recession for the upstream sector. “We are still coming to the end of a tumultuous decade, without major CAPEX investments.”

Changes are afoot according to McCallum, and not only the fact that nearly half of the licenses in the recent Scotwind awards were awarded to upstream oil and gas companies.

Other changes on the cards include shifting landscapes of knowledge and human capital management, as well as changes to how oil & gas businesses are run. “Knowledge is no longer a proprietary asset, remote working is more popular… the knowledge transition is a big part of the [energy] transition.”

Added McCallum, “It’s going to be about how you manage your business and your margins and how you tap into the talent pool. It’s also going to be about how you access capital. Access to capital is becoming increasingly constrained and will become more so as companies move towards the Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures or ESG reporting.”

“To get a ticket to that capital party, it’s about demonstrating how you run your business, who is in your business, how you run your supply chain and how you manage your four assets: hardware, software, capital and carbon.”

The panel, which included Michele Lauriola from Baker Hughes, Mika Tienhaara from ROCSOLE and Chandran Jayabalan from Aggreko, agreed that in order for companies to get and stay ahead, they will need effective process management to ensure their businesses are managed efficiently.

Predictive maintenance for improved efficiency

Michele Lauriola, Technical Leader – Digital Services, Turbomachinery and Process Solutions at Baker Hughes suggested that predictive maintenance will play a key role in enhancing performance of the sector.

Said Lauriola: “Clients are emphasising continuous, preemptive, actionable intelligence, early warning capabilities provided by data resulting in maintenance recommendation. Analytics plays a critical role.”

Mika Tienhaara, Chief Executive Officer at ROCSOLE, added: “Predictive maintenance is the way to go but there is still a lot of work to do.”

According to Tienhaara, 75% of maintenance on the US Gulf Coast for example is unplanned, often caused by run to failure, lack of data, and siloed management. Furthermore, legacy instrumentation that doesn’t work dents operational efficiency.

“Inefficiencies are huge in the industry and this leads to greater emissions,” said Tienhaara.

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“Having actionable data available under harsh conditions will achieve greater efficiencies. Without data providing higher efficiency OPEX will be higher.

“If you improve the performance of one single mid-sized oil field by 10%, you could improve the financial performance by $30 million per year,” concluded Tienhaara.

Remote monitoring

Chandran Jayabalan, Head of Oil and Gas Sector (Asia) at Aggreko, also emphasised the importance of successfully navigating remote monitoring. “The ‘COVID-world’ has taught us to do many different things, from remote monitoring to managing the movement of manpower, trying to keep the brains in one location while serving globally.

“In terms of remote monitoring, customers are demanding it now that they realise how much time and cost it can save.”

The panel made it clear that the oil and gas sector is facing evident and exciting disruption. Digitalisation is impacting business models and people and must be embraced and capitalised on if the sector is to remain relevant and financially sound in decades to come.

The entire session is available on demand.

The post Digitalisation – Key to the new dawn for oil and gas appeared first on Power Engineering International.