Industry

A Perth geoscientist who has pioneered taking science out of the classroom into a hands-on, in-the-field experience – particularly for remote area schools – has been praised for her nomination among Saturday night’s “Australian of the Year” awards in Canberra.

Ms Suzy Urbaniak was WA’s nominee in the “Australian of the Year - Local Heroes” award category.

The ‘Local Hero’ award acknowledges extraordinary contributions made by Australians in their local community – with Ms Urbaniak currently making significant inroads into science education in WA’s Pilbara region.

A former 2016 Prime Minister's Prize for Excellence in Science Teaching...

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Australia has officially become the world’s largest exporter of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) on an annualised basis.

In sending overseas, an estimated record 77.514 million tonnes (Mt) of locally produced LNG in calendar 2019, Australia edged out former No. 1 LNG export titleholder Qatar, expected to produce 75Mt in 2019.

The 2019 Australian LNG exports were more than twice those of the United States, the world’s other fast-growing LNG producer. The US Energy Information Administration expects the US to have exported 34.3Mt in 2019.

The Australian contribution came from across all three now fully established LNG hubs...

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Natural gas production for Northwest Europe is forecast to decline by approximately 25% from current levels over the next five years as upcoming projects struggle to offset overall declines, according to data and analytics company, GlobalData.

The company’s report, ‘2019 Northwest Europe Upstream Development Outlook – Surge in New-Build Oil and Gas Project Starts for 2020’, reveals that gas production fell year on year over the last two years, a trend that is set to continue over the forecast period.

The lack of major upcoming gas projects, alongside a production phase out at the giant Groningen gas field, has set a clear downward trend for gas production in Northwest Europe.

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In the 1970s, Americans faced long lines at gasoline pumps. Today, the United States is a net oil and petroleum exporter. How did this happen? Two words: technology and innovation.

“Modern technology means more oil and gas can be extracted from the same wells. It’s called hydraulic fracturing, or fracking,” says ShareAmerica, an organisation that informs global audiences about life in the US and offers engaging material on a number of topics.

“Frackers pump water and chemicals down deep wells to fracture rocks and tap resources that had been thought irretrievable.

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The 2019 winner of APPEA’s prestigious Tony Noon Memorial Scholarship is Elliot Foley, a PhD candidate from James Cook University based in Townsville.

Mr Foley – who is studying geoscience – was awarded the $3,000 scholarship for his research on sedimentary basins and petroleum prospectivity in north-eastern Queensland, focusing on the Carpentaria Basin.

The annual Tony Noon Memorial Scholarship provides a one-off grant for honours, Masters or PhD students from a range of disciplines, including geology, safety, engineering, economics, law or environmental management.

APPEA Chief Executive Andrew McConville applauded the high-achieving PhD student, who impressed judges with his ground-breaking research relating to Australia’s oil and gas industry.

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Following the recent news that Saudi Arabia’s national oil company has completed the initial public offering (IPO) of 3 billion shares — raising $25.6bn — international analysts have reacted saying the listing was not a complete success.

Richard Thompson, an Editorial Director at GlobalData, commented:

“Aramco’s IPO has several important objectives for the company and for Saudi Arabia. Most obvious is that it has raised $25.6bn in equity for the company that will be immediately reinvested into strategic projects.

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Queensland natural gas is fuelling Queensland energy and Queensland manufacturing jobs in a national first.

Senex Energy’s Project Atlas has delivered its first gas to its first customer, state-owned power generator CleanCo, and will follow within weeks to building products maker CSR, which has three south-east Queensland manufacturing plants.

Mines and Energy Minister Dr Anthony Lynham said the energy and resources milestone was underpinning manufacturing jobs and businesses and the state’s reliable, lower-cost electricity supply.

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Petrosys has announced the acquisition of GLOBE Claritas™ seismic processing software from GNS Science in New Zealand.

GLOBE Claritas said the backing of Petrosys “will open up a new phase of growth for GLOBE Claritas™, allowing stronger penetration of geographical markets and providing access to a broader shared global client list and geographic outreach focused on the resources industry.

“Our corporate ethos of allowing acquired companies to retain their individual brand strengths and culture will ensure that GLOBE Claritas™ remains a respected, trusted, independent and responsive provider for seismic processing and data management software.

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As delegates gather in Madrid for the 25th annual United Nations Climate Change Conference, the latest government estimate released with the June 2019 Quarterly Update of Australia’s National Greenhouse Gas Inventory confirms the importance of Australia’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports for reducing global greenhouse gas emissions.

“It’s important to recognise the global appetite for energy is growing, with more than 1.1 billion people lacking access to electricity. Substituting LNG for more emissions-intensive fuels allows importing countries to satisfy growing demand while reducing emissions,” said APPEA Chief Executive Andrew McConville.

“Australia’s LNG projects will deliver decades of economic growth, jobs and exports as well as strong regional and global environmental benefits.

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Australia’s oil and gas industry has welcomed the announcement by Prime Minister Scott Morrison to deliver new deregulation measures for Australian businesses.

Mr Morrison announced the development of a digital environmental approvals process and database aimed at reducing the current approvals process by between six and 18 months.

APPEA Chief Executive Andrew McConville said the industry welcomed the announcement, saying the measures will reduce red tape and unnecessary regulation, unlocking investment opportunities in Australia.

“The announcement represents an important step forward to improve and modernise the environmental approvals framework, which is currently is time consuming, costly and complex,” Mr McConville said.

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