The Resources and Energy Quarterly June 2019 released last week shows the key role liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports play in supporting Australia’s continued economic and jobs growth, APPEA has said in reaction to the report. According to the Department of Industry, Innovation and Science, the value of Australia’s resources and energy exports are estimated to have totalled a record $275 billion in 2018-19 due in large part to growing LNG exports. In 2018-19, Australia’s LNG export earnings are estimated at $49.7 billion, an $18.
Industry
Robotics to drive oil and gas productivity and efficiency
The oil and gas industry is gearing up to deploy robotics across a wide range of applications in the upstream, midstream and downstream segments, primarily to drive productivity and efficiency amid volatility in crude prices, according to data and analytics company Globaldata. The company’s latest thematic report: ‘Robotics in Oil & Gas’ reveals that the complex challenges, particularly in the exploration and production of hydrocarbons, are prompting companies to explore the potential of complexly engineered robotics solutions to work autonomously or in conjunction with field operators.
‘Gas and Oil exploration renaissance finally underway’
Gas and Oil exploration renaissance finally underway There are signs that Australian oil and gas exploration is starting to recover from the doldrums that have been the feature of recent years, a special background report by EnergyQuest Associated and exploration analyst David Upton has revealed. Calendar 2019 has begun strongly with the success of offshore wells Corvus-2 and Dorado-2. Offshore • Offshore exploration and appraisal drilling is finally beginning to recover, with eight wells to be drilled in 2019, up from only five in 2018.
EDGE pioneers ‘new way to capture, distribute and monetize stranded and flared gas’
Edge Gathering Virtual Pipelines, a proclaimed “pioneer in delivering low-cost, high quality LNG by converting stranded and flared natural gas,” said it has produced and delivered its first LNG in the United States. “With no need for pipelines, EDGE is the first viable route to market for stranded gas reserves, and a revenue generating alternative to flaring or venting associated gas from oil production,” the company said. EDGE began on-well-site LNG production in the US on May 7 2019, accessing Marcellus gas in Pennsylvania, and making truck-delivered LNG sales to its first customers, which include Emera Energy Services, Inc.
Israel will emerge as gas exporter by mid-2020s
Israel has gone through an energy production revolution owing to discoveries of natural gas resources such as the Tamar and Leviathan fields over the past decade. Against this backdrop, the country’s gas production will significantly exceed demand and it will emerge as a gas exporter in the Eastern Mediterranean region by mid-2020s, says data and analytics company, GlobalData.
Australian gas exports cutting global emissions
The importance of Australia’s natural gas exports to reducing global greenhouse gas emissions is underlined in the latest government estimate released recently with the December Quarterly Update of Australia’s National Greenhouse Gas Inventory. Energy Minister Angus Taylor highlighted that Australia’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports were saving global emissions equal to over a quarter of the country’s domestic greenhouse gas emissions. APPEA Chief Executive Andrew McConville said this key contribution of Australia’s LNG industry was not always recognised in the broader energy debate. “The global appetite for energy is growing, with more than 1.
Unemployment down but self-employed geoscientists continue to struggle
Unemployment amongst Australian geoscientists continued to fall during the first quarter of 2019. At 31 March 2019, the latest Australian Institute of Geoscientist’s (AIG) Employment Survey revealed an average unemployment rate of 7.5%, down from 9.1% recorded three months earlier at the end of December 2018. The underemployment rate amongst self-employed geoscientists, however, increased 2% to 20.5%, continuing an upturn in the self-employed’s unemployment rate evident in the December 2018 survey when a rate of 18.5% was recorded. The fall in geoscientist unemployment continues a gradual, downward trend that became evident in March 2016.
Wood to lead subsea integration and flow assurance for landmark subsea development in Australia
Wood has secured a new contract with Chevron Australia to provide subsea integration and flow assurance front-end engineering design (FEED) services for the Jansz-lo compression project offshore Western Australia. Effective immediately, the one-year contract will be delivered locally by Wood’s team based in Perth, harnessing local expertise and industry capability. The Jansz-lo compression project will maintain gas supply to the existing Gorgon LNG facility. Wood will lead as system integrator of the technology, providing independent flow assurance, subsea design, and construction engineering support during the FEED. This new contract extends Wood’s support of Chevron-operated major capital projects in Australia.
PESA WA May Branch Luncheon
“If you’ve got an unconventionals focused geologist in your company, go talk to them, you might be surprised at the learnings applicable to conventional hydrocarbon accumulations”. That was the takeaway from Avon McIntyre’s WA Branch May luncheon talk - “Bursting Source Rock and Strange Hydrocarbon Occurrences Around the World”. The presentation challenged attendees' thoughts on maturation, migration and charge-timing (all may be later than we think) through analysis of unconventional geology. Photos of explosively delaminated source rocks and abandoned gilsonite mines complimented an excellent talk. Many thanks to Spectrum, Searcher and DownUnder Geophysical for sponsoring the event.
Future plans in WA to lower costs without compromising service
Lower revenue, lower costs and maintaining strong safety, reliability and service performance are thenfocus of proposed future plans announced recently for Western Australia's Dampier to Bunbury Natural Gas Pipeline (DBNGP) and its customers out to the year 2025. The pipeline - part of the Australian Gas Infrastructure Group (AGIG) - is the backbone of the WA economy, linking the gas fields in the State's north-west directly to mining, industrial, and commercial customers. AGIG's Chief Customer Officer, Andrew Staniford, said the Draft Plan released outlines DBNGPmactivities and expenditure proposed to be undertaken from 2021 through to 2025.