Archives for July 2019

Global energy workforce shifting from onshore shale to offshore

July 31, 2019 by Justin Williams

Houston Chronicle | Jordan Blum | July 31, 2019

As U.S. shale activity plateaus for now and the offshore oil and gas industry recovers, the employment growth in the global energy sector has shifted from onshore to offshore.

In 2017 and 2018, offshore services firms grew their employment by about 6 percent while onshore companies hiked their payrolls by less than 4 percent, according to the Norwegian research firm Rystad Energy. And the shift toward offshore is expected to continue in the years ahead.

However, most of the offshore recovery is occurring internationally in regions like Europe and the Middle East, while the U.S. Gulf of Mexico has only seen marginal growth.

In onshore shale, the drilling rig count in the U.S. has fallen throughout this year and major services players like Houston's Halliburton and National Oilwell Varco are both axing jobs.

While shale growth kept the energy sector stable from 2016 and beyond 2017, the offshore industry has now taken the lead, Rystad said.

"This is a clear effect of the increase in offshore sanctioning. We expect offshore commitments to nearly double from 2018 to 2020, and sustain high levels of spending over the next five years," said Matthew Fitzsimmons, Rystad vice president.

Read the full story here.

Swing-state households would lose at least $70G within first year of Green New Deal, study finds

July 31, 2019 by Justin Williams

FOX News | Sam Dorman | July 30, 2019

Radically transforming energy consumption under the "Green New Deal" (GND) would cost the average household at least $70,000 in the first year of its rollout, and a cool quarter-million dollars total after five years, a new study concluded.

The study, released jointly by the Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI) and Power the Future on Tuesday, looked at a wide swath of data to estimate how transforming the energy sector -- which includes de-carbonizing transportation and retrofitting U.S. commercial and residential buildings -- would affect the average household in five representative states.

Within the first year of implementing the program, the average household in each of the given states (Alaska, Florida, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Pennsylvania) would incur at least $70,000 in expenses -- followed by roughly $45,000 in annual expenses for each of the following 2-5 years and over $37,000 after that time frame.Their estimates came on the same day as the Democrats' second primary debate, which included leading progressive candidates who not only have endorsed the GND, but who also sought public support from its visionary, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y. A slew of other candidates -- including the party's frontrunner, former Vice President Joe Biden -- have endorsed the basics of the project. Three congressional Democrats introduced a carbon tax bill last week that similarly would seek a drastic reduction in emissions.

While it's early in the primary season, candidates will be competing soon for voters in some of the states modeled by the institute. For example, the study found that the battleground state of Pennsylvania would face over $2 trillion in costs for upgrading residential, commercial and industrial buildings. Florida would encounter a $1.4 trillion price tag and New Hampshire, the first primary state, would face $102.8 billion in retrofitting costs.

The two others would see similarly high costs: $352.8 billion for New Mexico and $533.4 billion for Alaska.

Ocasio-Cortez has downplayed cost concerns and mocked conservatives whom she argued were like Dr. Evil, demanding outlandish ransoms in the "Austin Powers" movies. But a host of studies -- albeit, mostly from right-leaning organizations -- have found that the Green New Deal's costs would be astronomical.

Biden and some other 2020 Democrats, meanwhile, have endorsed its "framework" -- yielding environmental proposals that would cost much less but still reach figures like $1.7 trillion over 10 years.

Read the full story here.

LTE: Seismic data is of immense scientific value

July 31, 2019 by Justin Williams

The Post & Courier | Chris McClindon | July 29, 2019

As an outspoken advocate for the collection of scientific data to study the Earth, I was gratified by Bo Peterson’s May 30 story on U.S. Geological Survey’s project to collect geophysical data to study buried faults in South Carolina.

I was equally miffed, however, by the July 12 Post and Courier editorial calling for the USGS’s parent agency to “shut the door” on geophysical data along the southeastern seaboard.

Chris is the President of the New Orleans Geological Society Memorial Foundation.

T-Mobile, RigNet launch LTE wireless network in the Gulf of Mexico

July 31, 2019 by Justin Williams

Houston Chronicle | Jordan Blum | July 26, 2019

Houston-based RigNet has partnered with T-Mobile to expand LTE wireless service to more than 60,000 square miles in the Gulf of Mexico, offering greater communications networks for the offshore oil and gas sector.

The new 4G LTE network in the Gulf is the first offered by a major wireless provider and is designed to provide improved communications on everything from helicopters to floating oil platforms to drillships, the companies said. T-Mobile also emphasized the expansion in the Gulf lays the foundation for the next-generation 5G network in the Gulf.

Commercial and recreational vessels in the Gulf can also connect to the new network through T-Mobile. RigNet is a communications and software firm that has long worked in the Gulf of Mexico.

"We're putting an end to the pain that businesses and consumers in the Gulf have felt for years with limited connectivity and, in some cases, none at all," said T-Mobile Chief Technology Officer Neville Ray.

Norway-based Tampnet announced the first 4G LTE network for the Gulf of Mexico last year, but RigNet's partnership with T-Mobile is the first deployment of LTE from a major retail wireless provider.

And this new partnership used 5G-ready equipment to lay the groundwork for the deployment of the next-generation network in the Gulf, the companies said.

Read the full story here.

NOIA Applauds Record-Setting Offshore Wind Contract in the Atlantic

July 19, 2019 by Justin Williams

For Immediate Release: Thursday, July 18, 2019
Contact: Nicolette Nye, (202) 465-8463, nnye@nullnoia.org

NOIA Applauds Record-Setting Offshore Wind Contract in the Atlantic

Washington, D.C. – NOIA’s Vice-President of Government and Political Affairs, Tim Charters, issued the following statement regarding NY Governor Cuomo’s announcement of a record-setting contract for offshore wind development:

“The announcement by the Governor of New York signals that offshore wind is set to boom off our Atlantic coast and that developers and companies in the offshore energy supply chain need to get ready to build. We are thrilled that New York chose two NOIA member companies, Ørsted and Equinor, for these major offshore wind projects and we congratulate the great corporate teams that made this happen. NOIA looks forward to seeing these projects become reality. We also eagerly await future announcements about additional procurements and encourage a steady pipeline of leasing from BOEM to support the growth of an offshore wind supply chain in the U.S. to ensure that the economic opportunity of offshore wind becomes a winning reality for American workers and results in a more secure American energy future.”

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ABOUT NOIA
NOIA is the only national trade association representing all segments of the offshore industry with an interest in the exploration and production of both traditional and renewable energy resources on the nation’s outer continental shelf. NOIA’s mission is to secure reliable access and a fair regulatory and economic environment for the companies that develop the nation’s valuable offshore energy resources in an environmentally responsible manner. The NOIA membership comprises nearly 250 companies engaged in business activities ranging from producing to drilling, engineering to marine and air transport, offshore construction to equipment manufacture and supply, telecommunications to finance and insurance, and renewable energy.