Fuel Up! Lng

Have you been laid off from your great job in the oil and gas industry? Are you wondering what to do next? Is it time to write the industry off and move on, or is there still work to be had, if you knew where to look? This podcast looks into the causes of the retrenchment and some survival strategies from other similar downturns. Duration: 8 m 15 s

On August 27, 2015, I presented to the SEAAOC conference in Darwin on how the oil and gas industry might go about improving productivity. I recorded my remarks for this podcast.  You can also find the slide presentation at Slideshare.net. Just look for me by name. Duration: 18m 34s  

Can fracking activities impact the water table? I thought I’d share some of the science behind oil drilling and water tables to demystify this aspect of the oil and gas industry.   Oil and gas are usually (but not aways – see oil sands) found below the water table. We know this to be true because, frankly, there are a lot of water wells out there, and if we were always encountering oil and gas above the water table, we’d be striking oil whenever we drill for water. When was the last time you ever heard of anyone drilling for water on their property and discovering oil? Therefore, anytime a petroleum company is drilling for hydrocarbons, they know they will in all likelihood have to drill through the water table. Suffice to say, the industry has a lot of experience with how to pass through the water table without polluting it since every well has to.  

What are the five key questions that Boards of LNG companies should be asking themselves today? The world of LNG has turned upside down in the past 12 months, so the questions must surely be different than those asked in mid 2014. Here’s what I think are the most important questions that Boards might want to consider at their next gathering. Duration: 7 m 45 s

There's been a steady stream of voices in Australia's gas industry asking for relief from the country's imposing volume of rules and regulations. The industry is drowning in red tape and it's choking off investment in the gas sector. But cutting through red tape is actually really hard. This podcast digs into a case study and what can be done about it.    Duration: 7 min 13 s

   Wondering where to look for opportunities in the subdued Australian LNG industry? Look no further. Here’s my reasoning why there’s still opportunities out there, and my list of the eight best growth prospects in gas, LNG and services. These are based on research into the sector in Australia where the country is building the world's largest fleet of LNG plants.  Duration: 7m 21s

APPEA 2015 was the largest gathering of oil and gas executives, stakeholders, investors and suppliers in the Southern Hemisphere. I really enjoyed the opportunity to meet so many key contacts in one place, but the highlight was the presentations. Here's the most important take aways from this year's event.

The oil and gas world has not seen such a steep and prolonged price downturn for many years. Explorers and producers are carrying out the usual playbook in tackling their cost and productivity issues. Layoffs, capital project deferral, supply chain pressure – it’s all happening. The last time the industry suffered through a retraction, the UK North Sea basin operators came up with some innovative solutions to achieve serious cost reductions. How much? Think of 30-40% improvements.   This tactic has (or at least, had) a name. CRINE (Cost Reduction Initiative in the New Era) first originated in the North Sea basin years ago (1994) when the collapsing price of oil (down to $12 a barrel) almost put the North Sea out of business.   Could CRINE work in Australia?   Duration: 8m 54s

I was invited to present my ideas on possible futures for Gladstone Queensland, now that the LNG industry is coming to full fruition. The existing installed base of infrastructure, the changing ownership of the pipelines and a state government keen to see job growth creates the conditions for growth and advancement.  This speech is part of a series of articles and posts I've prepared about Gladstone, available at my website Http://www.geoffreycann.com/   Duration: 28m 33s

A visit to Gladstone, Queensland, is an impressive outing, as the 3 LNG plants on Curtis Island, just off shore, take finished shape and approach the start of production. If LNG was oil, Gladstone will be shipping about 5% of global supply, enough to make it a sizeable member of OPEC. What else could Gladstone be, besides a world class port, now that it has world class LNG infrastructure? This broadcast was recorded in Gladstone on May 26 2015 for the Gladstone Engineering Alliance.  Duration: 28m 52s  

  The oil and gas industry is a tough place to find any growth opportunities, but they are there if you look for them. I presented to the Society of Petroleum Engineers in Brisbane on this subject, sharing eight growth opportunities for those who think long term. This is a recording of the speech. You can find the matching slides here on Slideshare.net You can read a blog write up on the concepts here on my blog. Duration: 29m 41s

Australia's gas and LNG sectors face a high cost red tape burden that is impacting the ability of the sector to improve its economic performance. In part red tape is imposed by the state's rules and regulations, and in part it's imposed by the companies themselves.    This podcast explores the way to measure productivity in the gas industry, reviews the industry's productivity performance, and some examples of red tape. Duration: 7m 46s 

  There’s been tons of analysis on the causes of the oil price collapse. Audiences politely nod their heads at the storyline and accept that there’s a supply/demand imbalance, but once in a while, I’m confronted with serious skeptics who fundamentally disagree with this premise. Is there another plausible storyline, drawn from the more murky shadows of conspiracy theory? Perhaps. Duration: 8m 24s  

Australia's LNG industry is wrestling with some of the most intractable challenges anywhere in human capital management. We're making progress, but we have a long way to go. This podcast presents what I see as the top 10 human resources issues facing the sector, and my thoughts on potential solutions. These aren't in any particular order.  Duration: 8:04

A graduating petroleum engineer from Perth called me recently to get some insights into job prospects in Australia's oil and gas sector as he joins what looks like a gutted job market. He was asking important questions about the emerging LNG industry, growth prospects, and career choices.  I happen to be working on some labour market analysis into emerging workforce needs in Australia's gas sector, so it was timely to give some thought to this topic. This podcast is a recording of a Where Is the Next Oil and Gas Job?. Duration: 7m 42s

Fit for $50 is the new normal for global oil and gas companies. High cost structures, inefficient use of capital, and sloppy supply chains are coming under intense scrutiny in the oil and gas basins of the world.   I'm always curious about what is happening in other leading oil and gas centers to gain insight into how other parts of the world are reacting.    In this episode, I'm in conversatin with Julian Small who is Deloitte's Global head of Tax based in the UK, and is also the leader of Deloitte's Energy and Resources practice. In his past he was an executive team member of an oil company chasing opportunities in Australia. Most shocking datapoint is the 80% tax rate the UK government levies on the oil and gas sector.  Press the audio player to listen. Duration: 16:03   

The collapse in world oil prices is having a profound effect on global LNG trade. The era of $50 oil (on which the price of LNG is derived) appears well and truly over. Businesses that are based on a high oil price must undertake some changes to survive and thrive. Fortunately, it's possible according to a relevant case study.  

In this first podcast, Richard Hughes, one of my colleagues at work, provides some advice on how oil and gas services companies can survive and thrive during this downturn in prices.