A weekly glimpse at a changing Energy and Natural Resources Industry

After 16 years in the energy industry it is sometimes hard to imagine it changing and becoming something drastically different to what I have known my whole career. But the reality is that things are changing, and they are changing very quickly. Each week I scour the web looking for great examples of “things”, ideas and disruptive trends that are changing the Energy and Natural resources industry.  These are my 5 picks for this week:

Number 5- Do mobile phones cause explostions?

The use of mobile devices in the Oil and Gas industry is highly restricted due to the potential risk of an explosion. The reality is though that as far as I can tell there has never been an explosion caused by a mobile device. The article in the link below is a great example. The title suggests that phones do cause fires but on further reading it debunks phones causing fires. The famous Mybusters also took on this challenge in episodes 2 and 14, busting it both times. Some further websearching suggests that this topic has been around for a while and I think highlights the need to debunk the myth and look at reforming regulation around how mobile devices are made intrinsically safe and what exactly could be a cause for ignition. We are missing out on a huge opportunity to take advantage of low power, low cost devices that could actually make us a lot more environmentally aware and as a result safer.

Number 4- The Methane Moment

Next steps in the Climate conversation. Talks are currently underway to assess the impact of Methane on the environment. Up until recently Methane as a plollutant has gone relatively unnoticed, but recent studies have suggested that Methane itself could be a huge contributor to global warming. The Oil and Gas industry awaits the latest EPA standards in order to help meet the Obama Administrations ambitious goal to cut methane emissions by as much as 45% by 2025. As we see the energy mix forecast shifting to a higher demand for gas, over coal and Oil, could this be the start of yet another regulatory hurdle that carbon based fuels will have to overcome in a new world. Will this regulation accelerate the need for alternative hydrocarbon free  energy sources?

Number 3- Crowd Funding, Mineral Intelligence

Taking a leaf out of the “start-up” book. Take a look at how these guys have taken to looking at crowd funding as a new way to raise Capital in a depressed market. Kudos for thinking outside the box, it will be interesting to see how many people take their money out of their declining stock market though to drop into this.

Number 2- Scania's autonomous truck on the test track

Who perfected “autonomous” vehicles first- The Miners or Google? With all the hype around the new RAC driverless bus and Googles plans to change the transportation world forever one would think this is really the cutting edge of autonomous vehicles. What a disservice this does to our mining Industry where Autonomous vehicles are more than just a test- they are a reality. The miners have moved on from the basics are now looking at trucks that are far heavier and more complicated (dual axels) to drive, yet are stable at 90 km/h. Arguably the Pilbara  has currently more autonomous vehicles than California. The issue would seem that mine trucks are less sexy than the idea of having a car drive you to work and so this does not make main stream media. It could also be that the real challenge with Autonomous vehicles are not technical and more environmental in nature. Fortunately on a mine site it is easier to control the number of “unpredictable” human drivers and cyclists on the roads. Maybe there is a more valuable lesson here on regulation.

Number 1- Eco-Tourism, cashing in on old oil rigs

Take a look at what Seaventures have done with this old Jack up, turning overalls into Wetsuites, and safety briefings into dive briefings. What’s even more interesting is running an internet search on You tube for Oil Rig diving – It would seem that Oil Rig diving is a big adventure business. So perhaps there will be life after Oil and Mining as a playground for extreme adventure sport- I can just imagine how an old abandoned crushing plant or coal fired power station would make the perfect location for a drone race of the futre.